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Defensive contribution points reward defensive work that never used to score. Reach a set number of defensive actions in a match and you take 2 points, whether or not your team keeps a clean sheet. It is the cheapest way to raise a squad's floor, and it is the rule most managers model wrongly.
| Position | Actions needed | What counts | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | — | Not eligible | 0 |
| Defender | 10 | Clearances, blocks, interceptions, tackles (CBIT) | +2 |
| Midfielder | 12 | CBIT + recoveries (CBIRT) | +2 |
| Forward | 12 | CBIT + recoveries (CBIRT) | +2 |
Treat DefCon as a floor, not a differential. A defender who reaches the threshold most weeks is worth more than one who spiked once, because the points arrive whether or not the clean sheet does. Check a player's per-90 rate rather than a season total - minutes flatter the raw number - and weigh it against fixtures the same way you would attacking returns.
Pair it with the fixture difficulty ticker, plan the move in the transfer planner, and check team news so you are not buying a player about to be rotated. If you are still learning the scoring, start with how to play FPL.
Defensive contribution points - "DefCon" - award 2 points to a player who reaches a set number of defensive actions in a single match. Defenders need 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles combined. Midfielders and forwards need 12, and their count also includes ball recoveries.
No. Goalkeepers are not eligible for defensive contribution points at all. The Premier League's stated reasoning is that in goal the focus stays on the shot-stopper most likely to keep a clean sheet, so keepers cannot register the additional defensive points. Pick a keeper on clean sheets and saves, not on DefCon.
Two reasons. The threshold itself is lower - 10 against 12 - and the two positions count different things. Defenders use CBIT: clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles. Midfielders and forwards use CBIRT, which is the same four plus recoveries. Recoveries are the most common defensive action on the pitch, so the higher bar offsets the extra category.
No. It is a hard cap of 2 points per player per match. A defender making 20 qualifying actions scores 2, not 4. That is what makes DefCon a floor-raiser rather than a ceiling-raiser: it makes a returnless week less painful, but it will not win you a gameweek on its own.
Look for players whose role guarantees the actions rather than players who happened to have one busy match. Centre-backs and defensive midfielders in sides that concede possession hit the threshold most consistently, and a full-back in a deep block often beats an attacking full-back at a better team. Consistency across gameweeks matters far more than a single high score.
Indirectly. For 2026/27 the Bonus Points System was reworked partly to limit the overlap between earning DefCon and earning bonus in the same match - clearances, blocks and interceptions now award 1 BPS per 3 rather than per 2. A defender can still take both, but the two no longer stack as generously as they did.
Not at full time. DefCon is genuinely mutable after the whistle: an Opta reclassification can push a player across the threshold hours later. FPL now finalises a gameweek at 09:00 UK on the day after its last match, and everything stays provisional until then.