Harry Kane put on a clinic of centre forward play in the North London Derby on Saturday lunchtime to help Tottenham put Arsenal to the sword. The young Englishman scored two goals, one a poachers effort, and another a sublime header, and left many people comparing him to the legendary Alan Shearer and wondering if he is one of the elite striking options in the Premier League right now.
So where does he fall in my rankings? For me he’s very close but isn’t quite into the “out-of-this-world group” occupied by Aguero and Costa (when he isn’t suspended). Instead, he falls in between them and a group of four strikers just below with three other Englishmen; Rooney, Sturridge, Ings, and Graziano Pelle. So while he isn’t quite in Aguero’s company, this week with another good game against a decent Liverpool defence could see him join them next week.
Going around the positions, De Gea, Hart and Ospina sit atop the goalkeeper rankings with them both having favourable match ups in Burnley, Stoke and Leicester respectively. Just below them sit Forster and Courtois who have slightly tougher match ups in West Ham and Everton. However, perhaps the headline for goalkeepers this year should be Costel Pantilimon who has racked up 72 points in 14 weeks with a Fake premier league performance rating of 1.53, the highest in the league of goalies with 10+ starts.
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In defence the Arsenal defence sits high this week with their Leicester match up given the Foxes struggles lately. Man City and Man United players should be high but their defences are so fluid it is hard to know which way their managers will go.
In midfield a return for Fabregas will see him return as an elite option. The midfield pool is bolstered over the next couple of weeks with the return of the players from AFCON and Asia cup and their return to match fitness.
I think I’ve fairly well covered the top end of the striker position but I should add that Remy did not start for Chelsea at the weekend but I expect him to this week. However, Mourinho loves and trust Drogba so don’t be surprised to see Remy on the bench again, frustrating owners.
Goalkeepers
Elite
| Surname | Team | Opponent | YTD | FPR |
| Hart | Man City | Stoke | 80 | 1.27 |
| De Gea | Man Utd | Burnley | 94 | 1.38 |
| Ospina | Arsenal | Leicester | 22 | 2.00 |
Near Elite
| Courtois | Chelsea | Everton | 73 | 1.24 |
| Forster | Southampton | West Ham | 97 | 1.29 |
Must-Starts
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| McGregor | Hull | Aston Villa | 64 | 0.74 |
| Mignolet | Liverpool | Tottenham | 83 | 1.32 |
| Krul | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 59 | 1.00 |
| Pantilimon | Sunderland | QPR | 72 | 1.53 |
| Fabianski | Swansea | West Brom | 91 | 1.35 |
Decent Back Up Options
| Guzan | Aston Villa | Hull | 82 | 1.08 |
| Speroni | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 81 | 0.88 |
| Lloris | Tottenham | Liverpool | 91 | 1.21 |
| Foster | West Brom | Swansea | 77 | 1.04 |
| Adrian | West Ham | Southampton | 76 | 1.21 |
Walk Away Slowly
| Hamer | Leicester | Arsenal | 31 | 1.00 |
| Green | QPR | Sunderland | 74 | 0.91 |
Run Away Screaming
| Heaton | Burnley | Man Utd | 80 | 0.96 |
| Robles | Everton | Chelsea | 26 | 1.00 |
| Begovic | Stoke | Man City | 73 | 0.96 |
Defenders
Elite
| Surname | Team | Opponent | YTD | FPR |
| Ivanovic | Chelsea | Everton | 122 | 1.57 |
| Terry | Chelsea | Everton | 112 | 1.52 |
| Clyne | Southampton | West Ham | 104 | 1.52 |
Near Elite
| Mertesacker | Arsenal | Leicester | 75 | 1.05 |
