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 25 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 25 Ghost Point Hunters
Well, that was a nice, albeit brief, respite from the craziness. Now it's back to the land of DGWs & BGWs. We highlight one DGWer but mostly just follow the ghosties wherever they may lead us. Without further ado, here is the big board: Tomas Soucek (is it 2021?!), Alex Iwobi (seriously?!), & Joachim Andersen (he's still wandering the earth?!). Whereas the Honorable Mention features these fine chaps (the Spud notwithstanding): Odegaard, March, Jensen, Davies, & Alexander-Arnold. Finally, it gives us immense pleasure to grant the Dr. Peter Venkman Award to none other than Erling Haaland. Put it next to the Golden Boot on the mantle.
Tomas Soucek
Position: Midfielder
Team: West Ham United
Rostered: 66%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.8
Ghost Points Last GW: 14.5
Prospects: Back in the starting lineup for the time being and showing glimpses of his former self. Looks like he may get an extended run, especially if Lucas Paqueta's injury woes continue. If he keeps this up, he'll regain MID3/4 status. Good matchup v Forest this weekend.
Verdict: I would try to open with a middling DGW asset (e.g., Onana or Cunha) & go from there.
Tomas Soucek, where have you been? The lovable Czech who once said his favorite meal was potato salad - of course it is, what you see is what you get - was a fantasy favorite. He sucked up all the midfield aerials and even nicked some attacking returns. He was an erstwhile ghost point hero, averaging nearly 9 ghosties per start in 2020/2021. But those scary scores leveled off last season and most of this one. And Soucek even lost his place in the starting XI for spell.
That is until he popped back up on our radar for a vintage performance last GW v Spuds, dropping a mouthwatering 14.5 ghost points. These stemmed from 1 Key Pass, 3 Tackles Won, 4 Interceptions, 3 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 7 Aerials. This was a classic, all-action outing from Soucek and followed a tidy 7.5 point display the previous GW. Nottingham Forest at home beckons this weekend; can he keep this up? It may be worth finding out.
Alex Iwobi
Position: Midfielder
Team: Everton
Rostered: 76%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.6 (12.7 since Dyche's arrival)
Ghost Points Last GW: 14.5
Prospects: Nailed on in an attacking midfield role for his new manager, Sean Dyche, which has given him newfound ghosting powers. And he has a DGW this week. A case of getting him in on a high before value goes even higher.
Verdict: It will be fairly difficult to trade him in this week given his explosive performance last GW and the fact that he has a DGW. But give this opening offer a shot: Bernardo Silva +1. Or wait until after the DGW.
Alex Iwobi has done a job for each of his managers since arriving on Merseyside in 2019. Frank Lampard largely utilized him as a box-to-box midfielder but also as a fullback when needed. He had some good fantasy performances but was a bit inconsistent. When Lampard was recently sacked and replaced by Sean Dyche, the Draft EPL Twitterati were quick to crown Dwight McNeil as the big winner. But it's clearly been Iwobi.
Since Dyche's arrival, he has started on the wing, taken some set pieces, and generally looked very dangerous, averaging more than a dozen ghosties across his first 3 starts under the former Burnley boss. Most recently, he delivered 14.5 scary scores against Leeds, which came from the following sources: 3 Key Passes, 4 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 3 Successful Dribbles. In short, Iwobi is en fuego at the moment. His overall ppg numbers are still very low on paper and the window for getting him in without having to throw the kitchen sink is closing rapidly. Act accordingly.
Joachim Andersen
Position: Defender
Team: Crystal Palace
Rostered: 48%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.75
Ghost Points Last GW: 16.75
Prospects: Healthy again and back in at CB for Palace.
Verdict: Monitor & pick him up in the next week or two if he retains this form.
Back for the first time - a great Ludacris album, but also a fitting GPH tribute to Joachim Andersen. The lanky Dane previously featured in this hallowed piece early on in the campaign after he started like a house on fire. Since November, however, he has been ice cold and also out injured for a long stretch. Well, now that he's back fit, how is he getting on?
In his first start back this past GW v Brentford, Andersen accumulated nearly 17 ghosties. Not too shabby. He was able to do so by snatching 2 Shots on Target, 3 Interceptions, 15 (!) Clearances, & 6 Aerials. As mentioned above, we've seen this before with him. The million pound (or Danish krone) question is: can he keep this up? These type of numbers are very hard to replicate - 15 Clearances for goodness' sake - but Andersen has shown that he can put in a shift when called upon. We're not sure he has fully regained our trust, but he is one to get in prior to the DGW in GW27.
Honorable Mentions:
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal MID; 18.5 ghosts): The Norwegian magician had little to show for much of the game v Aston Villa before going HAM in the latter stages. Unlucky to not add a goal. The guy is a stud and will get his more often than not.
Solly March (Brighton MID; 18.5 ghosts): We're running out of superlatives - he's ghosting out of his mind.
Mathias Jensen (Brentford MID; 16 ghosts): This seems to have been a one-off display (his gpps is only 5.7) but worth monitoring, especially prior to the DGW in GW27.
Ben Davies (Tottenham DEF; 13 ghosts): Us veterans remember this version of the Welshman, bombing down the left flank & actually accumulating ghost points. He played in his old LWB spot this weekend, giving Ivan Perisic a rest. Don't get used to it, but he's definitely worth a stream if/when he fills the role again.
Trent Alexander Arnold (Liverpool DEF; 13 ghosts): Ole Trent is finally heating up, and just in time for his frustrated rosterers. And Liverpool got a very rare cleanie. As the DGW beckons, can he keep it going?
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Erling Haaland (Manchester City FWD; 1 ghost): One of the primary knocks on Haaland's fantasy prospects prior to the season, in addition to concerns over fitness & ability to fit into the Pep system, was his perceived goal dependence. Those fears have largely been realized - he boasts a gpps of just under 6 - but when he's banging in goals, it really doesn't matter. Except when it does. Haaland dropped a stinker in a seemingly good matchup - on paper at least - against lowly Nottingham Forest this past weekend. He only had 1 Successful Dribble to his name & also had the miss of the season (Eddie Nketiah, eat your heart out) in the 1-1 draw. After an absurd half to the season, the well has dried up just a bit, with the Norwegian averaging a meager 6 points over his last 3 starts. The neutrals/non-Haaland rosterers will hope this continues. In the meantime, hold that.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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