If we look at the teams finishing 6th to 10th since 2016 (when the latest TV deal kicked in, which I think is always a useful mini-partition of time), we see the following:
2016-17: The Fallen Empire 69 points (Notable other achievements: Europa League & League Cup winners, ie they had distractions to stretch their squad depth)
Everton 61, Southampton 46 (League Cup finalists), Bournemouth 46, West Brom 45
2017-18: Arsenal 63 (Notable other achievements: Europa League semi-finalists, appeared in the League Cup final as punchbags)
Burnley 54, Everton 49, Leicester 47, Newcastle United 44
With two games remaining for everyone in this bracket bar Everton, the present standings are:
The Fallen Empire 65 (Notable other achievement: giving the rest of the league a hearty laugh at their expense, and showing every sign they intend to do the same next season. However, the fact that in spite of all their walking into garden rakes they may yet manage 70 points should provide pause for thought)
Wolves 54 (FA Cup semi-finalists), Everton 53, Leicester 51, Watford 50 (FA Cup finalists)
The middle-rankers seem to be a tad better, then. And two of them have provided more helpful counterpoints to Mike Ashley's contention that if you try to win a cup all your team will catch scabies or rickets and you will be relegated, so the best thing to do is pack your first eleven with young, cheap, stupid, spineless players and lose every second game you play.
What I find particularly interesting is the number of wins the middle bunch has. In 2016-17, only the top seven won more than 12 of their 38 games. Last year, Burnley won 14 games, and Everton 13. This season, to date Wolves, Everton and Leicester have all won 15 games, Watford 14, and West Ham 13.
If a team aims to break into the top six, the target must be to produce a 65-point campaign (not that 65 points is always sufficient, but it guarantees at the very least you'll come close). Realistically, that entails a minimum 18 wins from 38, whilst being resilient enough to avoid defeat in over half the other games. This season's results indicate the 'tweeners are the closest they've been to hitting that target since the latest hike in TV income. However, the higher you aim the less the margin for error.
Which brings us to a skimmed analysis of who is ending the season looking best placed to kick on.
Wolves' run at the time of writing is 38 points from their last 22 games. If sustained over 38 games, that's them challenging for sixth. But all the usual questions of talent retention, squad improvement, depth and player motivation apply, to say nothing of the fact that Nuno, having enhanced his managerial reputation and being aged just 45, will surely want another crack at the Champions League sooner rather than later.
Everton is ending the season impressively, but loanees Andre Gomes and Zouma have started 51 EPL games between them. The question of how much money they'll be able to spend to increase their quality rather than stand pat is moot. They badly need a striker, but that's not usually the cheapest position to upgrade.
Leicester continues to party atop Claude Puel's managerial grave. But are their players capable of playing a full season without turning on the coach and slinging their hooks long enough to allow them to challenge the big guns? Even if they are, three clean sheets in 2019 translates over a full season to demanding a lot of Vardy, who is now 32 (and whose 18-goal haul needs qualifying with the point that 10 have come in the last nine games. Streakiness doesn't win 18 games in a season). And if a bigger club lures Tielemans, Vardy's supporting cast will be weakened.
As for Watford, they haven't kept a clean sheet since 9 February - not surprising given their platoon of defensive thirtysomethings. Throw in that two other key players - Capoue and Deeeney - are closing in on their 31st birthdays, and it's hard to imagine them finding greater consistency - not least if they somehow beat City and need to juggle the League alongside Yurp.
All told, then, the middle bit of the league is a mite stronger than in recent seasons, but if they want to break into the top six, this summer presents all of them significant challenges.