iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Increased? DEFCON defenders are way too meta to pick other options

321

Andrew Lawes (FPL Nightmare) @fplnightmare.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Oh i’m perfectly fine with whatever faceless BlueSky account has to say about it. Unfortunately, there’s not much to engage with here, as once again nothing constructive about the post itself was actually mentioned.

000

Reposted by AlexVolloFPL

Captains 🤔 Transfers 🎯 How To Maximise Luck In GW31 🎲🥳 Watch: youtu.be/aPJvfVNCWp4 We all think FPL is about being the best at picking players. The elite managers know it is about minimising the damage when you get it wrong. It's not too late to learn these lessons.

youtu.be

Captains 🤔 Transfers 🎯 How To Maximise Luck In FPL GW31 🎲🥳Gameweek 31 Preview Fantasy Premier League

YouTube video by FPL Nightmare

152

There’s not much to reply to when nothing constructive is being said about the post itself or the reasoning behind it.

110

Powered by @xgstat.bsky.social , the best platforms for analysts and advanced FPL users. Clean UI, strong data, and a lot you won't find elsewhere. Use code VOLLO50 on their website for 50% off your first month.

020

More advanced CB touches means more final-third entries and more chances for cutbacks, second balls, and edge-of-the-box shots. It's just a very good opponent for him, especially in terms of receiving early against a disorganised block. Set pieces are a nice bonus on top.

Harry Wilson benefits indirectly from all of this. If CBs can carry forward easily, Burnley's shape gets distorted, the midfield gets dragged, and space opens in the half-spaces.

Their press is passive, forwards don't screen properly, and midfielders don't step out to confront advancing CBs, which means time, space, and freedom to carry or pick passes. This is pretty much the ideal matchup for the profiles of Bassey and Andersen.

Burnley rank as the worst team in the league for conceding threat from CBs, so It's not just set pieces either. Burnley are also failing to engage CBs in build-up.

Andersen is also very aggressive attacking these situations, although based on recent routines his ceiling might be slightly lower, the matchup still suits him.

Fulham have also leaned heavily into asymmetric set-piece routines recently, overloading one zone so the weak-side CB gets separation. That's where Bassey often ends up as the free man.

In the last match against Burnley, he won the most duels and still found himself in completely unmarked situations, one of which he scored from.

Burnley defenders often fail to engage physically strong opponents in dead-ball situations. While aerial duels can be a weakness for Bassey, his physicality allows him to thrive against teams that don't aggressively contest second balls or initial headers.

CB attacking returns are obviously low-probability by default, but the opponent weakness, specifically Burnley's recent decline in defending set pieces makes Fulham CBs and Harry Wilson stand out as the best options.

Tomorrow's Scout & Analyst picks should be really interesting, probably the most useful one as well with so many people going for short-term punts before wildcarding. Stay tuned, and thank you for the feedback ;)

170

The way people here talk about Anthony Gordon as an FPL asset now vs the last five months, you'd think he's suddenly started to play with a gun in his hand.

160

OMG Eze that was beautiful, big fan of that Adidas celebration as well

010

I do feel the same way about bonus points because everything "big chances" related is subjective by its nature

010

All of that is a good argument against defcon

220

A lot of those "defensive" contributions are dangerous own half losses and even pre assists sometimes

Something can be predictable in aggregate over time, via data/models but still hard to identify event-by-event in real time, especially with something as subjective as DEFCONs. The way DCs are actually given is inconsistent enough to feel random when you watch.

We have the lowest scoring league in five years, I'm not sure why we need defcons at this point tbh Also I believe that less subjectivity = a fair, competitive game. You can only predict something when the thing you're predicting is consistent, classifiable and measurable

140

Because you can't predict what you can't classify, very simple. For me, someone who used to classify on-pitch actions for a living, it's still hard sometimes to tag defcons correctly. Opta deadlines are just completely unfair as well.

I think the biggest problem is the nature of those points, it's the most unpredictable metric but at the same time those points are almost guaranteed, which is not ok I don't even talk about classification of those "defensive" actions

Ot should i say almost guaranteed

010

Same, the nature of those points is too predictable

110

That's the new meta unfortunately 🤷🏻

221

To outscore Marcos Senesi's DEFCONs as a defender, you'd need 15 assists, 2 more than the all-time record for a defender in a season. And he still has 8 GWs to go 👀 #FPL

4152

Oh that's sweet, thanks for the feedback

020

No, for the reasons mentioned in this post

100

It's also worth keeping in mind that Liverpool have UCL match coming up midweek, which could influence both the game state and potential rotation.

Every scout and analyst also noted that all of this may not matter if Tottenham show the same level of defensive organisation they did in the last matches.

Another factor is Liverpool's shot distribution. They generate plenty of box entries and touches, but the actual shots often come from recycled cutbacks or the edge of the box rather than the first central action. That reduces the ceiling for Ekitike, while increasing the value of late runners.

Another point mentioned repeatedly is Tudor's foul-heavy defensive system. Defenders are constantly dragged into physical duels they can't sustain. With Danso and potentially Dragusin in the lineup, it also boosts the value of Liverpool set-piece takers.