The budget enablers doing real work
Cheap enablers only work if they play, so look at defensive volume and fixture runs before shifting funds upfront.
Cheap players exist to make expensive players possible. You do not buy a 4.1m defender to watch him score hat-tricks; you buy him so you can afford proper attackers who do. The trick is finding the ones who stay on the pitch and do not actively sink your rank while sitting on your bench.
Four gameweeks in, a few budget options under 5.5m are doing useful work behind the scenes.
Internal algorithm score for targets priced 5.5m or under heading into gameweek 5. Highlighted players offer cheap entry to an easy fixture run.
Hull asset density is not a mistake
Hull dominate the target shortlist because their upcoming run of games sits well above average. Over the next four matches, they face Newcastle, 
Everton, Fulham, and 
Brentford.
In defense, 
Egan and 
Mendy have both completed all 360 minutes available across four starts, picking up 25 points apiece. Mendy grabbed a goal off 0.32 xG, which is a one-off set-piece boost you should not count on repeating. Egan offers pure, boring security: 55 defensive actions in four games, averaging 13.75 per 90 minutes.
EganMendyData covers gameweeks 1 to 4. Mendy has higher goal threat, but Egan offers 111 more guaranteed minutes.
Mendy played 249 minutes compared to Egan's 360. If you are buying a 4.1m defender to sit as your second substitute, total minutes beat a single deflection every day of the week.
Look at work rate, not points
Further up the pitch, midfield enablers are trickier. 
Janelt sitting on 25 points looks like a bargain at 5.0m, but two goals from 0.50 xG means his finishing is running hot. His underlying generation is 0.23 xGI per 90. He will stop scoring soon.
What he does offer is physical ground coverage. 55 defensive actions in 360 minutes keeps his baseline bonus secure when Brentford keep things clean.
27.49BPS per 90Mainoo (5.5m)13.75Def actions / 90Janelt (5.0m)
0.32xGI per 90M.Sangaré (5.7m)Underlying production per 90 minutes minimum threshold met over gameweeks 1 to 4.
Mainoo at 5.5m is the quiet engine room pick. He has three starts, 275 minutes, and 44 defensive actions. His 27.49 BPS per 90 leads all budget midfielders in this price bracket, driven by high pass volume and tackling numbers. He generated 0.66 xGI and logged one assist off 0.42 xA. That is repeatable work.
What to do before the deadline
If you need a 4.1m fifth defender to free up money for your frontline, bring in Egan before his fixture run turns. If you need a fifth midfielder who actually plays 90 minutes every match, Janelt is locked into his side, even if his goalscoring luck is about to dry up.