| Koscielny | Arsenal | Leicester | 61 | 1.15 |
| Monreal | Arsenal | Leicester | 60 | 1.00 |
| Bellerin | Arsenal | Leicester | 30 | 1.00 |
| Clichy | Man City | Stoke | 84 | 1.28 |
| Jones | Man Utd | Burnley | 48 | 1.67 |
| Rojo | Man Utd | Burnley | 30 | 1.00 |
Must-Starts
| Janmaat | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 82 | 1.13 |
| Azpilicueta | Chelsea | Everton | 82 | 1.44 |
| Cahill | Chelsea | Everton | 82 | 1.41 |
| Coleman | Everton | Chelsea | 84 | 1.15 |
| Kompany | Man City | Stoke | 48 | 1.20 |
| Fonte | Southampton | West Ham | 97 | 1.41 |
| Williams | Swansea | West Brom | 82 | 1.17 |
| Taylor | Swansea | West Brom | 70 | 1.23 |
| Fernandez | Swansea | West Brom | 49 | 1.38 |
| Naughton | Swansea | West Brom | 13 | 1.00 |
| Walker | Tottenham | Liverpool | 20 | 0.71 |
#3/Flex
| Creswell | West Ham | Southampton | 82 | 1.32 |
| Jenkinson | West Ham | Southampton | 57 | 1.22 |
| Hutton | Aston Villa | Hull | 62 | 1.16 |
| Cissokho | Aston Villa | Hull | 69 | 1.09 |
| Dawson | Hull | Aston Villa | 23 | 0.62 |
| Robertson | Hull | Aston Villa | 32 | 0.41 |
| Coloccini | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 61 | 0.74 |
| Williamson | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 38 | 0.67 |
| Gardos | Southampton | West Ham | 25 | 1.13 |
| Yoshida | Southampton | West Ham | 46 | 0.75 |
| O’Shea | Sunderland | QPR | 72 | 1.09 |
| Vergini | Sunderland | QPR | 66 | 1.05 |
| van Aanholt | Sunderland | QPR | 41 | 1.08 |
| Reveillere | Sunderland | QPR | 40 | 1.25 |
Flex Options
| Skrtel | Liverpool | Tottenham | 84 | 1.10 |
| Moreno | Liverpool | Tottenham | 74 | 1.12 |
| Sakho | Liverpool | Tottenham | 52 | 1.27 |
| Rose | Tottenham | Liverpool | 56 | 1.00 |
| Vertonghen | Tottenham | Liverpool | 62 | 0.95 |
| Ward | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 59 | 0.91 |
| Kelly | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 49 | 0.95 |
| Delaney | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 40 | 0.88 |
| Hangeland | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 34 | 1.00 |
Getting Desperate
| Okore | Aston Villa | Hull | 34 | 0.92 |
| Clark | Aston Villa | Hull | 42 | 0.93 |
| Isla | QPR | Sunderland | 49 | 0.82 |
| Hill | QPR | Sunderland | 22 | 1.00 |
| Onuoha | QPR | Sunderland | 14 | 0.33 |
| Caulker | QPR | Sunderland | 52 | 0.86 |
| Lescott | West Brom | Swansea | 68 | 1.00 |
| McAuley | West Brom | Swansea | 32 | 1.00 |
| Baird | West Brom | Swansea | 19 | 0.71 |
Desperate
| Trippier | Burnley | Man Utd | 66 | 0.91 |
| Shackell | Burnley | Man Utd | 54 | 0.83 |
| Mee | Burnley | Man Utd | 48 | 0.89 |
| Keane | Burnley | Man Utd | 26 | 0.64 |
| Jagielka | Everton | Chelsea | 88 | 1.00 |
| Stones | Everton | Chelsea | 37 | 1.22 |
| Schlupp | Leicester | Arsenal | 56 | 0.95 |
| Simpson | Leicester | Arsenal | 23 | 0.80 |
| Wasilewski | Leicester | Arsenal | 38 | 0.75 |
| Konchesky | Leicester | Arsenal | 54 | 0.76 |
| Morgan | Leicester | Arsenal | 44 | 0.77 |
| Muniesa | Stoke | Man City | 42 | 1.00 |
| Bardsley | Stoke | Man City | 42 | 1.00 |
| Wollscheid | Stoke | Man City | 10 | 1.50 |
| Cameron | Stoke | Man City | 32 | 0.81 |
Question Marks with Upside
| Vlaar | Aston Villa | Hull | 39 | 1.08 |
| Zouma | Chelsea | Everton | 11 | 0.50 |
| Baines | Everton | Chelsea | 98 | 1.14 |
| Oviedo | Everton | Chelsea | 7 | 1.00 |
| Zabaleta | Man City | Stoke | 58 | 1.06 |
| Kolarov | Man City | Stoke | 31 | 1.09 |
| Sagna | Man City | Stoke | 15 | 1.00 |
| Evans | Man Utd | Burnley | 35 | 1.40 |
| Smalling | Man Utd | Burnley | 30 | 0.77 |
