Defensive contributions, DefCon to most managers, are two points for doing the dull work. A defender gets them when clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles reach ten in a match. A midfielder or a forward needs twelve, and ball recoveries count for them.
The two points are paid once. Ten actions and twenty actions score the same. That one rule decides how you should read the numbers, and it is why the FPL defensive contributions board is not sorted on the average.
Hit rate, not the average
A defender averaging 9.5 actions against a bar of ten is close. A midfielder averaging 11 against twelve is also close. Their averages look nothing alike, and the points are about the same. The board turns each player's rate into a hit rate: the chance of clearing his own threshold in a start. That is what it ranks on.
We hold the match-by-match numbers, so the hit rate uses how a player's actions actually spread out, not a guess that he does the same amount every week. A player just under his bar clears it more often than his average suggests. One comfortably over it misses more often than you would think.
Players need a minimum number of minutes to appear, so two busy games from a substitute do not top the list. Early in the season that bar is lower and creeps up as the games are played.
Price is the point
Two points a match is worth far more from a £4.5m defender than a £7.0m one. The per £m column is those points as a share of the price. Set the maximum price to £4.5m or £5.0m and sort on hit rate. That is the cheap defender shortlist in one click.
Premium attackers can hit the threshold. It is not why you own them.
Where the actions come from
The last column splits the actions into clearances, recoveries, tackles, interceptions and blocks. Two players can clear the bar equally often and be nothing alike underneath.
Clearances come from defending your own box. A clearance-heavy centre back is being paid because his team is under pressure. Give that team three kind fixtures and the clearances, and the points, dry up. Recoveries and tackles follow the ball higher up the pitch and hold up better when the fixtures turn easy.
The club table is a map of where the actions are. It is also a warning. Sides that spend games without the ball generate the actions, and those are often the same sides that concede. A DefCon defender who never keeps a clean sheet is a cheap two points and not much more.
How to use it
- Open the board — Go to defensive contributions. It is ranked by hit rate.
- Cap the price — Set the maximum to the money you have for the slot. Cheap defenders are where DefCon matters most.
- Set a hit-rate floor — 50% or higher removes the players who only get there in a wild game.
- Read the mix — Prefer recoveries and tackles to a pile of clearances if the fixtures are about to turn kind.
- Check the fixtures — The fixture ticker shows clean sheet chances. Two points from DefCon and four from a clean sheet are better than either.
FAQ
What counts as a defensive contribution in FPL?
Clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles for defenders. Midfielders and forwards add ball recoveries, and their bar is twelve instead of ten.
Can a player get DefCon points more than once in a match?
No. It is two points when he reaches the threshold, and nothing extra after that.
Is a high average enough?
Not on its own. The points depend on how often he crosses the line. That is the hit rate column, and it is why the board is sorted on it.