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, successful dribbles, interceptions, accurate crosses, and aerials, among others. Identifying these points is essential for your Fantasy EPL prospects, and our Gameweek 24 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 24 Ghost Point Hunters
There's a lot going on: the relegation battle is raging on, the transfer window is still open, and AFCON continues. But we at GPH remain vigilant; there are always more ghosts to be found. We found them in the discount section: Harry Winks (yeah, I know), Chris Wood (yes, I know), and Anthony Gordon (I KNOW!). On the Honorable Mention tip, some stalwarts just keep showing up: Salisu (take a bow, son), Buendia, Tarkowski, & Odegaard. The Dr. Peter Venkman Award seems to be life imitating art (after being named and shamed last week, Conor Gallagher got even worse this GW with 0 total points). Regrettably, the winner this week is....Nathan Redmond. Condolences, Saint Nate.
Harry Winks
Position: MID
Team: Sp*rs
Rostered: 6%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A (not enough starts)
Ghost Points Last GW (GW23): 10
Prospects: Started the last two, will compete with or be paired with his clone, Oliver Skipp.
Verdict: Worth monitoring and streaming in a pinch.
Neat, tidy, one of the least exciting players on earth - Harry Winks. The diminutive holding midfielder has been recycled by Spuds' various managers over the years and seemingly has a new lease on life under Antonio Conte. Winksy has been given the nod in back-to-back games now with pretty decent results. Following his 15 point outing at Leicester, he dropped ten ghosties in a tough matchup v Chelsea. These came from a nice range of defensive and attacking stats: 1 Key Pass, 1 Shot on Target, 4 Interceptions, and 2 Successful Dribbles. A nice shift for a CDM.
Winks isn't setting the world on fire but he doesn't need to. A nice floor with the possibility of nicking an attacking return is everything you could hope for in a streamer. He has been given some set piece duty in the absence of Son but that won't last long. Keep an eye on him and stream away, particularly in a DGW (especially if he continues to nail down a starting role).
Chris Wood
Position: Forward
Team: Newcastle United
Rostered: 80%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.4
Ghost Points This Past GW (GW23): 11
Prospects: Nailed on as the #9 up front.
Verdict: Might be a decent trade-in target; FWD2 potential ROS, especially if/when Newcastle get reinforcements to better supply the big fella.
Somehow, the most expensive transfer in this January window so far is Chris Wood. In an act of 4D chess the Saudis over on Tyneside pulled off a twofer by nabbing the Kiwi target man - adding to the attack whilst simultaneously weakening their relegation rivals in the process. It's a bold move, Cotton. How is it working out so far? Wood has started two games for Newcastle and has yet to add to his hefty tally of 3 league goals this season. But who cares about that, how is he doing fantasy-wise? Well, his debut was quite disappointing - missing half chances and finishing with only 1.5 points against a porous Watford defense. But his latest outing is what catapulted him to GPH fame.
In GW23, Wood dropped a tasty 11 points, all of the ghost persuasion. You know damn well how he did it. Several Successful Dribbles and Accurate Crosses Not Corners? Nay, 15, yes, 15 Aerials (and 2 Key Passes). Dear God. These are Nat Phillips numbers. It was against Leeds, but it is a taste of what he is capable of. Newcastle are likely to bolster the squad before the window closes and Woodrow could snag some attacking returns to go along with these ghosties. Worth a punt given the potential upside.
Anthony Gordon
Position: Forward
Team: Everton
Rostered: 23%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A (not enough starts)
Ghost Points This Past GW (GW23): 11 - in only 33 mins
Prospects: Regular starter at the end of the Benitez regime/with Richarlison out. Started from the bench this past GW but had an immediate effect when coming on (& took some set pieces). Could be in line for more starts.
Verdict: Monitor and stream if the conditions are right.
Ah, youth. Anthony Gordon is too young to realize how deep in the mud his boyhood (he is still a boy but nevertheless) club, Everton, are. The youth product has shown flashes of brilliance, particularly in his 2 goal performance v Brighton a few weeks back. But the demise of Rafa Benitez and the reemergence of Richarlison has relegated Gordo to the bench, at least temporarily.
Be that as it may, it didn't stop the youngster - have we mentioned his age yet? - from producing 11 scary scores in a half hour cameo this past GW. This came as a result of 4 Key Passes, 1 Tackle Won, & 2 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs). His ghosts have largely been in short supply, with Gordon securing most of his points via attacking returns, but this wasn't the case against Villa. He was put on some set pieces and looked lively. If he keeps this up, he could be back in the starting XI and achieve streamable/rosterable status once again. A lot will depend on the new manager - he and others get a bump if it's Lampard. Keep an eye out.
Honorable Mention:
Mohammed Salisu (Southampton DEF; 16.5 ghosts): Many fantasy managers - cowards - likely benched him against Man City. Your loss, he ghosted out like he usually does and was man of the match, proving once again he is largely matchup-proof. These performances will get him swooped by a top 6 club soon.
Emi Buendia (Aston Villa MID; 10 ghosts): Gets yet another mention as he hits the form of his short-lived Villa life, adding a goal to accompany the requisite ghosts. Ship has sailed with Emi, hope you got him in.
James Tarkowski (Burnley DEF; 13 ghosts): Tarks crossed back into the netherworld against Arsenal and will be a very valuable asset ROS, especially with all the DGWs in Burnley's future. Mouthwatering.
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal MID; 12.5 ghosts): We told you that the Norwegian magician is no longer the pass before the pass. Ghosties galore v Burnley and more to come ROS, especially if the transfer window yields an actual scoring FWD to feed.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Nathan Redmond (Southampton MID; 0 ghosts): It pains GPH to cast fantasy hall of famer, Nathan Redmond, in a negative light. But the points lead us in this direction. Against all odds, Saint Nate delivered an assist against Man City. But that is literally all he did, hence his 8 point total. And this is part of a worrying trend. The prior GW produced a similar display from Redmond - 10.5 points with an assist - and that was preceded by a 2.5 point performance v Brentford. Where have all the ghost points/cowboys (if you know your country western) gone? Off set pieces with JWP back, he is forced to rely on his attacking guile, which has been in relatively short supply (the assists notwithstanding). Trade out before this decline becomes all too apparent to everyone else.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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