🧱 Fantasy football, bargain DEFENDERS! 7️⃣ budget picks worth a punt 🤑

For the boldest among us, the auction is already a thing of the past, but for the majority of Fantasy Football enthusiasts, the clou moment is yet to come.

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That’s why it can be useful to carefully study where you can save some credits, perhaps by investing in players who might be underestimated by your opponents.

Today, let’s see which defenders fit our needs.

Lloyd Kelly (Juventus)

📸 Christof Koepsel - 2025 Getty Images

Perhaps a surprising name, but one who, at the end of last season—since Tudor’s arrival—didn’t perform badly.

Theoretically, he starts as a regular in the three-man defense of the Bianconeri coach and—therefore—especially in leagues with more participants, he could be a good wildcard.

Josh Doig (Sassuolo)

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The Neroverdi have a solid foundation, not typical of a newly promoted team, and betting on them could be a good move. A player not to miss is Doig, a wingback who could do very well under Grosso. 

In 2022/23, wearing Verona’s shirt, in his first Serie A season he had already recorded 2 goals and 4 assists. Not bad.

Simone Canestrelli (Pisa)

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Born in 2000 and standing 194 centimeters tall, this center-back has made 72 appearances and scored 3 goals over the last two seasons.

Pisa will be counting on him heavily, and he could be a pleasant surprise for those looking for a solid defender, with a knack for scoring and assured playing time.

Tommaso Barbieri (Cremonese)

📸 Gabriele Maltinti - 2025 Getty Images

A similar story for the former Juventus player now at Cremonese, who scored 3 goals in each of the last two seasons, first with Pisa and then with the Grigiorossi. Will he be able to repeat himself in Serie A? Not easy, but he certainly has all the qualities.

In his favor is his starting spot—which should be guaranteed.

Jay Idzes and Fali Candé (Sassuolo)

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Sassuolo has taken half of last season’s Venezia defense as a block, a team that was relegated with honor. Among the bright spots for the Arancioneroverdi were certainly Idzes and Candé.

Besides excellent defensive stats, watch out for their attacking contributions too: 4 goals in the last two seasons for Idzes, while last year Candé decided the match against Fiorentina.

Leo Ostigaard (Genoa)

📸 2022 Getty Images

A player who could really be a great pick among the smaller teams. He takes the place of De Winter, who moved to Milan, but he won’t be a guaranteed starter—at least not right away.

However, betting on him could yield good results, especially if he returns to the form he showed during his first spell at Marassi, in 21/22.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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