Welcome to the Sportskeeda Power Ranking of attackers in the Premier League. The ranking is done after every gameweek on a cumulative basis to decipher the final top 10 come May. The main criteria for ranking the players is their contribution to goals, either by scoring them, or creating them which includes deflections and penalties won as well.
When two or more players are involved in an equal number of goals, the type of assist (direct or deflected), the importance of the goal/assist, the consistency in performances and the minutes per goal/assist is considered to rank them.
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So, a player scoring/assisting in three consecutive games will have a higher ranking than a player picking the same number of goals/assists in one game and drawing blanks in the rest. Similarly, a player scoring winning goals, having better minutes per goal/assist will occupy a higher position.
Also Read – SK Power Ranking: Top 10 EPL attackers – Gameweek 22
The power rankings further act as a guide for players of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) because the list consists of the most consistent players, as well as relevant statistics for fantasy managers to act upon.
Firstly, the previous Gameweek’s poll on the best attacker for Gameweek 22 had the first-ever close fight in as Fernando Llorente edged Roberto Firmino by 1% to win with 40% of the votes. He scored twice in the second-half to help Swansea’s eventual victory. You can vote for this week’s best attacker at the end of the article.
Gameweek 23 strengthened Chelsea’s lead at the top as Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points. Meanwhile, the relegation battle intensified as Leicester City and Middlesbrough start to look over their shoulders.
This was an off gameweek for the league’s top attackers while there are changes in the lower half of the rankings.
Let us first take a look at the watchlist for the gameweek.
Watchlist
Diego Costa
Gameweek 22 ranking – 10th
The Chelsea striker had a tough night at Liverpool but did well to win a debatable penalty with the scores level at 1-1. However, he failed to convert the spot-kick as Simon Mignolet guessed right way to deny Costa and push him into the watchlist.
Gylfi Sigurdsson
Gameweek 22 ranking – N/A
The Iceland international has hit a good run of form recently which is definitely helping Swansea’s fight against relegation as they currently sit in 17th place. He delivered a superb corner for Alfie Mawson to head home in the first-half before finishing off a counter-attack when teed up by new January signing Luciano Narsingh to seal the victory against Southampton.
Peter Crouch
Gameweek 22 ranking – N/A
Peter Crouch has been in decent form lately and the former Liverpool striker hit a major landmark of 100 Premier League goals against Everton. In doing so, he became the oldest player in the history of the Premier League to achieve the feat at 36 years of age and 26th overall.
Now let’s find out the top ten attackers after Gameweek 23.
#10 Olivier Giroud
Gameweek 22 ranking – 9th
Match performance – no goal/assist and replaced at half-time
Olivier Giroud’s terrific goalscoring run came to a halt the previous gameweek and he was removed at half-time in this gameweek after Arsenal fell two goals behind before half-time against Watford.
The loss of form brings the Frenchman to the fringes of the power ranking and he needs to step up the upcoming gameweek if he needs to hold on to his place in the top ten.
Fantasy Tip – Olivier Giroud’s current form and upcoming fixtures that involve trips to Chelsea and Liverpool in the next 3, point to Giroud not being a good option for the forward line.
#9 Michail Antonio
Gameweek 22 ranking – 8th
Match performance – no goal/assist and failed miserably against a fiery Manchester City side
After the highs of recent weeks that propelled Antonio to enter the top ten, he slips a place in this gameweek as West Ham were hammered to a 4-0 loss by Manchester City. He failed to make any decisive impact on the game as City ran riot.
Antonio, however, keeps his place in the top 10 for now and needs to perform consistently to rise higher.
Fantasy Tip – Michail Antonio has been involved in 4 goals in the last 3 games for West Ham.
#8 Ryan Fraser
Gameweek 22 ranking – 7th
Match performance – no goal/assist and a mini-slump in form
Ryan Fraser has hit a mini-slump in form in recent gameweeks and he could not help prevent Bournemouth’s 2-0 loss to relegation-threatened Crystal Palace.
The attacker played the full 90 minutes for the first time this season but failed to make an impact. He also drops one spot in this week’s rankings.
Fantasy Tip – Ryan Fraser’s team are up against Everton, Manchester City and Manchester United in the next 4 games. So, it would be a better option not to pick him.
#7 Cesc Fabregas
Gameweek 22 ranking – 6th
Match performance – no goal/assist and another substitute appearance
Cesc Fabregas made another substitute appearance against Liverpool, and unlike the previous match, where he picked up an assist coming on as a substitute, the Spaniard failed to make an impact.
