EPL 100: Ranking of Premier League's Best Players After Matchday 7
As we pause for what is the penultimate international break of 2017, it seems a handy time to take stock of what's happened in the first seven weeks of the Premier League season. Who has impressed the most in each position? Who is dropping off after a quick start? Which stars are now, finally, finding their feet?
It's all in here.
We have updated our lists to take into account the latest weekend of action. They are divided into seven position groups and based solely on performances in the Premier League in 2017-18.
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To be eligible, a player must have taken part in at least half the games his team has played.
Goalkeepers
You won't be surprised to see David De Gea remain top of the goalkeepers, nor should you be surprised to see Jonas Lossl fall four spots. His calamitous game against Tottenham Hotspur was his first poor one of the season, but it was so bad that the alarm bells began to ring.
Ederson Moraes' consistency and solidity sees him rewarded with a big rise (a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge is always a good boost to your stock), while Fraser Forster's strong showing vs. Stoke City sees him enter at No. 8. He's still struggling with consistency issues but is at least performing well more often than not.
Nick Pope has only played four games, but he's been ace in all of them (and busy, too). Perhaps life after Tom Heaton—should such a situation occur—won't be too bad after all for Burnley.
Biggest rise: Ederson Moraes (+5)
Biggest fall: Jonas Lossl (-4)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | David De Gea (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Nick Pope (+2) | Burnley |
| 3 | Ederson Moraes (+5) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Thibaut Courtois (-1) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Jonas Lossl (-4) | Huddersfield Town |
| 6 | Rob Elliot (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 7 | Jordan Pickford (Stay) | Everton |
| 8 | Fraser Forster (New!) | Southampton |
| 9 | Jack Butland (Stay) | Stoke City |
| 10 | Lukasz Fabianski (Stay) | Swansea City |
Right-Backs/Right Wing-Backs
The long-time leader of the right-backs section, Antonio Valencia, has finally been displaced. It's come in a week where the Ecuador international kept a clean sheet, too, so it's all the more impressive from our new table-topper.
Since returning from suspension, Kyle Walker has been superb for Manchester City, and to see him perform such a tactically disciplined role at Stamford Bridge on Saturday perhaps changed the perception of him as a player for some. It's enough to lift him to the summit here.
Matthew Lowton and Hector Bellerin, who have both been solid and dependable recently, each move up three, while Tommy Smith's part in the Huddersfield Town nightmare on Saturday sees him drop four.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+3)
Biggest fall: Tommy Smith (-4)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kyle Walker (+1) | Manchester City |
| 2 | Antonio Valencia (-1) | Manchester United |
| 3 | Matthew Lowton (+3) | Burnley |
| 4 | Kiko Femenia (-1) | Watford |
| 5 | Cedric Soares (-1) | Southampton |
| 6 | Hector Bellerin (+3) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Victor Moses (Stay) | Chelsea |
| 8 | Joe Gomez (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 9 | Tommy Smith (-4) | Huddersfield Town |
| 10 | Kieran Trippier (New!) | Tottenham Hotspur |
Left-Backs/Left Wing-Backs
This section is a complete mess this week.
We wave goodbye to Benjamin Mendy, whose ACL rupture rules him out for what will likely be the entire season, and Daley Blind's benching a month ago means he's not eligible any longer.
It's created a big hole in the middle of the ranking, and the likes of Ryan Bertrand and Danilo have to move up and fill it—even if they didn't play well or barely played at all.
The positive notes are Ben Davies—who was stunning against Huddersfield—and Stephen Ward, whose crossing and industry have not failed to amaze in 2017-18. That's a nice little Wales vs. Ireland battle ahead of their key 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, isn't it?
Biggest rise: Stephen Ward (+4)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-1)
Centre-Backs
Eric Bailly stays top despite not playing, and that's largely because the only player who could have challenged him—Huddersfield's Christopher Schindler—played his part in a regrettable 4-0 loss and moves down as a result.
Burnley duo James Tarkowski and Ben Mee continue to impress, with the former handed another man-of-the-match award at the weekend, while John Stones' sneakily excellent season continued for Manchester City.
Zanka falls to the lower reaches of the ranking, as his drop in form refuses to relent.
