Who are the top flight's best goalscoring defenders, who are the hidden gems and is Van Persie good enough?

 Goalscoring defenders are a valuable commodity for Premier League managers. Many a game has been salvaged by a defender coming up from the back to score - just look at John Terry's equaliser for Chelsea against Tottenham last week.
But they're even more valuable to Fantasy managers, who get extra points when their defenders hit the target. If your striker nets, it's five points. But if someone in your backline hits the target, you get double - a whopping 10 points.
So I've taken a look at which defenders are more likely to hit the target than others. 
Leighton Baines is an obvious one. Priced at £6.6million, the Everton defender smashed in two free-kicks against West Ham to put himself in the spotlight.
Not only is he good with a dead ball, he gets forward a lot from the back and often finds himself bursting into the box.
He nearly scored against Newcastle on Monday night, with a shot that fizzled wide of the right-hand post after one of those forays.
We've mentioned Terry already and with good reason. He has scored 33 goals in the Premier League - far more than any other defender currently playing (Baines is joint second with Joleon Lescott and John Arne Riise on 21).
Terry is first choice under Jose Mourinho now and is fairly priced at £5.7m. The Blues skipper is not alone in the Chelsea defence though.
Branislav Ivanovic has bagged 14 goals in the Premier League and is scoring at a faster rate than Terry. Ivanovic scores, on average, 0.10 goals per game while Terry is a little lower on 0.8.

Pure point-scorers: John Terry (left) and Leighton Baines love a goal or two and you should love the pair of them

A third Blues defender - Gary Cahill (£5.6m) - splits the pair with 17 goals in 198 games (0.09).
Although these players' scoring rates are better than Terry's, the former England international is your best bet because of his price and team-status.
Thomas Vermaelen (£5.5m) has the best scoring rate for a defender - with 13 goals scored in 97 games for Arsenal - but he's out of favour. Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker are forming a strong partnership in the heart of Arsene Wenger's side, but neither are great goalscorers.
Joleon Lescott (£5.3m) is in a similar position - he has 21 goals in 213 games in the top flight but the last time he featured in a Premier League game was at the end of August.
Nemanja Vidic (£6.5m) is another option, with 15 goals in 191 Premier League games, but of late it's his team-mate Patrice Evra (£6.8m) who has been getting in the goals. The left-back got forward to score four times last season in 34 league games.
While all the above play for 'big' sides and are likely to keep clean sheets as well, also consider some of the players from further down the table. Southampton's Dejan Lovren (£3.8m) was on target against Liverpool as his side secured a 1-0 win at Anfield.
The Saints have only let in two Premier League goals all season too, with Mauricio Pochettino keeping it tight at the back.

Threat: Patrice Evra has developed an eye for goal in recent years

The case against Robin van Persie

A few weeks ago I said it was Robin van Persie's time to shine, and he seemed to be getting into gear. He struck against Crystal Palace and also against Bayer Leverkusen.
But then he missed Manchester United's humbling at the hands of rivals Man City through injury and came off the bench as United lost to West Brom at home. He started up front against Shakhtar but drew a blank.
There's nothing to say he won't continue scoring in the next few weeks (Sunderland A, Southampton H, Stoke City H). But I think we deserve better. There are plenty more fish in the sea.

Demanding: Managers need Robin van Persie to be scoring nearly every week to earn his place

Van Persie is the most expensive player in the game but he's only the 11th highest points scoring striker. You can sell him and afford anybody else.

If you're looking for players running hot - Liverpool's top two, Daniel Sturridge (£10m) and Luis Suarez (£11.5m) are in vogue, while Arsenal's Olivier Giroud (£9m) is in the form of his life.
Wayne Rooney is also a decent shout for a Van Persie replacement - he's been in good form of late. But the £10.5m man might not start on Saturday, after missing the Shakhtar game with a bruised shin.
And I backed him last week, but I'm happy to do it again - Newcastle's Loic Remy (£7.9m) is a slightly cheaper option who is in the goals.

Hotshot: Luis Suarez is available once more and already firing after his return from suspension

 

Hidden gems
Here are some of the players that have impressed us without being attached to a massive price tag. They're all decent bets if you need to reshuffle your side.

Hull's Allan McGregor (£3.8m) and Robbie Brady (£4.1m) have been excellent thus far. The former, a goalkeeper has the sixth most points for his position, while the latter is the third top scoring midfielder.
Brady in particular is useful, taking penalties, free-kicks and being an attacking nuisance for the Tigers.

Mauled by the Tigers: Allan McGregor (left) and Robbie Brady (right) have pleased Fantasy managers this term

Southampton's Jose Fonte (£3.6m) is a cheap way into the backline that, as I mentioned earlier, had only conceded two goals all season.

Morgan Amalfitano has impressed for West Brom but it seems to have gone largely under the radar. At £5.6m he isn't dirt cheap but will be a good differential factor.

And though you must have been living under a rock not to have thought about putting Everton's Ross Barkley into your side, it's a good opportunity to remind people that at £4m and a seemingly nailed-on starter, he's top value.

Creative: Morgan Amalfitano offers some attacking verve from midfield