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 5 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 5 Ghost Point Hunters
The season is starting to hit its stride - trends are crystalizing and new ghosts are appearing in grandma's attic. This week, we intersperse some new faces with some old stalwarts and spread the love across three players in three different positions: Takehiro Tomiyasu, John McGinn, & Diogo Jota. And the Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to...SUI himself, Cristiano Ronaldo. We figured he could use the additional publicity.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Position: Defender
Team: Arsenal
Rostered: 24% (c'mon lads)
Ghost Points Per 90: 15.5
Prospects: Started in his debut, subbed off early due to lack of fitness as he had only trained once with the team prior to match vs Norwich. Should be nailed on at RB with some tasty fixtures forthcoming.
Verdict: Pick him up off the waiver wire!
Every ounce of my being is yearning to write about how Nicolas Pepe ranked first in ghost points this week, dropping an absurd 23 scary scores - something Firmino can only dream about when he's not shooting the ball into the atmosphere. But I will refrain. Instead, I'll call out Pepe's new teammate, Takehiro Tomiyasu. Never accuse yours truly of playing favorites. Tomi, a summer transfer from Bologna in Serie A, made his first cameo just days after joining the club, which says a lot about how highly Arteta rates him, as well as the current state of the RB position (Bellerin left his mark). He didn't miss a beat, putting in a very solid defensive performance and was also unlucky not to score from a tasty volley in the first half. The fullback tactics seem to be this: Tomi will mop up defensively on the right and make overlapping runs when he can, while Tierney will continuously bomb forward on the left.
Fantasy-wise, Tomi was a monster, racking up 16.5 points, 10.5 of the ghost persuasion. These largely stemmed from Aerials (7!), but he also delivered 1 Tackle Won, 1 Accurate Cross Non-Corner (ACNC), 2 Clearances, and 1 Successful Dribble. He tacked on a clean sheet for good measure, despite being subbed off early. In fact, he waited until the 61st minute so we could get the points; he's one of us. In short, it was a hell of a debut. Early days but Tomiyasu can only get better. His defensive reputation led yours truly to be skeptical of his fantasy prowess, but his aerial prowess and dangerous runs forward have made me a believer. Sure, it was Norwich, but it was also his first start. He should have plenty of opportunities this GW to solidify his status as an aerial god vs the long-ball OGs, Burnley. Scoop him up quickly and let the ghost points flow.
John McGinn
Position: Midfielder
Team: Aston Villa
Rostered: 95% (more than CR7)
Ghost Points Per 90: 10.5
Prospects: The steely Scot is as close to a guaranteed starter as you can get (other than the odd yellow card suspension).
Verdict: McGinn should continue to provide solid MID3/MID4 production. I'd try to offer a MID5 and DEF3/4 for him.
What can one say about John McGinn? The guy is from a bygone era, full of scrap and drive (and likely Guinness). I love watching the man play. Even better, I love watching him ghost, and business has been good recently. McGinn has gone through an interesting evolution as a Fantrax asset. He began as an attacking point machine when Villa came back to the Premier League, then he got hurt, then he became a serviceable CDM, and now he is a hybrid. He is averaging just over double digit ghosts per game in his 3 starts this season. The previous season, he ended with under 7 ghosts per game. So there has been some improvement in this space.
This past GW in a tough matchup versus Chelsea, McGinn was omnipresent, racking up 17 ghosties in the process: 4 Key Passes, 3 Tackles, 2 ACNCs, 2 Interceptions, 1 Clearance, and 2 Successful Dribbles (a yellow card dropped his score down to 15 total pts). The key passes, which also showed up in his prior performance, are the pleasantly surprising statistic. He may be pushing further forward due to the injuries in the attacking third. And he also took set pieces from the absent Emi Buendia, as our handy set piece tracker points out. Will this last? It's worth taking a punt on him to find out. Either way, McGinn will be like a warm Scottish blanket (argyle quilt?) for your roster as a set and forget MID3.
Diogo Jota
Position: Forward
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per 90: 10.1
Prospects: With Firmino injured and not particularly adept at scoring goals, the position seems to be his. And when AFCON hits in January, he'll be even more nailed on for a few games.
Verdict: Try dealing a MID3 & DEF2 (Doucoure on a high/Gundogan + Zouma) for him if you need FWD depth.
Diogo Jota becomes the first player to appear in the Ghost Point Hunter list and win the Dr. Peter Venkman award. Impressive achievement; let me explain. Jota, prior to this past GW, showed a penchant for goal dependency. But that changed against Leeds - what a tonic they are to play against these days - with the Portuguese (rejoin Wolves or renounce your citizenship) tallying a lovely 15 scary scores. These came from 6 Key Passes (wow), 1 Shot on Target, and 2 Successful Dribbles (2 Dispossessions deducted a point). Jota seems hellbent on delivering managers their customary 10-15 points every week, either via a goal or ghosts. This type of dedication is to be applauded. He hasn't been ghosting that well thus far this season - but again, his goals made up for it in those games - and he only posted roughly 8 ghosts per 90 average last season (not bad but not Adama). So the jury is still out on his ghosting capability. However, the versatility and goal-scoring prowess make it very tempting to bring him in.
Honorable Mention:
Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal FWD; 23 Ghosts): See above. My God.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa FWD; 13.5 Ghosts): If Ollie can drop 13+ ghosts versus Tony Pulis' Chelsea defense, I shudder to think what he'll do to the rest of the league, especially when he is finally on the pitch at the same time with Ings, Buendia, and Bailey.
Max Aarons (Norwich DEF; 14.25 Ghosts) & Mohammed Salisu (Southampton DEF; 14 Ghosts): Both ghostly defenders play on terrible teams that concede goals like it's their job. But Max is worth a stream this GW in a very winnable game at home to Watford. Salisu has the opposite type of matchup - v Man City - but should be considered after that impending blood bath.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Cristiano Ronaldo (FWD, Manchester United): Did you all hear that Ronaldo has returned to Man United? Despite the club's social media admin keeping it fairly under wraps, the secret is out. CR7 made his re-debut in the most difficult of circumstances - Newcastle at home, the fixture no one looks forward to. Ronaldo, aided by the Newcastle GK, scored two goals and dropped 23.5 points. A nice haul. However, as predicted, his ghosts aren't really there. He had one Key Pass and one Interception, with three Dispossessions. And he had similar numbers mid-week in the Champions League match versus the mighty Young Boys. One can't complain about two goals from a FWD - there is a lively debate to be had about whether ghosting matters that much for a FWD - but when the goals dry up versus decent opposition, don't say the GPH didn't warn you.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
For all the latest from Ryan, follow @CNFC82 on Twitter!
And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.
Comments