Biggest rise: Multiple (+3)
Biggest fall: Zanka (-9)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Eric Bailly (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 2 | James Tarkowski (+3) | Burnley |
| 3 | Ben Mee (+1) | Burnley |
| 4 | John Stones (+3) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Cesar Azpilicueta (-2) | Chelsea |
| 6 | Christopher Schindler (-4) | Huddersfield Town |
| 7 | Phil Jones (+1) | Manchester United |
| 8 | Kurt Zouma (-2) | Stoke City |
| 9 | Jan Vertonghen (+2) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 10 | Jamaal Lascelles (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 11 | Maya Yoshida (+3) | Southampton |
| 12 | Toby Alderweireld (+3) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 13 | Nicolas Otamendi (New!) | Manchester City |
| 14 | Davinson Sanchez (+3) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 15 | Ciaran Clark (-3) | Newcastle United |
| 16 | Andreas Christensen (-1) | Chelsea |
| 17 | Lewis Dunk (+3) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 18 | Zanka (-9) | Huddersfield Town |
| 19 | Ahmed Hegazi (-1) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 20 | Shkodran Mustafi (New!) | Arsenal |
Defensive Midfielders/Central Midfielders
Kevin De Bruyne's winning goal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday for Man City sees him skip ahead of team-mate David Silva and claim the top spot in the central midfielders section. After a slow start, he's come good.
Mario Lemina, Fernandinho, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Jack Cork, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Marouane Fellaini all impressed in a gameweek where the No. 6s and No. 8s stole the headlines.
Biggest rise: Grzegorz Krychowiak (+3)
Biggest fall: Aaron Mooy (-5)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Kevin De Bruyne (+1) | Manchester City |
| 2 | David Silva (-1) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Nemanja Matic (+1) | Manchester United |
| 4 | N'Golo Kante (-1) | Chelsea |
| 5 | Paul Pogba (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Mario Lemina (Stay) | Southampton |
| 7 | Fernandinho (+1) | Manchester City |
| 8 | Abdoulaye Doucoure (+2) | Watford |
| 9 | Steven Defour (Stay) | Burnley |
| 10 | Jack Cork (+4) | Burnley |
| 11 | Mikel Merino (Stay) | Newcastle United |
| 12 | Aaron Mooy (-5) | Huddersfield Town |
| 13 | Grzegorz Krychowiak (+3) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 14 | Jeff Hendrick (New!) | Burnley |
| 15 | Nathaniel Chalobah (-2) | Watford |
| 16 | Tiemoue Bakayoko (-4) | Chelsea |
| 17 | Marouane Fellaini (New!) | Manchester United |
| 18 | Aaron Ramsey (+2) | Arsenal |
| 19 | Oriol Romeu (-1) | Southampton |
| 20 | Dale Stephens (Stay) | Brighton & Hove Albion |
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
Mohamed Salah picked a bad week to be wasteful. His spurning of chances in the first half against Newcastle United cost Liverpool on Sunday, and it has cost him in these rankings, as he slips six spots.
Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling may not have been the stars of Manchester City's win over Chelsea, but they both played an important tactical role and contributed to a great team performance.
Richarlison's work rate and productivity continue to form a lethal combo that keeps Watford on the right track.
Biggest rise: Robbie Brady (+5)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-6)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Christian Eriksen (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 2 | Raheem Sterling (+1) | Manchester City |
| 3 | Leroy Sane (+3) | Manchester City |
| 4 | Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 5 | Marcus Rashford (+2) | Manchester United |
| 6 | Richarlison (+4) | Watford |
| 7 | Sadio Mane (-2) | Liverpool |
| 8 | Mohamed Salah (-6) | Liverpool |
| 9 | Anthony Martial (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 10 | Juan Mata (Stay) | Manchester United |
| 11 | Robbie Brady (+5) | Burnley |
| 12 | Andre Carrillo (+1) | Watford |
| 13 | Danny Welbeck (-2) | Arsenal |
| 14 | Michail Antonio (-4) | West Ham United |
| 15 | Dele Alli (Stay) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 16 | Alexis Sanchez (New!) | Arsenal |
| 17 | Chris Brunt (New!) | West Bromwich Albion |
| 18 | Matt Ritchie (New!) | Newcastle United |
| 19 | Ruben Loftus-Cheek (-1) | Crystal Palace |
| 20 | Tom Cleverley (-6) | Watford |
Strikers
In the ever-shifting, ever-changing strikers section, we have yet another new No. 1. Romelu Lukaku's seventh goal of the Premier League season saw him move top of the goalscoring charts and sees him move top here.
Harry Kane is a big riser having slain Huddersfield Town; Alvaro Morata, Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus move down as a result.
The only new entry is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who impressed despite Everton's poor result against Burnley.
Biggest rise: Harry Kane (+3)
Biggest fall: Multiple (-2)
| Rank | Player | Club |
| 1 | Romelu Lukaku (+2) | Manchester United |
| 2 | Harry Kane (+3) | Tottenham Hotspur |
| 3 | Alvaro Morata (-2) | Chelsea |
| 4 | Sergio Aguero (-2) | Manchester City |
| 5 | Gabriel Jesus (-1) | Manchester City |
| 6 | Alexandre Lacazette (Stay) | Arsenal |
| 7 | Jamie Vardy (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 8 | Shinji Okazaki (Stay) | Leicester City |
| 9 | Roberto Firmino (Stay) | Liverpool |
| 10 | Dominic Calvert-Lewin (New!) | Everton |
All statistics via WhoScored.com
