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 33 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 33 Ghost Point Hunters
Despite willing big GW's for two of last week's poster boys, Liam Cooper & Grant Hanley, into existence, GPH is not in a celebratory mood. Nihlism is now our religion. We believe in nothing, Lebowski, nothing. But the show must go on. In that spirit, here is your lot: Cedric, Marcal, & Kovacic. And the honorable mentions are as follows: Stuart Dallas, Hugo Lloris, Jeff Schlupp, & Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Finally, for two weeks running, the Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to a Brighton seagull. This time it's Leandro Trossard. Serves him right for what he did.
Cedric
Position: Defender
Team: Arsenal
Rostered: 26%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.9
Ghost Points Last GW: 14
Prospects: With Tomiyasu still out (return TBD) and Tierney shelved for the season, he should be nailed on at either RB or LB for the rest of the season. Arsenal has a DGW this week and other decent fixtures after that.
Verdict: Pick him up!
He's not the hero we deserve, but he's the hero we currently have. Enter Cedric Soares, or just Cedric, which works better for our current theme (players who go by one name, like Prince). The Portuguese RB has been second fiddle for much of the season for Arsenal, and rightly so, as Takehiro Tomiyasu has taken like a duck to water to the Premier League. But since Tomi has been laid out by calf issues, Cedric has come into the fold. He has shown glimpses of the very decent RB he was at Southampton but hasn't really hit form yet.
Does that matter for our purposes? Not really. Fantasy-wise, Cedric has a lot of outs, meaning he has enough set piece opportunities that can lead to points from Key Passes & Accurate Crosses Not corners (ACNCs), and his marauding runs may include some Successful Dribbles. And he can put in a tackle or two. In his last outing v Brighton, he dropped an impressive 14 ghosties. These came from: 4 Key Passes, 3 Tackles Won, 1 ACNC, 1 Interception, & 1 Aerial. He has an opportunity to build on that in a decent DGW against Southampton & Chelsea. Cedric will also be good to hold for the rest of the season as he should remain in the starting XI, as Tomiyasu still has no return date and he could even come in at LB due to Tierney being out for the season and Arteta not fancying Tavares. Are we excited? Not especially. Will he do a job? Yes. And that's all we can ask for.
Marcal
Position: Defender
Team: Wolves
Rostered: 39%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.9
Ghost Points This Past GW: 14.75
Prospects: His rotation with Rayan Ait Nouri (RAN) is impossible to decipher. But he has gotten the nod more often that not of late and should continue to get the majority of starts ROS.
Verdict: Wolves blank this week so he'll likely be dropped if he isn't already on your wire. Pick up & stash this week if you have the room; try again later if not. He has Burnley next GW & some favorable matchups thereafter.
In keeping with the lone moniker theme noted above, we have Marcal, LB for the ye olde Wolverhampton Wanderers. As you may know, GPH wrote a doctorate thesis on Wolves fullbacks. But not even we can figure out what to make of the Marcal/Ait Nouri rotation at LB this season. All we know is that Marcal has started two more games than RAN this season (including Wolves' past 2) and he usually puts in a shift when he does get the nod.
Last time out v Newcastle, he posted 12.75 pts without a clean sheet or an attacking return. That makes our heart melt. He was able to do this via 1 Key Pass, 3 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 4 Interceptions, 3 Clearances, 1 Blocked Shot, & 3 Aerials. Now that's an impressive spread. While Marcal & Wolves don't play this GW, they do face Burnley in GW 34, then Brighton, & then likely a DGW that includes Norwich. Keep the Brazilian on your radar ROS.
Kovacic (Mateo)
Position: Midfielder
Team: Chelsea
Rostered: 64% (surprised it's this high; Draft Genie really is in a lot of leagues)
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.3
Ghost Points This Past GW: 11
Prospects: Rotation a big concern, of course, with all Chelsea assets.
Verdict: Decent streamer ROS.
It's not personal, it's business. That is unless it's Maupay. You see, GPH was not a fan of Mateo Kovacic (referred henceforth as just Kovacic, again, for the purposes of sticking with the theme). He was an attractive streaming option on paper - a Chelsea midfielder who was seemingly heavily involved in the action. But he rarely got you more than 6 points, which sparked an ongoing feud between GPH & one Draft Genie. But that was then. Last season, Kovacic switched up on us and started delivering some tasty point totals. And now he's here on the GPH big board, proving that we all have a chance at redemption.
Injuries have limited his output this season but he is back fit again. It was a goal fest for Chelsea on the south coast this past weekend and all their scores thus need to be served with a pinch of salt. With that out of the way, the Croatian engine room manager showed some ghostliness, bagging nearly a dozen supernatural scores. Kovacic obtained 2 Key Passes, 4 Tackles Won, 2 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Blocked Shot. While he'll remain a part of the Tuchel rotation system, he is one to watch for streaming opportunities ROS.
Honorable Mention:
Stuart Dallas (Leeds MID; 12.5 ghosts): He is an enigma; he can get you double digit ghosties or he can blank (similar to his colleague Mateusz Klich). He'll continue to be a roll of the dice ROS but isn't a bad streamer in a decent matchup.
Hugo Lloris (Spuds GK; 19 ghosts): Another GK makes the cut this week (following in David Raya's illustrious footsteps). He was the primary reason, along with Villa's poor finishing, why Spuds weren't down 3 in the first half. He's hit or miss but can drop huge scores like this. Good GK to have ROS.
Jeff Schlupp (Crystal Palace MID; 11 ghosts): The immortal streamer, he always has it in his locker to ghost. And he's always one to keep an eye on.
Ruben Loftus Cheek (Chelsea MID; 10.5 ghosts): Greatest name ever but has rarely lived up to it on the pitch. RLC is averaging double digits over his past two starts, proving to be a decent stream in a pinch.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Leandro Trossard (Brighton MID; 0 ghosts): It's been a horrid stretch for Brighton - no wins and only one goal in the past 7 matches. Proper beach form that is. But all they needed was a date with an Arsenal that had everything to play for. The Seagulls came out 2-1 winners over the weekend, with one of the goals coming from the man in question, Leandro Trossard. Surely, he must have dropped at least 15 points, right? Afraid not, he mustered just 12 with a goal and a cleansheet. Four dispossessions wiped out any other recorded stats, leaving him with literally just the goal and the cleanie. Putrid. This is largely in line with his very spotty fantasy performances this season. Once a very attractive fantasy asset, Trossard has been in the mud more often than not this campaign. Having said all that, he has a DGW and is up against GPH this week. Expect fireworks.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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