James Collins – 4th
The least surprising news is James Collins being the fourth-best striker in the division. I’m not sure any of us really understood the magnitude of his capture when he signed in January. Some said impact from the bench, others that he might be a bit past it, but he’s proven to be anything but.
The numbers say only Matt Stevens, Aaron Connolly and Jamie Reid are better than Collins right now, and yet he’s the oldest player in the top ten (Josh Magennis, 35, is 11th). Crucially, Collins doesn’t rank top five for any of the major metrics (goals, assists, touches in the box, 1v1 dribbling, crosses or expected goals), but his numbers are just so consistent that he is still top five overall.