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 30 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 30 Ghost Point Hunters
We're back to regularly scheduled programming in GW30 after the DGW madness. This is officially the business end of the season - no sentimental holding, every game counts. Let's get to it. On the big board, we have these folks in bright lights: Kevin De Bruyne, Rasmus Kristensen (yes, Rasmus in the same breath as KDB), & Kai Havertz. The honorable mention, meanwhile, features: MGW, Moises Caicedo, Eberechi Eze, Marc Cucurella, & Joachim Andersen. From "Mbappe, come outside" to the winner of the lowly Dr. Peter Venkman, life comes at you fast, Marcus Rashford.
Kevin De Bruyne
Position: Midfielder
Team: Manchester City
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 11.2
Ghost Points Last GW: 17.5
Prospects: While he has faced some rotation, he has still started 82% of City's EPL games. He's also a big game player & it's the business end of the season. Expect him to start the majority of games & crack on ROS.
Verdict: Try opening with anyone outside of the top 4 in our consensus ranks.
Here at GPH, we usually like to flag more of the diamonds in the rough, the unheralded ghosters. But every so often, it's imperative to delve into the ghosting prowess of some of the biggest names. And it doesn't really get any bigger than Kevin De Bruyne. He has been fantasy royalty since his arrival at Manchester City - consistently at the top of the scoring charts almost every season. He's up there again now but this campaign has been an odd one. First, he has been rotated a bit more than usual. Previously, he usually only missed out due to injury. But this season has seen him healthy but on the bench for a few games. Second, while KDB tops the assist charts, he has failed to drop an earth-shattering score - never getting up above the 25 point mark.
That was until this past GW. Against recent rivals Liverpool he posted a tasty 32.5 pointer - a goal, an assist, and a ton of ghosties. KDB bagged 5 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 1 Clearance, 3 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Aerial. This was classic edition. So will he keep it up? Based solely on points per start, he's still the best in the game, topping top overall scorer, Kieran Trippier. He just needs to start. We called this monster v Liverpool, noting that he is a big game player and would thus deliver v the Reds. And while the CL & FA Cup fixtures will start piling up, KDB will still be trusted to start most games, especially in this important time. Prior to the collector's item v Liverpool was the time to buy. But you can still use our rankings, in which our philistine colleagues doubted the Belgian, and the threat of rotation to get try to get him in for value. Hopefully, the old KDB will keep showing up ROS.
Rasmus Kristensen
Position: Defender
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 13%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.3
Ghost Points Last GW: 14.25
Prospects: Lost his RB spot to Luke Ayling but has been utilized in the midfield of late. Far from nailed on but can be a useful asset when he does get a rare nod, potentially this weekend.
Verdict: Pick him up & stream if he starts/you need defensive reinforcements.
Many of us were licking our chops after looking at Rasmus Kristensen's stats from Austria, which were quite ghost-point laden. And while he hasn't been terrible, he has failed to live up to these lofty expectations. But there's still time. He may have lost his nailed on spot at RB to Ayling, but he has proven to be an effective utility player, filling in where needed.
This is what he did last GW v Arsenal, coming in as a quasi-CDM. Rasmus was a rare bright spot in the squad, nicking a goal and some scary scores. His 14+ ghosties stemmed from the following: 1 Key Pass, 2 Shots on Target, 1 Tackle Won, 3 Interceptions, 1 Clearance, 1 Blocked Shot, & 3 Aerials. That makes 2 goals in back to back starts, along with decent ghosts. He was relegated back to the bench in the 2nd leg of the DGW but he has shown us (and manager Javi Gracia) that he can do a job when needed. In addition to these recent scores, his healthy gpps give him a good floor. So Rasmus should serve as a "break glass in case of emergency" option ROS. And if he starts this weekend v Palace at home, you could do worse.
Kai Havertz
Position: Forward
Team: Chelsea
Rostered: 99%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.6
Ghost Points Last GW: 14.5 & 9
Prospects: Nailed on, for better or worse, and has been a low-key fantasy stud in the past month or so.
Verdict: Trade him in - try opening with someone like Harvey Barnes or Cody Gakpo.
Kai Havertz, outside of the crucial game-winning goal in the Champions League final - a huge deal, of course - has cut a frustrated figure in England. Arriving amidst a lot of fanfare, he has yet to string together enough performances to prove worthy of being Chelsea's #9. But we don't really care about that much - do we? Show me the points, as drafthead Jerry Maguire once exclaimed.
That's where it gets a bit tricky. Kobra Kai has usually been a bit goal-dependent: 6.4 & 5.5 gpps, respectively, over the past 2 seasons, and currently at 6.6 this campaign. And he has been spotty for much of this season. Until about a month ago. Since March 1st, he's been the top scoring forward in the entire league. And his ghosting has gone up a level - Kai is averaging 11 ghosties (gpps form in the ghost point tracker) over the last 4 games. That was shown last GW v Villa in which he snagged 14.5 ghosts via 3 Key Passes, 3 Shots on Target, 2 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Aerial. He then hoovered up 9 ghosties in the 2nd leg of the DGW v Liverpool. The only concern here is that he has not really passed the eye test - so Kai could be up for demotion when a new manager comes in. But the glaring lack of alternatives up top works in his favor. Get him in.
Honorable Mentions:
Morgan Gibbs White (Nottingham Forest MID: 23.5 ghosts): MGW has done this before and it always comes in spurts. It's massive to have this in his locker but he needs to regain some consistency - he followed this up with a nothing burger in the following match v Leeds.
Moises Caicedo (Brighton MID; 17.5 ghosts): Where in the hell did this come from? The Ecuadorian vastly outscored his gpps (7) in the first leg of the DGW. He reverted back to the mean in the 2nd leg at Bournemouth, dropping 6.5 ghosts. So this was likely just an aberration. He's still a ROS hold, though, given the fixtures (2 more DGWs upcoming).
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace MID; 15.5 ghosts): Is he back? The departure of Vieira has coincided with the reemergence of Eze. Given that dynamic & the tasty fixtures ROS, he should be near the top of your trade-in list.
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea DEF; 13.25 ghosts): He has been one of the most frustrating assets this season but posted these ghosts for a brief respite. And brief it was - he only mustered 5ish ghosties in the 2nd leg of the DGW. Still a streamer at best.
Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace DEF; 12 ghosts): As GPH heads will know, we were pretty hyped about the Great Dane early on in the season. He proceeded to fall off a cliff but he is back in our sights with a dozen ghosts in Hodgson's first game back. One to monitor.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United FWD; 0 ghosts): There is no doubt that Rashford is having a season to remember. He has scored goals for fun - 14 goals in 25 starts - and turned around his United career after a wasted season last campaign. The fantasy points have flowed accordingly, with the native Mancunian bagging an impressive 11+ points per start. However, Rashford has gone off the boil a bit of late, scoring a measly 7.5 points combined in his last 3 starts. This past GW against Newcastle was his worst showing yet, dropping a goose egg. Zero ghosts, zero points. And 0 stats; there is actually no evidence he was even on the pitch, let alone for 90 minutes. Rashford has never really been a ghost point magnet, hence his 5.6 gpps this season. But he's doing even worse, with his ghosting form over the past few matches at 4 ghosts per game. This doesn't really matter when he's banging in the goals but now that he isn't, it's a problem. Let's see if he regains form but in the meantime, he's been Venkman'd.
DISCLAIMER: THIS WAS WRITTEN PRIOR TO THE MAN UTD-BRENTFORD MATCH
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