Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) delivered one of the standout scores of Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1, collecting 17 points as Brighton beat Aston Villa 4-0.
A goal, an FPL assist, a clean sheet and two bonus points have immediately placed the Brighton defender on managers’ transfer radars. His appeal goes beyond the final score, too: De Cuyper was used on the left wing despite being classified as a defender in FPL.
That combination of price and attacking role is difficult to ignore.
So, is De Cuyper the best £4.5m FPL defender to buy—or would managers be better served by waiting?
De Cuyper needed only 78 minutes to register a goal, an FPL assist, a clean sheet and two bonus points against Villa. He forced Victor Lindelöf’s own goal before scoring Brighton’s second from Georginio Rutter’s cross.
The underlying numbers from the Fantasy Football Fix Match Centre were just as eye-catching. De Cuyper recorded a match-high four shots, one effort on target and three attempted assists, producing 1.14 expected goals (xG) and 0.11 expected assists (xA).
This is the main reason his performance deserves attention rather than being dismissed as a one-off haul.
Although De Cuyper is listed as a defender in FPL, Fabian Hürzeler deployed him on the left wing. The average-position map from the Fantasy Football Fix Match Centre shows him operating as one of Brighton’s most advanced players rather than as a conventional full-back.
Brighton’s average positions against Aston Villa show De Cuyper operating high up the pitch on the left flank.
That role gives him routes to points at both ends of the pitch. He can still collect clean-sheet points as an FPL defender while getting into areas normally occupied by a midfielder.
There is a minutes caveat. Brighton rested De Cuyper for their midweek Conference League match before starting him against Villa, while Ferdi Kadioglu missed Gameweek 1 with a minor injury. With European fixtures adding to Brighton’s schedule, managers should monitor whether the same role and level of security continue.
De Cuyper registered 35 touches in the final third, with only one Brighton player recording more. The Match Centre touch map also shows that three of his touches came inside the Aston Villa penalty area.
De Cuyper had three touches inside the Aston Villa penalty area and was repeatedly involved high up Brighton’s left flank.
Three penalty-area touches may not sound enormous, but it is highly encouraging for a £4.5m player classified as a defender. The wider pattern is important: De Cuyper was repeatedly involved close to the final third and moved inside the box when Brighton attacked.
His 17-point return will not be repeated every week, but the role suggests there could be sustainable attacking potential if Hürzeler continues to use him so far forward.
It is important not to assess De Cuyper’s performance without considering the opposition.
Villa made repeated defensive errors and were 4-0 down before João Gomes was sent off. They also generated only 0.36 xG from six shots, while the absences of Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martínez added to an already-disrupted team.
Brighton deserve credit for punishing those weaknesses, but FPL managers should not assume every opponent will allow De Cuyper the same freedom. His position and volume of attacking involvement are encouraging; the size of the haul was also helped by an unusually poor Villa display.
Brighton sit third in the Fantasy Football Fix Fixture Planner for defensive difficulty across Gameweeks 2–7.
Chelsea away does not look like an ideal entry point, but the schedule improves immediately afterwards with Leeds at home and Coventry away.
Arsenal at home in Gameweek 5 is the obvious obstacle. Managers buying De Cuyper would ideally have another defender with a good fixture who can cover him that week. Sunderland away and Crystal Palace at home then complete an otherwise attractive six-Gameweek run.
De Cuyper currently sits top among FPL defenders in the Fantasy Football Fix Predicted Points & Stats tool across Gameweeks 2–7.
Our machine-learning algorithm projects him to score 24.1 points during that period, ahead of the other £4.5m defenders shown below. His highest individual projection is 5.0 points against Coventry in Gameweek 4.
De Cuyper leads the defender projections for Gameweeks 2–7 with 24.1 predicted points.
Predictions are not guarantees, but they combine De Cuyper’s potential for attacking returns with Brighton’s favourable defensive schedule. At £4.5m, that makes him one of the most interesting budget defenders available.
De Cuyper’s 17-point return will naturally attract transfers, but his price does not appear set to change immediately.
At the time of writing, the Fantasy Football Fix Price Change Predictor shows him at 48.5% progress towards a rise and moving at 1.36% per hour.
De Cuyper is moving towards a price rise, but had reached only 48.5% progress at the time of writing.
Fix has connected official FPL price-change data to our predictor, adding hourly movement and expected timing to help managers judge how urgently they may need to act.
Every user of the free Fantasy Football Fix app can also add up to 50 players to a personal watchlist and receive free push notifications when they are approaching a price rise or fall.
Price-change progress can move quickly, so managers should check the latest prediction rather than relying on a static screenshot.
Jack Hinshelwood (£6.0m) should not be overlooked after scoring twice against Villa.
Anyone go with the Hinshelwood punt? 👀 https://t.co/hgEEvGVY2X
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) August 23, 2026
His movement into the penalty area was rewarded with two goals before he was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark, potentially with Brighton’s European schedule in mind.
As with De Cuyper, it would be sensible to see whether his role and minutes remain secure before drawing firm conclusions from one match.
De Cuyper currently looks like the standout option for managers who need a £4.5m defender.
He is classified as a defender while playing on the wing, recorded four shots and three attempted assists against Villa, has attractive fixtures after Chelsea and sits top of the defender predicted-points rankings for the next six Gameweeks.
However, there is no need to rush solely because of the 17-point haul. Chelsea away is a difficult next fixture, Villa were poor and Brighton’s European schedule could create uncertainty around his minutes or position.
The latest price-change data suggests managers still have time to decide. If your team needs a £4.5m defender and you have bench cover for Arsenal in Gameweek 5, De Cuyper looks like the best option at that price right now.
If your defence is already in good shape, waiting to see whether his advanced role continues may be the better FPL move. As ever, the decision is team-dependent—and one explosive Gameweek does not have to force an immediate transfer.
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