He came on pretty late in the game and despite having a couple of set-piece opportunities as well as through balls, he could not pick up an assist.
Fantasy Tip – Cesc Fabregas can be expected to start on the bench as Nemanja Matic is Antonio Conte’s preferred player. So, Fabregas is not a good option for your fantasy midfield.
#6 Raheem Sterling
Gameweek 22 ranking – Watchlist
Match performance – one assist, one penalty won and becoming a star under Pep Guardiola
Raheem Sterling is always under the spotlight, be it for his superb performances or for standing on his feet when he could have won a penalty by going down. His performances have been generally good this season and a number of good performances see him enter the power rankings.
He teed up Gabriel Jesus for Manchester City’s third goal against West Ham after Leroy Sane found him with a neat pass. Sterling then raced onto Kevin de Bruyne’s brilliant through ball, only for West Ham’s new signing Jose Fonte to bring him down and concede a penalty that was duly converted by Yaya Toure.
Raheem Sterling has completed 15 take-ons in the opposition box in the Premier League season with Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez six behind the Englishman, having completed 9 take-ons.
Fantasy Tip – Raheem Sterling faces Bournemouth, Swansea and Sunderland in the next 3 games and he should be a definite pick for your fantasy side.
#5 Harry Kane
Gameweek 22 ranking – 5th
Match performance – no goal/assist and points dropped for Spurs
Harry Kane had a great chance to have a crack at the top of the rankings with Tottenham playing Sunderland, but he failed to get on the scoresheet and Spurs dropped a couple of points as well, on a day Chelsea dropped points.
The Englishman was shut out well by David Moyes’ Sunderland and this was a game to forget for Kane. However, he holds on to his 5th spot in this week’s rankings as well.
Fantasy Tip – Harry Kane has been involved in 8 goals in the last 6 gameweeks for Spurs.
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Gameweeks at top – 3
Gameweek 22 ranking – 4th
Match performance – no goal/assist and missed opportunity for Manchester United to close the gap with the top four
The giant Swede missed a great opportunity to reclaim his crown in the power rankings with his rivals failing to notch up goals/assists. Instead, a rejuvenated Hull City under new manager Marco Silva held on to a point at Old Trafford to frustrate Jose Mourinho’s men.
Ibrahimovic drew a couple of good saves from Hull keeper Eldin Jakupovic, who was outstanding on the day. He created a great chance for Paul Pogba in the first-half only for the keeper to make an outstanding save. This is the second consecutive game that Zlatan has drawn a blank and he would be itching to set it right in the coming games.
Fantasy Tip – Zlatan Ibrahimovic faces Leicester, Watford and Bournemouth in the next 3 games and given his nature, he can be expected to deliver in those games.
#3 Dele Alli
Gameweek 22 ranking – 3rd
Match performance – no goal/assist and maintains his spot
The in-form Englishman scored a rare blank given his recent form against bottom-dwellers Sunderland as Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham drew the game 0-0.
However, Alli managed to hold on to his spot with the attackers around him misfiring as well. He is the only attacker in the top four who is yet to reach the top spot at least once, despite spending a good amount of time in the upper half of the rankings.
Fantasy Tip – Dele Alli has been involved in 9 goals in the last 7 gameweeks.
#2 Christian Eriksen
Gameweeks at top – 2
Gameweek 22 ranking – 1st
Match performance – no goal/assist and dethroned
Christian Eriksen had a short stay at the top as his second consecutive blank dethroned him. The Dane controlled the play for Spurs against Sunderland but failed to break the deadlock as the London side dropped a valuable two points.
Eriksen has drawn consecutive blanks for the first time since gameweek 14 and he will be looking to shake the loss in form in the upcoming games.
Fantasy Tip – Christian Eriksen faces Middlesbrough and Stoke at home in the next 3 games and they offer a good chance for a big haul.
#1 Alexis Sanchez
Gameweeks at top – 4
Gameweek 22 ranking – 2nd
Match performance – one assist and reclaims top spot
The Chilean’s consistency finally paid off as he climbs back to top spot, previously held by Christian Eriksen. The Arsenal superstar picked up an assist in Arsenal’s shock loss to Watford at home as Arsene Wenger’s side went 2-0 down in the opening 15 minutes.
Alexis Sanchez set up Alex Iwobi after turning the right-back and lobbing it for the youngster to pull one back for the Gunners. Arsenal could not complete the comeback however and yet the assist is sufficient for Sanchez to once again top the rankings.
Fantasy Tip – Alexis Sanchez has been involved in a goal/assist in 9 of the last 10 gameweeks and is the most consistent attacker since gameweek 14.
