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 21 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 21 Ghost Point Hunters
The hits just keep coming. We're still awaiting the end of GW20, but we can't rest on our collective laurels. Let's get ready for GW21. On the big board, we are flagging James Ward-Prowse (JWP/GOAT), Conor Gallagher, & Luke Ayling. Meanwhile, the Honorable mention section includes: Harry Kane, Morgan Gibbs White (MGW/not GOAT), Mohamed Salisu, Serge Aurier, & Benoit Badiashile. And the not so coveted Dr. Peter Venkman Award is enroute to Yorkshire, addressed to one Pascal Struijk, erstwhile ghoster. Life comes at you fast.
James Ward-Prowse
Position: Midfielder
Team: Southampton
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9.2
Ghost Points Last GW: 16.5
Prospects: Nailed on doesn't come close to covering it, and he's now in a more advanced role, which has coincided with an uptick in attacking returns & ghosties. This should continue.
Verdict: It's always damn near impossible to trade in a player after a 30+ point performance, especially one with JWP's name recognition. Try opening with a MID1/2 & FWD1/2 (e.g., Andreas Pereira & Che Adams).
It gives us great - immense, really - pleasure to feature this legend in GPH yet again. JWP has been a fantasy legend for a number of years. His set piece monopoly & brilliance have provided him with the tastiest floor imaginable. While his scoring has ebbed & flowed over the years at Southampton, he is as close as you can get to a guarantee in this business. JWP will score & he will ghost. Book it.
However, he has struggled this season. Being forced to provide more defensive cover due to injuries & Hassenhuttl's instructions, JWP was starved of many attacking opportunities outside of set pieces, of course. Fast forward to the present. He is averaging 18.5 points in his last 5 games and is coming off the back of his biggest score of the season - 34.5 - v Everton. This included 16.5 ghosties, stemming from 3 Key Passes, 4 Shots on Target, 1 Clearance, 1 Successful Dribble, & 3 Aerials. JWP is quickly becoming a top ten asset again. We are bullish that he can keep it up given that under new manager Nathan Jones he is in a more advanced/attacking role and given license to get into the final third & make things happen. JWP will be hard to get and you may need to wait for a relatively down week but you're going to want him for the run in.
Conor Gallagher
Position: Midfielder
Team: Chelsea
Rostered: 55%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A (not enough starts)
Ghost Points Last GW: 18
Prospects: He got a rare start against Crystal Palace & put in a man of the match performance. If he can maintain this form, he should become a fixture in the starting lineup. But expect at least some rotation.
Verdict: Pick him up!
What a weird player. Conor Gallagher has gone from goal scorer extraordinaire with Crystal Palace to relatively unused sub at Chelsea. Fantasy-wise, he was somewhat goal dependent at Palace. No one cared when he was banging them in for fun in the early part of last season but they certainly did when the returns dried up and he struggled to post decent scores without them. Gallagher's gpps last season was just over 7 - not bad, but still lacking for an attacking midfielder in the best form of his life.
So where are we now? Gallagher, of course, completed his very successful loan at Crystal Palace and went back to parent club Chelsea over the summer. He has yet to rediscover his form in West London and really hasn't been given much of an opportunity to do so, only notching 8 starts so far this season. He has only bagged one goal and one assist this season. And in Fantrax, prior to this past GW, he only eclipsed double digits twice - those two games in which he nicked attacking returns. Against his old flame Crystal Palace over the weekend, however, Gallagher ghosted out of his mind, delivering an eye-watering 18 scary scores. These came from 3 Key Passes, 3 Tackles Won, 2 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs), 4 Successful Dribbles, 2 Blocked Shots, & 2 Aerials.
It was an impressive all action performance but given everything noted above, is it a one off or is it sustainable? The jury is still out. On the optimistic side, Gallagher was on some set pieces, which can provide a nice floor, and he should be rewarded for his performance with more starts. On the negative side, he has yet to ghost consistently in his career and the injuries and new signings may force Gallagher back to the bench eventually. A trip to Anfield this weekend will be a key test of his viability. Either way, his potential upside more than warrants a punt.
Luke Ayling
Position: Defender
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 4%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A (not enough starts)
Ghost Points Last GW: 11
Prospects: Back to back starts infer that Ayling may be the preferred RB (over Rasmus) for manager Jesse Marsch. Let's see if he keeps his spot this weekend.
Verdict: Pick him up & stream if he starts/drop if he doesn't.
As the excellent piece from our colleague, Robbie, points out, defenders are largely underperforming this season. In short, it is very difficult to find decent defenders, a position historically ripe for streaming. In this vein, we shine a spotlight on Luke Ayling. Yes, Luke Ayling. Hear us out.
Ayling was a fixture in the Bielsa system and he ghosted fairly well - averaging 8.7 & 7.8 ghosties per start in the past 2 seasons. New manager Jesse Marsch brought in a new RB in Rasmus Kristensen over the summer and he has received the vast majority of the starts this season. However, Ayling is experiencing a mini-renaissance of late, starting back to back games, looking dangerous in the attacking third, and delivering 11 & 11.5 scary scores, respectively. Most recently v Aston Villa, he posted1 Key Pass, 2 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not Corner (ACNC), 3 Interceptions, & 3 Aerials. With a dearth of attractive defenders on the wire, he shows some promise. And with Rasmus starting mid-week in the FA Cup, Ayling should get the nod again this weekend and potentially long term. Act accordingly.
Honorable Mention:
Harry Kane (Tottenham FWD; 18 ghosts): Didn't seem that active in a rough North London Derby loss, other than in a few brief spurts in the 2nd half. But he finished with 18 ghosts & is somehow posting a gpps of 9 despite the limitations of Conte-ball. He'll likely be a top 5 player ROS (warrants a trophy).
Morgan Gibbs-White (Forest MID; 15.5 ghosts): Forest is bang in form and MGW is on sets. The points are flowing as a result - will it last?
Mohamed Salisu (Southampton DEF; 14 ghosts): We shouted out the big man recently and keeps putting in shifts. He's been on the of the few old-school aerial artists to keep it up. He could be a quasi-set & forget DEF3 ROS.
Serge Aurier (Forest DEF; 12.5 ghosts): Another that we flagged recently. Serge is rolling back the years and ghosting for fun. Just like MGW, is this sustainable? Who cares - ride it until the wheels fall off.
Benoit Badiashile (Chelsea DEF; 10.25 ghosts): BB put in a great debut performance, albeit against an underwhelming Crystal Palace side. Let's see if he keeps his spot for Liverpool this weekend.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Pascal Struijk (Leeds United DEF; 2 ghosts): A ghost-point warrior & revelation for much of the season, has the luster finally worn off of Pascal Struijk? Coming off a meager 4 ghost point outing the previous week, he only mustered 2 scary scores against Aston Villa. These came in the form of just 2 Interceptions. While he still can boast a ghost point per start average of over 9 points, this has to be concerning for Struijk rosterers. He has largely been a set & forget defender, a rarity this season. With the addition of Max Wober, combined with this recent blip, it would be very tempting to trade Struijk out while the overall ppg is still high.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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