By Rune Gjerulff@runegjerulff

Fantasy Bundesliga tips: Defenders to consider for the start of the 2021/22 season

Here are the defenders you should consider when picking your Fantasy Bundesliga team for the start of the 2021/22 season.
Angelino.
Angelino.Photo: GEPA Pictures/Sven Sonntag
With the new Bundesliga season just around the corner, we are ready to give you a helping hand with your Fantasy Bundesliga team.

In this article, we take a look at the defenders you should have on your radar when you put together your squad.

You should be aware that there will be an unlimited transfer period during the first international break between 30 August and 11 September, meaning you only have to plan ahead to Matchday 3 when picking your initial squad.


Budget options:
Joe Scally (Gladbach, 2M)
The 18-year-old U.S. youth international is in line to make his first competitive appearance for Gladbach against Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal tonight after impressing in pre-season, deputizing for the injured Ramy Bensebaini on the left side of defense. Gladbach have brought in Luca Netz from Hertha to add competition at the position, but if Scally does well tonight, he should have a good chance of keeping his starting spot for the start of the Bundesliga season – at least if Bensebaini fails to recover in time. The good thing in this regard is that Gladbach's line-up will be revealed around an hour before Fantasy Bundesliga transfer market closes.

Atakan Karazor (Stuttgart, 3M)
Karazor is a natural centre-back, but played in central midfield in Stuttgart's 6-0 thrashing of BFC Dynamo in the DFB-Pokal and looks set to continue there while Orel Mangala is recovering from an injury.

Danny da Costa (Frankfurt, 5M)
Eintracht Frankfurt made a disappointing start to their 2021/22 campaign under new coach Oliver Glasner as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of 3. Liga side Waldhof Mannheim last week. Despite a poor showing in that game, da Costa looks like a very attractive option, considering he plays in an advanced wing-back role and is available at just 5 million.

Mid-range options:
Jeremie Frimpong (Leverkusen, 7M)
Frimpong has registered just one assist in his first 14 games for Leverkusen, but there could be much more to come from the 20-year-old, who joined 'Die Werkself' from Celtic for €11 million in January. The youngster looks like a certain starter on the right-hand side of defense, but is also capable of playing as a winger due to his attacking prowess.

Silvan Widmer (Mainz, 7M)
Over the course of the summer, Mainz have paid €2,5 million to acquire the services of Swiss international Silvan Widmer from FC Basel. Having proved that he is capable of chipping in with both goals and assists, the 28-year-old looks nailed on to start as a right wing-back for his new club.



Jerome Roussillon (Wolfsburg, 7M)
The French left-back has struggled to reproduce his best form since his breakthrough 2018/19 campaign and even fell behind Paulo Otavio in the pecking order last season. However, with Otavio currently out injured, Roussillon could benefit from a fresh start under new Wolfsburg coach Mark van Bommel.

Premium options:
Borna Sosa (Stuttgart, 11M)
Playing as a left wing-back, Sosa set up an impressive 10 goals in the Bundesliga last season. Sasa Kalajdzic, who was on the end of many of those assists, is currently sidelined due to COVID-19, but coming on the back of a goal and an assist in Stuttgart's 6-0 win over BFC Dynamo in the DFB-Pokal, Sosa still looks like an intriguing pick with Pellegrino Matarazzo's troops kicking off the season against newly-promoted Greuther Fürth.

Christian Günter (Freiburg, 11M)
It may have flown under the radar of some Fantasy Bundesliga managers, but Christian Günter's 242 points last season put him fourth among all defenders, only behind Mats Hummels, Raphael Guerreiro and Angelino. While €11 million may seem a little steep for a Freiburg defender, the 28-year-old is always a consistent and reliable Fantasy asset.

Angelino (RB Leipzig, 14M)
With Raphael Guerreiro and Alphonso Davies both in a race against time to get fit for Matchday 1, Angelino currently looks like the safest pick if you want to invest in one of the game's most expensive players at the back. Despite a slight dip in form in the second half of last season, the Spaniard finished the season with a total of 293 points to his name – more than any other defender in the game. The 24-year-old might get to play as a left-back rather than as a wing-back under new Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch, but he will definitely continue to get involved offensively.




For this season, we have partnered up with Over The Bar to create a joint Fantasy Bundesliga league. As part of the partnership, we will be appearing on Over The Bar's weekly Bundesliga show to hand out tips for each matchday. Want to compete against us? Feel free to join the 'Bulinews and Over The Bar' league here.

If you're looking for more Fantasy Bundesliga content, check out our goalkeeper tips and predicted line-ups.
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