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 29 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 29 Ghost Point Hunters
Well, I suppose we all survived Double Gameweek Mania, only to enter into another week of double trouble. GW29, another DGW bastion, is upon us. The big board this week is largely about new beginnings (& if we believe in them) and teams that actually play in GW30 (plan ahead): Jack Harrison, Ollie Watkins, & Manuel Lanzini. Honorable Mentions includes a few that were also highlighted last week: Pascal Gross, Anthony Gordon, Matt Doherty, Kyle Walker-Peters, Joao Pedro, & Hassan Kamara. And Kai Havertz must accept his unfortunate fate as Dr. Peter Venkman this week, despite scoring a brace. C'est la vie.
Jack Harrison
Position: Midfielder
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 88%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.5
Ghost Points Last GW: 18.5
Prospects: Started & was lively in new manager Jesse Marsch's debut. Worth monitoring the starting XI moving forward but so far so good for Harrison rosterers.
Verdict: Nice start for Harrison under Marsch. Leicester has been a great matchup for opposition attackers. Want to see how Jack cracks on from here but could be worth buying in on the ground floor here.
Talk about your sophomore slumps. Jack Harrison and Leeds, as GPH predicted before the season, have hit the skids this season. Much like Sheffield United before them, a unique system is tough to go up against in year one. In year two, without big upgrades and/or tactical tweaking, the opposition starts to figure it out. This has, in large part, happened to Leeds this season, although it must be said that they got wrecked with injuries. Harrison has been a casualty of this collective dip in form. While he's had his moments this season, Harrison's dropped by over 3 points per game and roughly 2 ghost points less per game from last season.
Can he have a renaissance under a new gaffer? Well, from the early evidence, yes. In an impressive performance, Jack dropped 18.5 ghosties against Leicester. This came from 5 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 2 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs), 1 Clearance, 4 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Aerial. The lot. Harrison looked lively in this tweaked Marsch system and while it's early days, this is a great sign. GPH wants to see more before fully buying in (the starting XI will likely change when the team is fully fit). But Leeds play v Norwich this GW and they also play in GW30 when most others blank (this is a theme) & their assets are good to roster at the moment.
Ollie Watkins
Position: Forward
Team: Aston Villa
Rostered: 98%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.5
Ghost Points This Past GW: 11.5
Prospects: Stevie G has been tweaking his front line but has seemingly settled (at least for now) on Countinho, Ings, and Ollie as the attacking trio. Unless Villa hits a rough patch, this should continue.
Verdict: Southampton was terrible against Villa and Ollie has been ghost point deprived all season. Not convinced this isn't an aberration. Worth holding for the next two GWs (Villa is one of the few to play in GW30) or trading out on a high.
GPH is likely to blame (or praise) for Ollie's revival this GW. He was traded out right before his explosion v Southampton, which was always going to be the case given our complicated relationship with the fantasy gods. Similar to Harrison but even worse, Watkins has had a big drop-off from last season to this season. His goals and ghosts have largely disappeared. In 2020/2021, Ollie dropped nearly a dozen points per start and finished as a top ten player in total points. Nowadays, he averages a little over 8 per game and has had only one double digit ghost point outing. Although he's never been a huge ghoster, his ghost points per start have dropped by 2 points this season. In short, he has struggled.
However, against the Saints, Watkins saw the light, delivering over 20 points (over half were of the ghost point persuasion). In addition to his goal, he posted 3 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, 1 Successful Dribble, & 1 Aerial. He linked very well with Ings and Coutinho. Villa has looked disjointed all season - whether under Dean Smith or Steven Gerrard - and has struggled for consistency. This could be the watershed moment we've been waiting for. This could also be another false dawn. GPH is too jaded by Villa sans Grealish to see the glass as half full just yet. This needs to be the start of a nice run. Since Ollie plays in GW30, he is worth holding to see how he and Villa proceed - unless you get a great offer, in which case you should trade out on a high.
Manuel Lanzini
Position: Midfielder
Team: West Ham
Rostered: 35%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.5
Ghost Points This Past DGW: 12
Prospects: Started the last two - could see rotation but has a good chance of continuing to get the nod.
Verdict: Pick up off the wire. If he keeps his starting place, Lanzini will be a great hold for GW30 when West Ham is part of an exclusive group that doesn't blank that GW.
A lot of us veterans feel a strong sense of nostalgia for one Manuel Lanzini. To this group, every decent performance from the diminutive Argentine is proof that he's back to old world-beating ways. We're a sad bunch. While he has had his highs this season - and was on penalty duty - Lanzini will never go back to being the player he was. That being said, he still holds fantasy value.
In that vein, Lanzini dropped a dozen ghosties in a tough matchup v Liverpool. That's nothing to shake a stick at. He did it by snagging 1 Key Pass, 3 Tackles Won, 3 Interceptions, 1 Clearance, & 4 Successful Dribbles (bread meet butter). He only mustered 5 points in the previous game and while this spotty form is somewhat par for the course this season, Lanzini has it in his locker to ghost. And he is worth acquiring/holding in the run up to GW30 where there will be a heavy premium on decent mids that actually play that GW.
Honorable Mention:
Pascal Gross (Brighton MID; 11 ghosts): Where on earth have you been? The Gross we knew and used to love returned this GW with double digit ghosts and an assist. But GPH is doubtful it lasts. We miss you already.
Anthony Gordon (Everton FWD; 11 ghosts): Long-time GPH favorite, Gordo was the lone bright spot in a bleak Everton performance; Lampard singled him out for praise after the game. He is a FWD2 ROS; can ghost, has some set pieces, nailed on, and has a DGW this wk & more to come (3 dgws between GWs31-27). GET HIM IN.
Matt Doherty (Spurs DEF; 11.5 ghosts): Another tasty performance. But GPH wants to see it against a somewhat decent opposition before fully coming on board the Doherty train. Regardless, he's a great asset to have for the DGW this week and his team also plays in GW30.
Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton DEF; 4 ghosts): Many, including GPH, were unpleasantly surprised that he was left out of the starting XI v Villa. But he still came on to drop 4.5 ghosts in a 30 minute cameo. He was dropped a lot this GW & is a cheeky under the radar streamer this weekend v a struggling Watford.
Joao Pedro (Watford FWD; 11.5 ghosts): JP usually does the business but isn't nailed on. He dropped 5 Successful Dribbles & 8 Aerials against Arsenal. One to watch and to stream if needed.
Hassane Kamara (Watford DEF; 19.5 ghosts): Wow. Kamara rolled back the weeks and delivered a low-key ghosting performance for the ages, dropping 13.5 points despite conceding 3 goals. Seven interceptions and six aerials will do it. Can he keep it up? He is definitely worth rostering to find out.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Kai Havertz (Chelsea MID; 0 ghosts): Oh, Chelsea attacking assets. When a fickle mistress meets an riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma - that's what most of them are. Kai Havertz, though, is a fairly straightforward chap. Fantasy-wise, he has the ability to score goals and get the odd assist. Nothing more. And he burnished his anti-ghosting credentials again this past game v Burnley, scoring 22 points from 2 goals. Nothing more, nothing less. Leopards don't change their spots, as Roy Keane would say (& probably has said about Kai's fantrax form), so just know what you roster. This goal dependence is not for GPH, but to each his own.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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