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 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
Blank GW done, now a mid-week one. Given the quick turnaround between games, expect some minor rotation. On the ghost point front, we witnessed the revenge of the Center Backs. A relatively down year for domineering defenders, GW32 saw a resurgence of ghosting at the back. Michael Keane, Caglar Soyuncu, & Liam Cooper, in particular (but there were others), decided to turn back time and reverse the trend - temporarily, at least. For Honorable Mention, we have to open it up to other positions: Gabriel Martinelli, Patson Daka, Andrew Robertson, & Felipe (back to the main theme). The dreaded Dr. Peter Venkman Award will be resting on Odsonne Edouard's mantle - and rightfully so.
Michael Keane
Position: Defender
Team: Everton
Rostered: 28%
Ghost Points Per Start: 10.6
Ghost Points Last GW: 18.75
Prospects: Back with his Burnley partner in crime, Keane is nailed on at CB and ghosting up a storm. He has become nearly fixture-proof and will do a job ROS.
Verdict: Pick him up!
While many things change, very few remain the same and are dependable and reliable. In this topsy-turvy world, it's nice to know that there are still some constants. One such north star is Michael Keane. When he plays, the guy just hoovers up ghost points. And he's back in his bag under his old/new manager Sean Dyche.
The Everton defense is an odd one - concede three to Fulham at home, then keep a clean sheet against high-flying Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. But even in that 3-1 drubbing to the Cottagers, Keane delivered 15 ghosties. He then followed that up with nearly 19 of them against Palace: 4 Interceptions, 7 Clearances, 1 Blocked Shot, & an ungodly 12 Aerials. This form makes him set and forget. And he's gonna need it, as Everton are currently bottom of our fixture difficulty tracker. Difficult days ahead, but Keano won't let us down.
Caglar Soyuncu
Position: Defender
Team: Leicester City
Rostered: 2%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.9
Ghost Points Last GW: 13.75
Prospects: The Turk has come in from the cold since Brodge's departure, starting two games on the trot. Our own @wrigavin had a feeling about him this past GW & was proven right. Let's cautiously ride it till the wheels fall off.
Verdict: Pick him up & let's see if this lasts.
Ah, the Leicester defense. We're reminded of the old Churchill quip directed at the Soviet Union: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. They had a horrible start, a rebirth right before the World Cup, then back to an utter shambles. Meanwhile, Caglar Soyuncu, who used to be a stalwart at the back at the King Power, was completely kept out of the starting XI by Rodgers. But then the Northern Irishman left, Dean Smith came in, and now the towering Turk is back in the mix. And he has been decent.
Soyuncu was thrown right into the lion's den against Man City the previous week -- not a great matchup for your debut start of the season -- and he stayed in the black despite conceding 3 goals. Most recently, against Wolves, he showed us glimpses of his former self, posting nearly 14 ghosties. These came from 1 Shot on Target, 1 Tackle Won, 7 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 6 Aerials. Our guess is that Soyuncu will be up and down ROS, but a good defensive streamer in attractive matchups. Up against Leeds this weekend, he's a decent proposition.
Liam Cooper
Position: Defender
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 20%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9.2
Ghost Points Last GW: 15.25
Prospects: The Scottish captain got a rare start over the weekend & was back to his best, which means a ton of ghosts. He's built up enough ghosting capital in the bank for us to trust him. Let's hope he is nailed on again.
Verdict: Pick him up in the off chance that the old Coop is back but be cautious given his injury history.
Let's keep the nostalgia going with one of the OG Casper CBs, Liam Cooper. The lanky, tattooed Scot has been wresting away undeserved points for a few years now. In 2020/2021, he averaged an absurd 11.2 ghosties per game, which slightly leveled off to a still impressive 9.7 gpps last season. This campaign has been a difficult one for El Capitán, missing several games - he has only graced the starting XI 13 times - due to injury or just being out of favor.
But Cooper got the nod out of nowhere this past weekend. And he did the business, as he is wont to do. More than 15 scary scores later, Cooper accumulated 1 Key Pass, 2 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 3 Interceptions, 5 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 4 Aerials. Will he keep his place? It's worth punting to find out, though it has to be noted he's yet again listed as a doubt with a minor injury. As he's shown time and again, if Cooper starts, he scores. Leeds has two tasty upcoming fixtures (v Leicester & Bournemouth) where you'll definitely want to start him. After that, it gets very difficult, and you can either trade high or stay loyal.
Honorable Mentions:
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal MID; 22 ghosts): Gabi is in quite the purple patch and he was a man possessed against Southampton -- he has games like these -- and the ghost points flowed. This is quite an anomaly, though, as his gpps for the season is just under 8. Either way, he's proven he can be a GW winner.
Patson Daka (Leicester City FWD: 10 ghosts): Not sure what Wolves were doing, but they were a godsend for many Leicester assets this past weekend. Daka, for one, more than doubled his ghost point average against them this GW. Doubtful that it continues but he's still a good stream against Leeds if you need a FWD.
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool DEF; 16 ghosts): Robbo has been in the mud for months now - the tonic that is playing against us (& to a lesser extent, Forest) helped him drop his highest point total in awhile. They have a favorable schedule but we'd be tempted to deal him out on a high as this is likely an aberration (and we don't face him again this season).
Felipe (Nottingham Forest DEF; 15.25 ghosts): How could we ever doubt you, sweet prince? A tiny dip in form and a trip to Anfield made us briefly question his bona fides. But the mountain of a man answered the doubting Thomases with over 15 scary scores.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace FWD; 0.5 ghosts): This isn't a we told you so. BUT WE BLOODY TOLD YOU SO! The Roy Hodgson experience has sold many tickets on the Crystal Palace train. Given their recent form, many managers wanted any slice of the action they could get, including Odsonne Edouard. If the South London side are going to continue to score goals, surely the tip of the spear, the center forward, is going to as well. We were in the minority in saying no, hell no, and pointing to his paltry goal record and even worse ghosting credentials. Two games and 3 total fantasy points later, we can shout it again from the rooftops: Edouard is not worth rostering or even streaming. In his latest outing against lowly Everton at home, he ended with 0.5 points - 2 Aerials slightly dented by 1 Dispossession. But again, this is not surprising at all. The guy can only muster a GPPS of just over 3. The silver lining in all this newfound attention is that it allowed us to grant the inevitable Venkman Award to Edouard. Enjoy that.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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