Jordan Pickford accrued the highest tally of bonus points last campaign, with 22 for Everton

Five of Everton’s shut-outs came over their final ten games of the season, as the Toffees looked to grind out results in their quest to avoid relegation. We may see them play a little more open for the start of this campaign, but Sean Dyche sides are commonly renowned for their defensive qualities.

=4. Emi Martinez – 15.3 Predicted Points

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is also priced at £5.0 million and ranked level on points with Pickford over the opening four gameweeks. He’s another player who has had a busy summer, with Argentina successfully defending their Copa America title, but he is back in their pre-season setup.

Martinez has been incredibly consistent in FPL since establishing himself as a Premier League regular in 2020, keeping on average 11 clean sheets per season. We did see a drop-off in his output for 2023-24, keeping just eight clean sheets, as Aston Villa were involved in a demanding European campaign.

3. Alisson Becker – 15.8 Predicted Points

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is in third place, one of four shot-stoppers in the game to be priced at the top £5.5 million price point.

The 2023-24 campaign was a rare injury-hampered season for him, with his eight clean sheets a total well below his Premier League average of 14 shut-outs per term.

Liverpool do have the fixtures to warrant early season defensive success, avoiding all of last season’s top four across their opening eight fixtures. They travel to promoted Ipswich Town on opening weekend, with home games against Brentford, Forest, and Bournemouth in the first six attractive for clean sheet hopes.

Alisson Becker remains a promising option with Ipswich and Brentford in his first two matches

2. Ederson – 16.4 Predicted Points

Following a summer of speculation, it seems that Ederson will remain a Manchester City player this season. FPL priced both him and his understudy Stefan Ortega at the highest price point of £5.5 million for this campaign, to prevent the possibility of a budget route into the champions’ defence.

Ederson has hit double digits for clean sheets in seven consecutive seasons for Manchester City, showcasing his outstanding consistency. The main concern is that, because he has a world-class attack in front of him, he rarely scores bonus points, with six points generally his ceiling in any given game.

1. David Raya – 16.9 Predicted Points

At £5.5 million, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has taken a lead as the highest owned starting goalkeeper in the game, with the Spaniard in more than 20 per cent of teams.

He finished last campaign as the second-highest scoring goalkeeper in the game, winning the Golden Glove with an impressive tally of 16 clean sheets.

Seven of those shut-outs came in the Gunners’ final ten games of the season, when Arsenal were looking for consistency in their hopes of challenging Manchester City for the title.

Raya comes in cheaper than the likely starting defenders from Arsenal, with competition for places high in their back four following the return of Jurrien Timber and summer signing of Riccardo Calafiori.

David Raya won the Golden Glove last term and has Wolves up first to kickstart the new season

The Gunners surrendered a league lowest 43 big chances on their goal last campaign, with just 28.32 expected goals conceded. Arsenal have two home games in their first three, against Wolves and Brighton, before their schedule becomes more challenging with trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

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