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 26 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 26 Ghost Point Hunters
Ah, back to a normal gameweek. GW 26 will serve as a brief respite from the upcoming DGW & BGW madness. Let's enjoy it and prepare for battle. This week, we're going with Ben Davies, Mathias Jensen, & Jordan Ayew on the big board - not flashy but can do a job. On the Honorable Mention tip, we have Nelson Semedo, Ollie Watkins, Emerson Royal, Jarrod Bowen, & Said Benrahma. Finally, the Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to who some consider the best defender in Premier League history, Virgil Van Dijk. Well, unfortunately that doesn't save you from father time, nor this infamous designation.
Ben Davies
Position: Defender
Team: Tottenham
Rostered: 77%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.1
Ghost Points Last GW: 11.25
Prospects: He's being utilized as a LWB in place of Perisic & Spuds have found success. So he should continue in that role, at least for the foreseeable future. He has shown he can ghost at this position & the fixtures are nice.
Verdict: I would open a trade offer with something like Joachim Andersen (tout his recent scores & the DGW).
Veterans like us will remember the Ben Davies of yore - the swashbuckling left back pumping in crosses & accumulating assists like it's his job (Narrator: It was his job). But those days came to an abrupt end for the Welshman. Lately, he's been a middling LCB in a back 3 and only deserving of streamer status. However, things have changed, and Davies is showing glimpses of his former self.
That is because he has been shunted back out to the LWB position over the past few games, and to good effect. Davies can now boast 3 double digit scores in a row, including 2 assists in those 3 games. This past GW provided more evidence of this mini-renaissance: nearly a dozen ghosties, stemming from 1 Key Pass, 1 Tackle Won, 2 Interceptions, 5 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 4 Aerials. Given that this positional change - Davies taking over for the aging Perisic - has coincided with good results for North London's vastly inferior side, it should now be his spot to lose. And the fixture list looks kind on paper for the next few weeks. Act accordingly.
Mathias Jensen
Position: Midfielder
Team: Brentford
Rostered: 66%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.7
Ghost Points Last GW: 16
Prospects: Has been a stalwart in the Brentford engine room & should continue to get starts. If he can sustain even a portion of these ghosts, combined with the tasty schedule, he can provide MID3 value for the next several GWs.
Verdict: I would to try to deal out a MID streamer & DEF 3 (e.g., Doucoure & Zinchenko).
The Brentford midfield has historically been quite the minefield - no real standouts and constant chopping & changing. Norgaard has been ever present but offers no real explosiveness. Damsgaard was supposed to change all that, but he can't buy a start. Enter Mathias Jensen, who has been very boom or bust since his arrival in the EPL, boasting a points per start avg of 7-8.
Jensen hasn't completely shed that reputation - his 5.7 ghosties per start is dreadful. But he has seen a recent uptick in points, including 4 double digit scores over the past 6 games (he bagged a few goals & assists during that stretch). This has boosted his points per start avg to over 8. His latest performance, a 16 ghost point masterclass, was the zenith: 4 Key Passes, 1 Tackle Won, 4 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs), 1 Interception, 1 Successful Dribble, 2 Aerials. It'd be foolish to expect this type of performance to be replicated. But Jensen's set pieces (he takes roughly half of Brentford's sets) provide ample opportunity for both ghosts & attacking returns. Add a few DGWs in his future & he starts to become an attractive proposition for the medium term.
Jordan Ayew
Position: Forward
Team: Crystal Palace
Rostered: 28%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.1
Ghost Points Last GW: 11
Prospects: A fixture in the Palace attack for the last several weeks. Let's see what the return of Zaha does to the shape of the team, but he should keep his spot & he has a double in GW27.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Oh, Jordan Ayew. The Ghanaian is no stranger to these pages. He comes & goes, ghosting for a few games, then becoming a ghost himself. The ups & downs perfectly equate to a ggps of roughly 6. It's important to get the timing right with the younger Ayew brother (we miss Andre's Swansea days).
The time may be ripe for another punt on Ayew. He has put together back-to-back 11 ghost point performances, which is particularly impressive for a FWD, and even more so for one who is likely on your Waiver Wire. In his last match - against Liverpool at home - he was able to deliver 1 Key Pass, 2 Tackles Won, 1 ACNC, 1 Interception, 2 Clearances, 4 Successful Dribbles, 4 Aerials. A DGW next GW should force our hands - let's go down this path with Ayew one more time this season.
Honorable Mentions:
Nelson Semedo (Wolves DEF; 14.5 ghosts): Where on earth did that come from? Semedo has it in his locker to ghost but it comes in waves & is usually unpredictable. That was the case in his matchup v Fulham. But this was likely an aberration, and Wolves are hitting a tough stretch of games soon. Trade on a high if possible.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa FWD; 14 ghosts): In addition to his goal-scoring streak (now 5 games in a row), Ollie found some ghosts in this match. This likely won't last too much longer - his ggps is under 6 and hovered around 6 last season. But they do have some advantageous fixtures upcoming. Either trade out on a high or hold & hope.
Emerson Royal (Tottenham DEF; 14 ghosts): Rarely has a player evoked as much criticism as Emerson Royal. But the old adage that competition spurs improvement has been true in his case. It turns out that all he needed to become a world-beating fullback was for Spurs to buy a 40 million pound replacement for him. Since Pedro Porro's arrival, Royal's been a man possessed. Surely this won't last & Porro will get his opportunity soon. It could be a good time to trade on a high, particularly to a frustrated Porro rosterer.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham MID; 13.5 ghosts): One of the most streaky guys in the game, Bowen is hitting his usual purple patch just in time for West Ham and for fantasy managers. It's just a matter of how long he can keep it up. But enjoy it while it lasts.
Said Benrahma (West Ham MID; 12.5 ghosts): We know he can drop these kind of ghosties when given the chance. Will Moyesy finally give him a sustained run of games? He was cooking on that left side with Paqueta - surely they ride that combo until the wheels fall off.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool DEF; 3.5 ghosts): The mystique, the aura of Virgil Van Dijk has worn off. The guy who couldn't be dribbled past no longer exists. That's not to say that he's now a bad player, but he's just not the phenomenon he once was. Fantasy-wise, he was always an interesting case. He thrived off clean sheets & attacking returns. Even during his pomp, he didn't average much more than 7 ghosties per start. And now that VVD is struggling for both cleanies & goals, he's thriving largely off name recognition. This season, he is only mustering 6 gpps & a little less than 7 pps. These are Kurt Zouma numbers (not meant to be flattering). Despite bagging 2 cleanies in a row - a rare feat of late - VVD has struggled to get 10 points in those outings. Most recently, he dropped just 3.5 scary scores against Palace: 2 Tackles Won, 2 Clearances, & 1 Aerial. Meh. This doesn't look like changing, and the newfound cleanies flattered to deceive, as the Liverpool defense is still quite vulnerable - just ask Real Madrid. Trade out on this relative high. The good ole days are not returning.
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