Set yourself up for the second half of the Fantasy Premier League season with the following top 10 January wildcard defender bargains.

Featuring players from Chelsea, Bournemouth, West Ham, Leicester, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Stoke, Southampton, Spurs and Norwich.

Kurt Zouma, Chelsea – £5.4m

Seems to be establishing himself alongside John Terry in the heart of Chelsea’s defence, playing his part in back-to-back clean sheets at Man Utd and Crystal Palace. Mind you, César Azpilicueta is only £5.7m at the moment…

Ashley Williams, Swansea – £4.8m

A magnet for bonus points, which he should see a fair few more of if the Swans can keep up their recent return to defensive solidity.

Robert Huth, Leicester – £4.3m

Another who’s looked dangerous from set pieces in the past, Huth is part of a Leicester back line that’s been looking much tighter of late.

Philipp Wollscheid, Stoke – £4.5m

An impressive performer in an admittedly inconsistent, but still rather capable, Stoke side.

Ryan Bertrand, Southampton – £5.3m

If Ronald Koeman’s Saints can rediscover their defensive mojo then Bertrand will be a player whose knack for assists would make him a potential source of points at both ends of the pitch.

Joel Ward, Crystal Palace – £4.5m

Scored a couple of goals early in the season and has more recently played his part in one of the Premier League’s tightest defences, 0-3 defeat to Chelsea notwithstanding.

Ben Davies, Spurs – £4.1m

Looks like he might be on the verge of ousting Danny Rose as Tottenham’s first-choice left-back, in which case he’d represent fabulous value for money – especially as he’s got an assist or two in him.

Adam Smith, Bournemouth – £4m

That’s a hell of a price for a player who not only is part of a defence that’s been tight of late but who also has the potential for goals going forwards. May not yet be a definite first-choice, though.

James Collins, West Ham – £4.3m

Some sterling performances since returning to the side, and has a history of posing a threat from set pieces – but be warned he may lose his place when Winston Reid returns from injury.

Ryan Bennett, Norwich – £3.9m

The Canaries are solid at home, as evidenced by back-to-back wins and clean sheets against Aston Villa and Norwich recently, and that’s as low a price as you get for a first team player.

BONUS TIP: Leighton Baines, Everton – £6.1m

This would rely on a) Everton tightening up at the back, and b) Baines recapturing his attacking productivity of previous seasons, but given his price has risen as high as £8m in the past you might do well to take advantage of his injury-induced drop in price.