Have you ever been in a Ultimate Team Game and just feel outmatched? Ultimate team, much like life, isn’t always fair. The people who are able to spend more money will have better teams therefore allowing them to win more games. However what they don’t know is that there are cheap gold elite players that may not look as flashy but are just as effective. This is why I have started this series to help people find the best players who will give them their best bang for their buck.
In this article and video I break down a cheap player at every defensive position that has hidden stats that make him worth way more than his price. So please enjoy the article and video let me know what you think. I have had budget teams and 90+ overall teams this year and let me tell you there is nothing better than beating a guy who you know spent hundreds to thousands on the game with your low 80s team. With these budget players you will be taking down top rated teams in no time! Be sure to checkout my previous article covering the best offensive budget players.
Cornerback
Jason Verrett CB 82 Overall – 5,000 coins
This guy is one of the reasons I decided to giveaway my elites and to start playing with a budget squad. He Is super quick with his 94 speed and 96 acceleration. He also excels in man with a 91 overall rating, his 75 catching and 68 hit power are both amazing attributes as he hardly ever drops picks and gets a hit stick every once in a while. This is a must buy he is great, trust me.
Comparable- 88 Overall Patrick Peterson – 35,000 coins
I managed to pull 88 Patrick Peterson right at the beginning of MUT and I played with him for maybe two weeks then sold him for 230000 coins. Don’t get me wrong he is a great player but his stats don’t wow me as much as they should. His speed and acceleration are almost equal to Verrett and the only stat that Peterson is a lot better at is zone coverage! If you have the coins yes Peterson is a better option but Verrett can play almost just as good for a lot cheaper!
Strong Safety
William Moore 82 Overall – 1,200 Coins
William Moore is far from flashy but he is very effective and here is why. He has 85 speed which isn’t bad for a strong safety and you combine that with his 92 Hit Power that is amazing plus his 82 Zone Coverage. You got yourself a stud strong safety that will make plays for you, and only cost you 1500 coins.
Kam Chancellor 88 Overall – 32,000 coins
Kam Chancellor is a lot more flashy than Moore the cards a lot cooler but these cards are closer in stats than some would believe. He is the same speed and his hit power is only 2 more than Moore which is not that big of a difference. And Chancellors zone is only 3 more. I have had both these cards and to be honest there was no difference when I played.
Free Safety
Laron Landry 82 Overall – 2,000 coins
Everyone loves Hit Power it is the stat that when we see defensive players our eyes light up like a Christmas tree. So why do people who love hit power think that they need to spend all their coins to get it? Landry has 93 Speed and 99 Hit Power. Yes I said 99 Hit Power so if you like getting fumbles look no further than this guy and combined with his good speed this is a total stud!
Comparable to 95 Steve Atwater – 200,000 coins
Atwater has one of the coolest looking cards in the game add that to the fact that this card is very rare and that explains its 200,000 price. But let’s look at the stats his speed is worse than Landry and also his hit power is way worse. He has way better zone coverage than Landry but is that worth it for an extra 19,8000 coins in my opinion no it is not.
MLB
Craig Robertson 84 Overall – 1,500 coins
On defense I love having high speed guys they can stop the outside runs better and I user control my MLB a lot so I like a guy with good speed. Robertson has 87 speed and 90 acceleration and that’s fast. He also has a high pursuit rating and 91 tackling. I really like Robertson and I think if you give him a chance you will not be disappointed!
Comparable to 89 Overall Lawrence Timmons – 15,000 coins
Lawrence is about as close to Robertson as you can get the exact same speed and also the exact same tacking. These two are almost the exact same card and I had Timmons and really liked him so Robertson is a steal for 1,500 coins and a must buy at MLB.
Left Outside Linebacker
Telvin Smith 84 Overall – 5,000 coins
This guy is everything you look for in a LOLB he can rush the passer and also has elite level speed and acceleration. Combine that with his 90 hit power this guy is a straight beast when he came out I benched Thomas Davis and started him and was very impressed he is a great buy for a budget player.
Comparable to Connor Barwin 90 Overall – 25,000 coins
If you have enough coins get Barwin he is better almost all around but he is not that much different than Telvin Smith. There hit power is equal and Barwin has a little bit better speed but to be honest I really didn’t realize that much of a difference between the two so I would save the coins and get Telvin Smith.
Right Outside Linebacker
Khalil Mack 85 Overall – 5,000 coins
Let me just say this will be the best 5000 coins you will ever spend this guy much like he is in real life is a monster. He has 90 overall speed 93 acceleration and 93 Hit Power now that is crazy for a gold card. He can rush the passer with his 86 block shedding and really will cause even the best tackles fits. You will love this card I guarantee it!
Comparable to Lance Briggs 90 Overall – 25,000 coins
Lance Briggs is a great card if you have the coins for him but he really isn’t that different from Khalil Mack. Their speed is the same but Mack has him in both acceleration and hit power. Get Khalil Mack he is a better card and is way cheaper. Sell Briggs and use Mack you will save coins and really not lose any key attributes.
Defensive Tackle
Stephen Paea 85 Overall – 4,000 coins
Now this might just be the best budget defensive player in the game and here is why this guy has 71 speed and 80 acceleration. Now that is just the beginning the real amazing part of this card comes from his 97 strength and 95 power move. Trust me when I say this guy will cause havoc in either a 3-4 or 4-3 defence. He’s not the most well-known DT in the league that’s why you rarely see him but if you give him a chance you will never regret it he can flat out play!
Comparable to Kevin Williams 95 Overall – 135,000 coins
Kevin Williams is a stud but if you really dissect his stats he is not all that different from Paea. His strength is worse and his power move is also worse than Paea. He does have greater finesse and acceleration but i don’t think that is worth a extra 130000 coins but if it is to you then save up for Williams but you could get just as much if not more for Paea.
Right Defensive End
Everson Griffen 85 Overall – 7,000 coins
Ok it wasn’t easy to find a good budget Right end and that is why this guy isn’t a total beast but he does have some stats that are pretty amazing. 90 acceleration is great because acceleration is much more important than speed at the defensive end position. He also has good power move at 93 overall and though his finesse move isn’t anything to crazy he still is a quality card for his price and a good budget Right End.
Comparable to Fletcher Cox 92 Overall – 30,000 coins
Fletcher Cox in my opinion is not worth even close to his price. And here is why he really doesn’t have any crazy elite stats his speed is low his power move isn’t that great and his finesse move is around the same as Everson Griffen. No Griffen isn’t significantly better in any way but he is much cheaper and you really won’t notice that big of a difference between them and I know that from experience.
Left Defensive End
Derrick Morgan 79 Overall Left End – 900 coins
Ok call me a little biased because I love the titans but this guy really is a stud. He is in my opinion the most balanced cheap left end there is. He has decent speed at 75 and 84 acceleration but his most crazy stat is his 93 overall power move which is absolutely insane. He isn’t flashy and won’t be getting you tons of sacks but he will be consistently productive in whatever system you decide to run him in.
Comparable to Rob Ninkovich 92 Overall – 50,000 coins
This guy has the same acceleration and power move as Morgan. Ninkovich has a lot of stats better than Morgan though but they don’t in any way make him worth 46000 more coins. People way too often get blinded by the new elites and the fancy new cards and forget to really look closer at the card. These cards are a lot closer than they appear to be by the prices and you could save a lot of coins by going with Morgan.
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Madden 15 Ultimate Team Tips: Best Budget Players on Defense