Euro 2024 Fantasy Football tips: Defenders you should sign
Our guide to the best Euro 2024 Fantasy Football defenders.
Defenders will grow in value as Euro 2024 progresses, but don't be afraid to add a couple of elite stars into your XI from the outset.
Matches in the knockout rounds tend to yield fewer goals than group-stage matches due to the quality of teams and higher stakes involved.
That's not to say you should completely overlook the defence, with one particularly cheap defender among our most high-conviction picks for the tournament.
RadioTimes.com brings you a round-up of the best Euro 2024 Fantasy Football defenders to sign.
Read more: Euro 2024 Fantasy goalkeepers | Euro 2024 Fantasy defenders | Euro 2024 Fantasy midfielders | Euro 2024 Fantasy forwards | Euro 2024 Fantasy best players
Best Euro 2024 Fantasy Football defenders to sign
Bargain defenders
Maximilian Mittelstädt (Germany) €4m
Introducing Maximilian Mittelstädt. You'd be forgiven for not recognising the name of the Stuttgart left-back, but it won't leave your brain now. We are tipping Mittelstädt to be the No. 1 bargain buy in the whole game. He costs a rock-bottom €4.0m but is a favourite of coach Julian Nagelsmann, and is very likely to be a starter for one of the top teams in the tournament.
Wout Faes (Belgium) €4m
Similar to Mittelstädt, Faes is likely to be a cheap way into a premium defence. Belgium conceded just four goals in qualifying, and look set to line up with three at the back (plus wing-backs).
Read more: Euro 2024 TV coverage | Euro 2024 radio coverage | Euro 2024 fixtures | Euro 2024 presenters | Euro 2024 predictions | Euro 2024 group analysis | Euro 2024 team-by-team guide | Euro 2024 kits ranked
Mid-range defenders
Alejandro Grimaldo (Spain) €5m
Nobody could have predicted just how well Alejandro Grimaldo's 2023/24 season would pan out after he joined Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer in 2023. He picked up 10 goals and 14 assists in 33 games, making him an eye-catching prospect here.
Federico Dimarco (Italy) €5m
Group B may look spicy with Spain, Italy, Croatia and Albania in action, but the reigning champions are typically renowned for their defensive capabilities, and Dimarco is a nice way in. The Inter full-back recorded five goals and six assists in 30 Serie A games last season.
Premium defenders
João Cancelo (Portugal) €6m
Portugal scored 36 goals and conceded just twice in 10 matches during a bumper qualifying campaign. João Cancelo is a Swiss army knife in their side, capable of playing right-back or left-back, while tending to drift inside and seek to pull strings in midfield. He is a creative force and worthy of his price tag.
Theo Hernández (France) €5.5m
France are likely to go long at Euro 2024, and Hernández may be their most assured starter. Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano will duel for two places at centre-back, while Hernández is a lock on the flank.
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Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
