We ain’t afraid of no ghosts. In fact, we seek them – ghost points, that is. Ghost Points are fantasy points that do not come from attacking returns or clean sheets. These can come in the form of key passes, shots on target, successful dribbles, interceptions, and tackles, among others. Identifying these points is essential for your Fantasy EPL prospects, and our Gameweek 15 Ghost Point Hunters article is here to help!
This Ghost Point Hunters article is based on the Fantrax Scoring System. Check out our Ghost Point Tracker page for the full list of Fantasy EPL players and their respective Ghost Point capabilities!
Gameweek 15 Ghost Point Hunters
Ah, yes, it's the week of Halloween. Ghosts are in the air but we'll avoid the obvious temptation to indulge in puns. We're in the last vestiges of the pre-World Cup phase and we all want to notch a few more wins so that we don't stare at the table in disgust over the eternal break from mid-November to late December. So let's get to it. The big board features an interesting bunch: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohammed Salisu, & Andreas Pereira. Meanwhile, we have this lot in the Honorable Mention section: Diogo Dalot, Pervis Estupinan, Willian, Kieran Trippier, Thiago Alcantara, & Rasmus Kristensen. Finally, it's now back to back weeks where we have to denigrate a beloved player. It's also a unique situation in which we're granting the Dr. Peter Venkman award to someone who was one of the good guys in this article the previous week. Adama Traore, please forgive us.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Position: Defender
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9
Ghost Points Last GW: 13
Prospects: Seemingly back fit - should be nailed on and has been showing glimpses of the old Trent. Hopefully for Trent-rosterers, he can get some rest over the World Cup as Southgate fancies 7 other English right-backs.
Verdict: The best buy low opportunity was before last GW/after his benching v Forest. But the water should still be warm given how poor he has been. Try something like Mount + 1 or FAB (we made this trade last wk).
This up and comer, Trent Alexander Arnold, has burst onto the scene barely unnoticed. GPH really does unearth some hidden gems, don't we? This is why we're here. Sarcasm aside, while Trent isn't a unheralded fantasy performer, he does warrant a mention here because he is on a low and some folks are forgetting what a ghost point God he truly is. The signs point to a renaissance and we want you to pounce before the opportunity passes you by.
Trent is basically a premium right winger that dominates set pieces and racks up key passes & accurate crosses, as well as some attacking returns. Given that he is classified as a defender, he also gets clean sheets. He was a top 5 scorer last campaign, which is why he was a consensus top 5 draft pick coming into this season. But he, like the rest of Liverpool, have been very disappointing. Trent's current PPS of 9 pales in comparison to the past 2 campaigns - 11 & 16, respectively. His ghosties have also suffered, dropping from 11 to 9 per start from last season to this one. If you take away his monstrous 38 pointer v Bournemouth (yes, we faced him that GW, of course), it's even more grim.
We're bullish on Trent ROS, however. His past three performances show he's still got it: 18 v West Ham, 7 in a 27 minute cameo v Forest, and 11.25 most recently v Leeds despite conceding 2 goals. In short, the ghosts are still there. One problem is that the clean sheets are not. Liverpool has only kept 4 clean sheets this season and have been uncharacteristically very leak, hence their low position in the table. Key injuries to Joel Matip & Ibrahima Konate have taken a toll but they are returning soon, and Liverpool's schedule softens a bit. One has to back Klopp to sort it and for Trent to get back to his domineering ways. Taken together, Trent is primed for some big performances ROS and is available for a lot cheaper than draft day. Get him in now!
Mohammed Salisu
Position: Defender
Team: Southampton
Rostered: 19%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.6
Ghost Points Last GW: 16
Prospects: With Armel Bella-Kotchap out, Salisu has reverted to being the Saints' talisman at the back. Regular starter and finally reminding us of the fantasy asset he was in stretches last season.
Verdict: Pick him up if you need a defensive streamer.
Fantasy darling for much of the 2021/2022 campaign, Salisu fell back to earth at the end of that season and the beginning of this one. But he is teasing us with a few cameos that remind us of what he once was and what he might be again. The cumulative drop off hasn't been as pronounced as we're making it out to be. In 2021/2022, he averaged nearly 9.5 ghosties per start, which has fallen by a point this season, while his overall PPS has similarly dropped from 7.2 to 5.2. He and the Saints defense have seemingly gotten just a little bit worse.
