The most consistent Premier League players of 2026–27, and the most unpredictable
Some players give you the same solid rating almost every week. Others can win you a Gameweek or wreck it. We looked at every FotMob rating from the first eight Gameweeks of the 2026–27 Premier League season to find out who's who, and what it means when you pick your UnderPar XI.
How we measured it
We took the 181 players who've had a FotMob rating in at least seven of the first eight Gameweeks. For each of them we worked out their average rating and how far a typical rating sits from that average. We call that second number the swing. A swing of 0.3 means the player is almost always within a few tenths of his usual level. A swing of 1.4 means you never really know what you're going to get.
Across all 2,233 ratings so far this season, the average is 6.87. About 9% of ratings are 8.0 or higher, and about 9% are below 6.0. The typical player in our group has a swing of about 0.7.
The steadiest players
These are the most consistent players among those averaging at least 7.2, so they're steady at a good level rather than steadily ordinary:
| Player | Average | Range | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granit Xhaka (Sunderland, MID) | 7.28 | 6.9 to 7.8 | 0.28 |
| James Justin (Leeds, DEF) | 7.35 | 6.9 to 7.9 | 0.29 |
| Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford, DEF) | 7.33 | 6.5 to 7.9 | 0.43 |
| Mohamed Belloumi (Hull, ATT) | 7.70 | 6.8 to 8.5 | 0.48 |
| Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest, DEF) | 7.20 | 6.5 to 8.0 | 0.50 |
| Declan Rice (Arsenal, MID) | 7.76 | 6.7 to 8.3 | 0.52 |
| James Tarkowski (Everton, DEF) | 7.59 | 6.9 to 8.5 | 0.55 |
Granit Xhaka is the model of consistency. He's played every Gameweek for Sunderland, and seven of his eight ratings were between 6.9 and 7.4. James Justin has been almost as reliable at left-back for Leeds. Neither has had a really big week, but neither has had a bad one.
Mohamed Belloumi is the interesting one. An attacker with a swing under 0.5 is rare, because attackers usually depend on goals. Belloumi has averaged 7.70 for Hull, the joint fourth-best of any regular this season behind only Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Declan Rice. He's had only one rating below 7.3.
The most unpredictable
| Player | Average | Range | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City, GK) | 6.94 | 3.9 to 8.7 | 1.46 |
| Bart Verbruggen (Brighton, GK) | 7.19 | 3.8 to 9.1 | 1.42 |
| Djordje Petrovic (Bournemouth, GK) | 6.29 | 3.9 to 7.7 | 1.33 |
| Pascal Groß (Brighton, MID) | 7.44 | 5.0 to 9.4 | 1.27 |
| Carl Rushworth (Coventry, GK) | 6.11 | 3.7 to 7.9 | 1.23 |
| António Silva (Bournemouth, DEF) | 6.86 | 4.1 to 8.1 | 1.20 |
Four of the six most unpredictable players are goalkeepers, and that's no accident. A keeper who makes a string of saves can get 9.0. A keeper who concedes four, or makes one costly mistake, can drop below 4.0. Donnarumma has had both an 8.7 and the 3.9 he got at Villa Park in Gameweek 8, which left him 3.3 over his PAR, the worst score in UnderPar up to that point.
Pascal Groß is the outfield player who swings most. His 9.4 is the third-best rating of the season, but he's also had a 5.0. When Brighton play well he's often the reason, and when they don't, it shows in his rating.
Swing by position
| Position | Typical swing | Ratings under 6.0 | Ratings 8.0+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | 0.99 | 17% | 15% |
| Defenders | 0.70 | 10% | 7% |
| Midfielders | 0.62 | 6% | 9% |
| Attackers | 0.71 | 9% | 11% |
Keepers swing the most by a distance. They're more likely than anyone to get a rating of 8.0 or more, and also more likely to get one under 6.0. Midfielders are the steadiest: only 6% of their ratings have been under 6.0, the lowest of any position.
What it means for your UnderPar team
Steady players are the backbone of a good XI. In UnderPar you score your player's PAR minus his rating, and the lowest total wins. A steady player whose PAR sits below his usual level will go under par most weeks. He won't win you a Gameweek on his own, but he'll rarely lose you one.
Swingy players are where Gameweeks are won and lost. Every XI needs a keeper, so you can't avoid the most unpredictable position. The question is when to take the risk. A keeper on a side that's likely to be under pressure, but not overrun, has the best chance of a big rating. A keeper on the heavy favourite often has little to do, and a quiet afternoon rarely earns more than 7.0.
Don't read too much into one week. A player's rating moves around his own average, so one bad game from a steady player is usually just a blip. One great game from a swingy player is usually just that, too. Look at the run of ratings, not the last one.
Mix the two. A sensible XI has several steady players to keep the total down, and a couple of higher-risk picks where you think the fixture favours them. That's the balance the best possible XIs in our Gameweek 7 and Gameweek 8 recaps show: mostly solid players in good fixtures, with one or two big performances on top.
Ready to put it into practice? Pick your XI, or read how to beat PAR for more tips.