FPL defensive contribution: who actually hits the threshold
Two points for clearing a count of defensive actions in a match. The totals are everywhere; what decides whether a cheap defender is worth a squad place is how often he clears it when he starts. That is what this page tracks, and it is free.
How the two points work
A defender scores two points for reaching 10 defensive actions in a match: clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles. A midfielder or forward needs 12, and ball recoveries count towards their total as well as the four a defender gets credit for. It is a threshold, not a scale — nine actions pays nothing and fifteen pays the same two as ten. There is no partial credit, which is why a player's hit rate matters far more than his season total.
We checked the threshold against the results rather than taking it on trust. Across every 60-minute appearance so far, a defender's points jump by exactly two at ten actions and a midfielder's at twelve, with no case either side of those lines breaking the pattern. No forward has reached twelve yet (1 of 114 appearances), so the forward threshold is quoted from the rules rather than confirmed by results.
Defenders — most reliable, 6 gameweeks in
Ranked by how many of their starts cleared ten actions; a player whose two numbers match has cleared it every time. Per 90 is the average count, which shows who is close to the line even when they miss it.
| Player | Cleared it | Per 90 | Pts | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Murillo NFO | 5 of 6 | 10.5 | 10 | £5.5m |
 Thomas COV | 4 of 6 | 12.6 | 8 | £4.0m |
 Botman NEW | 4 of 6 | 11.5 | 8 | £5.0m |
 Tarkowski EVE | 4 of 6 | 11.3 | 8 | £6.2m |
 Muharemović LEE | 4 of 6 | 11.3 | 8 | £5.0m |
 Richards CRY | 4 of 6 | 10.7 | 8 | £4.9m |
 Branthwaite EVE | 4 of 6 | 10.7 | 8 | £5.5m |
 Hill BOU | 4 of 6 | 10.2 | 8 | £5.5m |
 Silva BOU | 4 of 6 | 10.2 | 8 | £5.0m |
 Mendy HUL | 3 of 3 | 14.5 | 6 | £4.1m |
 Schuster BRE | 3 of 3 | 13.5 | 6 | £4.5m |
 Mukiele SUN | 3 of 5 | 11.6 | 6 | £5.4m |
 Pinnock COV | 3 of 4 | 11.5 | 6 | £4.5m |
 Affengruber FUL | 3 of 3 | 11.3 | 6 | £4.5m |
 Egan HUL | 3 of 6 | 11.1 | 6 | £4.1m |
 Lacroix CHE | 3 of 5 | 10.4 | 6 | £5.9m |
 Vuskovic BHA | 3 of 6 | 9.9 | 6 | £5.1m |
 Ballard SUN | 3 of 5 | 9.8 | 6 | £4.8m |
 Thiaw NEW | 3 of 6 | 8.8 | 6 | £5.0m |
 Hall NEW | 3 of 6 | 8.7 | 6 | £5.3m |
 Virgil LIV | 3 of 6 | 8.7 | 6 | £6.5m |
 Diop IPS | 3 of 6 | 8.5 | 6 | £3.9m |
 Fofana CHE | 2 of 4 | 13.6 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Milenković NFO | 2 of 3 | 10.3 | 4 | £5.4m |
 Ajer BRE | 2 of 6 | 9.8 | 4 | £4.5m |
 O'Shea IPS | 2 of 6 | 9.5 | 4 | £4.0m |
 Van Hecke TOT | 2 of 6 | 9.0 | 4 | £4.9m |
 Canvot CRY | 2 of 5 | 8.8 | 4 | £4.8m |
 Jacquet LIV | 2 of 6 | 8.6 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Justin LEE | 2 of 6 | 8.5 | 4 | £4.5m |
Midfielders — most reliable
The twelve-action bar is harder: 14% of midfield starts clear it against 27% of defenders'. A midfielder who hits it regularly is doing something unusual.
| Player | Cleared it | Per 90 | Pts | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mainoo MUN | 5 of 5 | 15.4 | 10 | £5.5m |
 Janelt BRE | 4 of 6 | 13.0 | 8 | £5.0m |
 M.Sangaré BRE | 3 of 3 | 14.1 | 6 | £5.5m |
 Stach LEE | 3 of 6 | 11.4 | 6 | £6.0m |
 Ampadu LEE | 3 of 6 | 11.3 | 6 | £5.4m |
 Bentancur TOT | 2 of 4 | 15.2 | 4 | £5.4m |
 Palacios IPS | 2 of 3 | 13.8 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Charles FUL | 2 of 4 | 13.4 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Garner EVE | 2 of 5 | 12.4 | 4 | £6.0m |
 Scott BOU | 2 of 5 | 12.1 | 4 | £6.0m |
 Schlager NFO | 2 of 5 | 11.9 | 4 | £5.0m |
 L.Miley NEW | 2 of 5 | 11.8 | 4 | £5.5m |
 Anderson MCI | 2 of 6 | 11.1 | 4 | £6.3m |
 Adams BOU | 2 of 4 | 11.1 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Timber CRY | 2 of 4 | 10.8 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Xhaka SUN | 2 of 6 | 10.3 | 4 | £5.4m |
 Tielemans MUN | 2 of 5 | 9.6 | 4 | £5.7m |
 McAtee NFO | 2 of 6 | 9.6 | 4 | £5.5m |
 Gomez BHA | 2 of 6 | 9.5 | 4 | £5.0m |
 Ndiaye MCI | 2 of 4 | 9.0 | 4 | £5.8m |
 Gallagher TOT | 1 of 2 | 13.8 | 2 | £5.3m |
 Núñez IPS | 1 of 2 | 13.5 | 2 | £4.8m |
 Belloumi HUL | 1 of 4 | 11.6 | 2 | £5.2m |
 Mac Allister LIV | 1 of 4 | 11.2 | 2 | £5.4m |
 Christie BOU | 1 of 2 | 11.1 | 2 | £5.0m |
 Rice ARS | 1 of 6 | 9.3 | 2 | £7.3m |
 Gray TOT | 1 of 5 | 9.3 | 2 | £4.9m |
 Lukić IPS | 1 of 6 | 9.2 | 2 | £4.9m |
 Tonali TOT | 1 of 6 | 8.9 | 2 | £5.3m |
 Armstrong EVE | 1 of 6 | 8.8 | 2 | £5.0m |
Only 6 gameweeks have been played, so these are small samples and we show the raw counts rather than a percentage that would imply precision we do not have. A player listed 2 of 2 has started twice, not proved a rate. Starts are 60-minute appearances; cameos are excluded because they cannot realistically reach a threshold. Figures come from the official FPL API and update with every gameweek. See also the fixture ticker for who these players face next, and the projection table for expected points.