The towering defender has popped up, though, to deliver a few tasty scores and put us on notice that he can still do the business every now and again. This past GW, he dropped 16 ghosties, stemming from the following: 2 Key Passes (what?!), 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 7 Clearances (ok, now we're talking), 1 Successful Dribble, 1 Blocked Shot, & 6 Aerials. This is the Salisu we know and love. His notable rise has unsurprisingly coincided with the absence of his CB partner Bella Kotchap who seemingly stole some of this fantasy thunder. With him still out, Salisu is back to being a high-end defensive streamer. Act accordingly.
Andreas Pereira
Position: Midfielder
Team: Fulham
Rostered: 89%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.7
Ghost Points Last GW: 16
Prospects: Is nailed on and has become the creative heartbeat of the team. Will this continue when Harry Wilson is back fully fit? Will he revert back to the mean? One to monitor.
Verdict: Price is too high for us right now given his recent exploits and we're worried about Wilson's potential impact. Wait for a blank v City this wknd and think about pouncing after or see how he gets on after the WC.
What a difference a year makes. Andreas Pereira went from Man United loanee extraordinaire to a critical piece of a top 10 Premier League team's attack. Many viewed his move to Fulham over the summer with indifference given his past travails at Man United. He also started slowly but has hit quite a purple patch of late, averaging 16 points per game over the last 5. That pushes him up to the #20 overall fantasy asset (level on points with Martin Odegaard) & the10th best midfielder - not too shabby.
It really has been a tale of two halves of the early season for Andreas. He averaged just 5.5 points per game in his first 5; as mentioned above,16ppg in the last 5. And the ghosties have flowed. Against Everton, he posted an absurd 16 scary scores, largely deriving from his 7 (!) Key Passes. His KPs are his bread and butter of late - lump a set piece and Mitrovic or another giant will get a head on it. Hey, we'll take it. But is this sustainable? Pereira's feast or famine form and his decent but not overwhelming ghost point avg of 7.7 leave us with some concerns. Harry Wilson, who dominated set pieces last season, is nearly fully fit and will want to at least regain some of those set pieces and get on the ball more. If he can withstand this competition and still deliver these types of hauls, he's a must roster. Watch this space.
Honorable Mentions:
Diogo Dalot (Man United DEF; 21 ghosts): It's hard to drop this many points and really not make a dent offensively - here at GPH this is what we look for. Dalot has become a top 5 ghoster. Bravo.
Pervis Estupinan (Brighton DEF; 15.5 ghosts): We all knew he had it in him, just needed to avoid getting yanked at the half. Let's see if he can crack on from here. De Zerbi rotation may claim another victim.
Willian (Fulham FWD; 14.5 ghosts): What on earth is going on at the Cottage? Spookiness abound, as Pereira & Willian can't stop ghosting of late. Willian doesn't yet have the requisite 6 starts to make it to the tracker but when he does, his ghosting figures will be very tasty (almost 12 ghosties per start). Given his age, can he stay fit and firing? Might be a trade high candidate, especially with City upcoming...
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle DEF; 13.5 ghosts): The guy just won't stop ghosting - top 5 in ghosts and total points. Prior to the draft, we were skeptical that he could stay fit and firing. We're believers now.
Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool MID; 11 ghosts): Finally! The player and ghoster we thought we drafted months ago has finally reappeared. As is always the case with Thiago, can he not turn into the glass and deliver some consistent starts? Don't hold your breath.
Rasmus Kristensen (Leeds DEF; 10.5 ghosts): pushes his gpps up to 8, which is solid and makes him a decent defensive streamer, especially in a good matchup.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Adama Traore (Wolves FWD; 1 ghost): We're all just one bad performance away from misery. Going from hero to zero this week is the ghost point GOAT, Adama Traore. He dropped 11 ghosties one week, and just 1 the next. This doesn't happen to him. He's not the same guy as the peak Nuno years but he's a ghoster through and through. But at Brentford, he disappeared, solely mustering 1 single solitary Successful Dribble. Now we're not one for excuses nor do we subscribe to conspiracy theories here at GPH. But in all seriousness, what did Adama do to offend these Opta nerds? Have they been watching the same player as we have this season? We have come away from each of his performances this season assuming that he has clocked way more successful dribbles than he is being credited in Fantrax. This happens sometimes, some players get favored more than others. Dalot is currently the flavor of the month at Opta HQ whereas Adama is out in the cold. Swings & roundabouts.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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