Your budget is fixed, and premium players are expensive. The only way to own several of them is to save money elsewhere, and that is where budget enablers come in: cheap players who play regularly and return just enough to justify their place.
What an enabler actually is
An enabler is a low-cost player who starts most weeks for his club. He does not need to score big. He needs to play, to keep the occasional clean sheet or assist, and above all to free up funds for the stars. A cheap starter who plays is worth far more than a slightly better player who sits on the bench.
Where enablers come from
Newly promoted clubs are a classic source: their defenders and midfielders cost little, and if the team is organised, clean sheets and set-piece threat follow. So are clubs that change manager or system and hand a starting role to a young player. Watch team news and line-ups for a few weeks before committing - one start is a hint, three starts is a pattern.
The enabler trap
The trap is chasing the cheapest possible player regardless of minutes. A player who costs almost nothing but never plays saves you nothing, because you end up fielding ten men. Always ask the same question: will this player start next week? If the answer is not yes, he is not an enabler.
How many enablers is too many?
Most strong teams carry two or three enablers, usually in defence or as a fifth midfielder. More than that and your team starts to lack firepower in exactly the weeks when you need points. Enablers are the foundation, not the house.