Everton FPL Tips: Tarkowski Leads GW6 Defensive Picks

Everton's defensive unit continues to offer strong Fantasy Premier League value heading into gameweek six, with the club recording its third clean sheet of the 2026/27 season in gameweek five — the joint-most in the Premier League this term.

James Tarkowski (£6.2m) is the top-scoring defender in FPL with 43 points. In gameweek five he posted 14 points, bettered only by Coventry's Jay Dasilva (£4.0m) among all defenders in the game. Tarkowski's haul included an assist, a clean sheet bonus, three bonus points and two Defensive Contribution points after registering 12 defensive actions — the third time this season he has cleared the ten-action threshold.

Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.5m), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (£4.5m) and Jordan Pickford (£5.5m) each returned eight points in gameweek five. All three earned two appearance points and four clean sheet points. Branthwaite added two Defensive Contribution points from 14 defensive actions, Maitland-Niles claimed two bonus points, and Pickford's extra two came from a save point and a bonus point after making four saves. Vitali Mykolenko (£4.6m) contributed five points, while forward Thierno Barry (£5.7m) returned six points courtesy of a goal.

Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.6m) is highlighted as a player to watch. He scored in gameweek one and has posted a squad-leading 18 shots this season, with 11 arriving from inside the box and two classified as OPTA big chances. He has also created a team-high 11 chances, delivered 21 crosses and recorded 164 touches in the final third — 86 more than the next Everton player.

Dewsbury-Hall has also come close to unlocking Defensive Contribution points for midfielders, who must register 12 defensive actions per match to earn the additional two points. He recorded 10 in gameweek two and 11 in gameweek three, narrowly missing the threshold on both occasions.