Best defenders for Gameweek 37

Top defenders for Gameweek 37 ranked by expected points.

The short version
  • Gabriel (Arsenal) tops the list at 6.1 xPts.
  • Saliba and Guéhi round out the top 3.
Top-10 avg xPts
3.9
Top-10 avg ownership
18.9%
Cheapest
Van Hecke (£4.7m)
Most expensive
Gabriel (£7.3m)
Our top pick
Gabriel
6.1
xPts GW37
Arsenal · DEF · £7.3m · 45.3% owned
Fixture:
Burnley (H)

Full ranking

#PlayerPricexPts GW37
1Gabriel
Arsenal · DEF
Also in: Captains · Top picks · Free hit
£7.3m6.1
2Saliba
Arsenal · DEF
Also in: Top picks · Free hit
£6.2m4.3
3Guéhi
Man City · DEF
Also in: Free hit · Value
£5.1m3.9
4Tarkowski
Everton · DEF
£5.7m3.6
5O'Reilly
Man City · DEF
£5.3m3.6
6Thiaw
Newcastle · DEF
Also in: Value
£4.9m3.6
7Lacroix
Crystal Palace · DEF
£5.2m3.5
8Virgil
Liverpool · DEF
£6.1m3.5
9Van Hecke
Brighton · DEF
£4.7m3.3
10Chalobah
Chelsea · DEF
£5.4m3.3

Expected points (GW37)

PlayerxPts
Gabriel6.1
Saliba4.3
Guéhi3.9
Tarkowski3.6
O'Reilly3.6
Thiaw3.6
Lacroix3.5
Virgil3.5

Price vs expected points

PlayerPrice (£m)xPts
Gabriel7.36.1
Saliba6.24.3
Guéhi5.13.9
Tarkowski5.73.6
O'Reilly5.33.6
Thiaw4.93.6
Lacroix5.23.5
Virgil6.13.5
Van Hecke4.73.3
Chalobah5.43.3

What stands out

Arsenal's defenders Gabriel and Saliba are good picks for the final gameweek. Their strong defensive record and attacking threat give them high potential points. Guéhi also offers good value considering his reasonable xPts in a solid defense. Tarkowski is a consistent performer at the back for Everton, making him a viable budget option.

Per-player notes
Gabriel6.1 xPts, form 6.2, 6.7 ppg, 45.3% owned. xG 2.94 · xA 1.71 · ICT 123.
Saliba4.3 xPts, form 5.2, 4.3 ppg, 16.0% owned. xG 0.88 · xA 1.20 · ICT 82.
Guéhi3.9 xPts, form 4.2, 5.2 ppg, 32.7% owned. xG 3.90 · xA 2.29 · ICT 156.
Tarkowski3.6 xPts, form 4.8, 4.7 ppg, 11.5% owned. xG 2.40 · xA 2.08 · ICT 155.
O'Reilly3.6 xPts, form 3.8, 4.8 ppg, 19.9% owned. xG 5.45 · xA 2.63 · ICT 159.
Thiaw3.6 xPts, form 1.8, 3.7 ppg, 4.8% owned. xG 4.80 · xA 0.94 · ICT 135.
Lacroix3.5 xPts, form 3.4, 4.5 ppg, 8.2% owned. xG 2.44 · xA 0.79 · ICT 120.
Virgil3.5 xPts, form 3.8, 4.4 ppg, 30.7% owned. xG 3.30 · xA 1.25 · ICT 171.
Glossary
xPts
Expected points: our model's forecast for the player's next gameweek score.
FDR
Fixture difficulty rating, 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest).
xG / xA / xGI
Expected goals, expected assists, and the sum (expected goal involvements).
ICT
The Influence-Creativity-Threat composite published with official data.
Ownership
Percent of managers who currently own the player.
Form
Recent points-per-match average over the last several matches.
xPts/£m
Expected points produced per £1m of price — our value score.
Snapshot taken 12 May 2026
Picks are deterministic from a snapshot of player news, prices, fixtures, and form at publish time. The model blends Expected Points (xPts) with fixture difficulty, expected minutes, and bonus likelihood. Read the full methodology.