| McNair | Man Utd | Burnley | 26 | 1.00 |
| Gibbs | Arsenal | Leicester | 47 | 0.78 |
Midfielders
Elite
| Surname | Team | Opponent | YTD | FPR |
| Cazorla | Arsenal | Leicester | 111 | 1.39 |
| Hazard | Chelsea | Everton | 149 | 1.79 |
| Fabregas | Chelsea | Everton | 120 | 1.86 |
| Sterling | Liverpool | Tottenham | 110 | 1.57 |
Near Elite
| Oscar | Chelsea | Everton | 109 | 1.60 |
| Silva | Man City | Stoke | 99 | 1.56 |
| Di Maria | Man Utd | Burnley | 77 | 1.44 |
| Eriksen | Tottenham | Liverpool | 123 | 1.42 |
| Downing | West Ham | Southampton | 120 | 1.57 |
Must-Starts
| Ozil | Arsenal | Leicester | 49 | 1.33 |
| Willian | Chelsea | Everton | 67 | 1.26 |
| Henderson | Liverpool | Tottenham | 93 | 1.50 |
| Mata | Man Utd | Burnley | 83 | 1.35 |
| Tadic | Southampton | West Ham | 98 | 1.45 |
| Larsson | Sunderland | QPR | 80 | 1.33 |
| Johnson | Sunderland | QPR | 74 | 1.38 |
| Chadli | Tottenham | Liverpool | 104 | 1.33 |
Good Starting Options
| Boyd | Burnley | Man Utd | 72 | 1.23 |
| Matic | Chelsea | Everton | 64 | 1.35 |
| Ledley | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 61 | 1.30 |
| Gerrard | Liverpool | Tottenham | 81 | 1.24 |
| Navas | Man City | Stoke | 66 | 1.17 |
| Colback | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 81 | 1.26 |
| Sissoko | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 68 | 1.27 |
| Fer | QPR | Sunderland | 80 | 1.26 |
| Mane | Southampton | West Ham | 70 | 1.19 |
| Elia | Southampton | West Ham | 23 | 1.75 |
| Moses | Stoke | Man City | 42 | 1.31 |
| Ki | Swansea | West Brom | 80 | 1.33 |
| Brunt | West Brom | Swansea | 71 | 1.24 |
Flex Options
| Zaha | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 43 | 1.24 |
| Barkley | Everton | Chelsea | 43 | 1.06 |
| Ramsey | Arsenal | Leicester | 57 | 1.06 |
| Arfield | Burnley | Man Utd | 61 | 1.09 |
| Jones | Burnley | Man Utd | 49 | 1.23 |
| Puncheon | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 73 | 1.04 |
| McArthur | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 53 | 1.37 |
| Elmohamady | Hull | Aston Villa | 69 | 1.17 |
| Mahrez | Leicester | Arsenal | 61 | 1.18 |
| Coutinho | Liverpool | Tottenham | 72 | 1.24 |
| Valencia | Man Utd | Burnley | 61 | 1.26 |
| Ameobi | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 50 | 1.19 |
| Ward-Prowse | Southampton | West Ham | 53 | 1.57 |
| Davis | Southampton | West Ham | 56 | 1.13 |
| Wanyama | Southampton | West Ham | 63 | 1.05 |
| Walters | Stoke | Man City | 88 | 1.21 |
| Dyer | Swansea | West Brom | 66 | 1.05 |
| Lamela | Tottenham | Liverpool | 57 | 1.05 |
Potential Flex Options
| Sanchez | Aston Villa | Hull | 36 | 1.00 |
| Westwood | Aston Villa | Hull | 39 | 1.11 |
| Delph | Aston Villa | Hull | 29 | 1.14 |
| Mutch | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 22 | 0.90 |
| Mirallas | Everton | Chelsea | 56 | 0.94 |
| Barry | Everton | Chelsea | 44 | 0.91 |
| Livermore | Hull | Aston Villa | 51 | 1.00 |
| Can | Liverpool | Tottenham | 35 | 1.33 |
| Allen | Liverpool | Tottenham | 26 | 1.00 |
| Blind | Man Utd | Burnley | 49 | 1.33 |
| Cabella | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 52 | 0.86 |
| N’Zonzi | Stoke | Man City | 62 | 1.21 |
| Gomez | Sunderland | QPR | 51 | 0.95 |
| Shelvey | Swansea | West Brom | 46 | 1.00 |
| Morrison | West Brom | Swansea | 56 | 1.16 |
| McManaman | West Brom | Swansea | 6 | 1.00 |
| Noble | West Ham | Southampton | 45 | 1.07 |
| Kouyate | West Ham | Southampton | 54 | 1.18 |
Question Marks with Upside
| Walcott | Arsenal | Leicester | 13 | 0.33 |
| Gil | Aston Villa | Hull | 9 | 0.67 |
