Profile
Jan Paul van Hecke has become a reliable budget defender in Brighton’s back line. Listed at £4.6m, after starting the season at £4.5m, he sits in the sweet spot for managers who want nailed minutes without paying premium defender prices. His availability is marked as a, and the key appeal is simple: he plays. Van Hecke has logged 2940 minutes, which gives him one of the strongest minute foundations in the budget bracket.
Role matters in FPL, and Van Hecke’s profile is not built on explosive wing-back numbers. He is more of a steady centre-back pick who accumulates points through starts, clean sheet potential, occasional attacking returns and bonus when Brighton control matches well. That makes him more of a structural pick than a weekly thrill play, but those picks often decide rank gains late in the season.
This-season output
The season line is strong for his price. Van Hecke has produced 139 total points at 4.2 points per game, with a recent form of 4.8 across the last five. For a sub-£5.0m defender, that is very competitive output.
He has delivered 9 clean sheets, plus 3 goals and 3 assists, a well-rounded return profile for a centre-back. The attacking output is not elite, but six direct goal involvements from this position is enough to separate him from pure two-point appearance defenders. Add in 8 bonus points, and you can see where the value has come from.
The underlying FPL performance indicators are also respectable. Van Hecke has posted 536 BPS and an ICT Index of 142.8. Those numbers suggest he is involved enough to stay relevant in games where Brighton defend well and can edge bonus in low-scoring wins. He is not a defender you buy expecting double-digit hauls every few weeks, but he has shown multiple routes to points.
Ownership and price journey
Van Hecke is no longer a hidden gem. He is selected by 10.6% of managers, which puts him firmly on the radar as an active budget option. The market movement this gameweek confirms that. He has seen +82,807 transfers in against just -18,568 out. That is a very strong positive swing, and it shows managers are targeting his combination of minutes, value and fixture utility.
The price rise from £4.5m to £4.6m is modest, but it matters. Early adopters have banked value, and new buyers are still not being asked to overpay. In a season where every £0.1m can affect the structure of your squad, Van Hecke remains affordable enough to slot in as a fourth or fifth defender.
Upcoming outlook
The short-term fixture list is good enough to keep him in the conversation. In GW36, Brighton are at home to Wolves with an expected points projection of 5.24. That is clearly his standout fixture across the run-in and the one that makes him a very playable option.
In GW37, Brighton travel to Leeds with an xP of 3.90, followed by a home match against Manchester United in GW38 with an xP of 3.54. Those are still usable projections for a budget defender, but they are less exciting than the Wolves game. The outlook says start in the right spots, not set-and-forget regardless of opponent.
As for captaincy, there is very little case here. Even with a strong 5.24 xP in GW36, Van Hecke is not a serious captaincy candidate outside of the wildest differential strategies. His value is in efficient squad building and steady starts, not armband upside.
Verdict
Own if you need a dependable budget defender for the final weeks. Van Hecke offers a strong floor through 2940 minutes, decent return history with 139 points, and a useful immediate fixture in Wolves at home. He is not an explosive pick and not a captain option, but at £4.6m with 10.6% ownership and heavy current buying, he is one of the better value defenders in the pool. If you are already covered in defense, he is still more buy than fade. If you want a pure upside punt, he is more watchlist than priority.