FPL gameweek 10 talking point: Should you triple Arsenal’s defenders?

Holly Shand: There is a strong case for multiple investments in Arsenal’s defense this season, given they have kept seven clean sheets in 10 matches. They have conceded just three goals, and conceded only six big chances.

The defenders have multiple ways to get points, with Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiore contributing three goals, and Jorren Temper four. Gabriel leads the way among defenders in creating big chances on goal with three, while Timber has five shots on target.

Free kicks, and corner kicks in particular, are a major goal scoring route for the Gunners, which is why we see a high number of attacking rebounds from defenders. Then we have the introduction of Defensive Contribution Points for the season to enhance the ways to get points for Arsenal’s centre-backs, with Gabriel averaging 9.5 per game. He has outperformed Erling Haaland over the past five weeks.

However, stacking two defenders from the same club is always a risky business in season-long fantasy games. Having all your eggs in one basket means that if you concede to Arsenal, it will be very difficult to score a big score in a given gameweek.

Arsenal’s matches tighten up after Round 11, as they face Tottenham at home in Round 12 and then a trip to Chelsea in Round 13.

While Gabriel has a high base for both defensive bonuses and contributions, you’ll be relying on goalscoring from Calafiore or Timber to pick up the score when conceding, with William Saliba’s ways of getting points diminished even further.

Goalkeeper David Raya has a six-point cap this season, with a bonus on one occasion and very few save points, so he will need to extend his streak of consecutive clean sheets to justify his price tag.

Julian Lorenz: I won’t do that. If you don’t want to spend money on Bukayo Saka – which I can understand, he should have scored twice at Burnley and he’s not in top scoring form at the moment – I’d take Declan Rice every day. I would pick two Arsenal defenders and then Declan Rice.