| Cuadrado | Chelsea | Everton | 1 | 0.00 |
| Lennon | Everton | Chelsea | 18 | 0.67 |
| Huddlestone | Hull | Aston Villa | 38 | 0.95 |
| Lallana | Liverpool | Tottenham | 61 | 1.40 |
| Markovic | Liverpool | Tottenham | 31 | 0.77 |
| Milner | Man City | Stoke | 63 | 1.05 |
| Nasri | Man City | Stoke | 47 | 1.24 |
| Fellaini | Man Utd | Burnley | 46 | 1.07 |
| Flamini | Arsenal | Leicester | 41 | 1.11 |
Strikers
Out of This World
| Surname | Team | Opponent | YTD | FPR |
| Aguero | Man City | Stoke | 117 | 1.47 |
Elite Option
| Kane | Tottenham | Liverpool | 115 | 1.35 |
Near Elite
| Ings | Burnley | Man Utd | 94 | 1.38 |
| Sturridge | Liverpool | Tottenham | 16 | 1.20 |
| Rooney | Man Utd | Burnley | 86 | 1.35 |
| Pelle | Southampton | West Ham | 101 | 1.33 |
Must-Starts
| Giroud | Arsenal | Leicester | 56 | 1.31 |
| Remy | Chelsea | Everton | 30 | 0.69 |
| Lukaku | Everton | Chelsea | 84 | 1.21 |
| van Persie | Man Utd | Burnley | 93 | 1.27 |
| Defoe | Sunderland | QPR | 18 | 2.00 |
#2 Options
| Welbeck | Arsenal | Leicester | 69 | 1.05 |
| Benteke | Aston Villa | Hull | 39 | 1.00 |
| Ulloa | Leicester | Arsenal | 81 | 1.00 |
| Cisse | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 72 | 0.93 |
| Gomis | Swansea | West Brom | 37 | 0.55 |
| Berahino | West Brom | Swansea | 91 | 1.08 |
| Sakho | West Ham | Southampton | 74 | 1.47 |
Flex Options
| Barnes | Burnley | Man Utd | 64 | 0.90 |
| Sanogo | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 12 | 0.67 |
| Gayle | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 58 | 0.65 |
| Naismith | Everton | Chelsea | 75 | 1.00 |
| Falcao | Man Utd | Burnley | 56 | 1.07 |
| Perez | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 66 | 0.87 |
| Vargas | QPR | Sunderland | 50 | 0.95 |
| Zarate | QPR | Sunderland | 26 | 1.13 |
| Valencia | West Ham | Southampton | 68 | 0.90 |
Low End Flex Options
| Weimann | Aston Villa | Hull | 60 | 0.78 |
| Agbonlahor | Aston Villa | Hull | 54 | 0.77 |
| Vardy | Leicester | Arsenal | 55 | 0.65 |
| Graham | Sunderland | QPR | 5 | 0.25 |
Question Marks with Upside
| Drogba | Chelsea | Everton | 41 | 0.39 |
| N’Doye | Hull | Aston Villa | 1 | 0.00 |
| Jelavic | Hull | Aston Villa | 60 | 1.17 |
| Hernandez | Hull | Aston Villa | 40 | 1.00 |
| Jovetic | Man City | Stoke | 57 | 0.80 |
| Dzeko | Man City | Stoke | 34 | 0.57 |
| Zamora | QPR | Sunderland | 41 | 0.65 |
| Carroll | West Ham | Southampton | 55 | 1.08 |
Question Marks with Limited Upside
| Akpom | Arsenal | Leicester | 6 | 0.67 |
| Vokes | Burnley | Man Utd | 4 | 0.00 |
| Jutkiewicz | Burnley | Man Utd | 35 | 0.78 |
| Campbell | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 42 | 0.88 |
| Murray | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 5 | 0.25 |
| Krameric | Leicester | Arsenal | 4 | 0.33 |
| Nugent | Leicester | Arsenal | 44 | 0.81 |
| Borini | Liverpool | Tottenham | 17 | 0.50 |
| Lambert | Liverpool | Tottenham | 36 | 0.58 |
| Riviere | Newcastle | Crystal Palace | 21 | 0.46 |
| Crouch | Stoke | Man City | 72 | 0.82 |
| Diouf | Stoke | Man City | 64 | 0.95 |
| Fletcher | Sunderland | QPR | 53 | 0.72 |
| Ideye | West Brom | Swansea | 27 | 0.71 |
| Cole | West Ham | Southampton | 23 | 0.46 |
Question Marks with Very Little Upside
| Ameobi | Crystal Palace | Newcastle | 0 | |
| Seager | Southampton | West Ham | 1 | 0.00 |
| Oliveira | Swansea | West Brom | 4 | 0.33 |
| Barrow | Swansea | West Brom | 13 | |
| Soldado | Tottenham | Liverpool | 27 | 0.57 |
| Adebayor | Tottenham | Liverpool | 38 | 0.91 |
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