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 7 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 7 Ghost Point Hunters
Another dreaded international break - let's break the monotony with some ghost stories, shall we? We're going Dutch with Gakpo & Faes, with a little German as a chaser (Janelt) on the big board. Following that, we put the trio of RAN, Emerson, and Partey in the Not So Fast corner on timeout. And Trips and Merino are the One(s) To Watch this week. Rounding things off, we have the distinct pleasure of granting the Dr. Peter Venkman Award - it really should be a lifetime achievement award at this point - to routine offender and Venkman favorite, Harvey Barnes, who is unworthy of a noble name.
Cody Gakpo
Position: Forward
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 83%
Ghost Points Per Start: 18 (just one start)
Ghost Points Last GW: 18
Prospects: We've been wondering when Slot's fellow Dutchman would get his first start on that Liverpool Left Wing - apparently not until GW7 against Crystal Palace. It's no slight on Gakpo as Luis Diaz has been lights out this season and hasn't given Slot any reason to mix it up. But he did finally go Dutch over the weekend and Cody did the business. In addition to a tasty assist, he pitched in with a mouthwatering 18 ghosts from 5 Key Passes, 2 Tackles Won, 3 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, 2 Successful Dribbles, & 2 Aerials. It's good to see that his ghosts in the Slot system - at least based on this very limited data - are better than they were under Klopp (6.8 GPPS last campaign under the German). What we love about Gakpo is his willingness to have a pop - he reiterated his desire to shoot over the summer in the euros for the Netherlands - which results in points. The fact that these 18 ghosts didn't include a Shot on Target makes us even more excited about his prospects.
So where do we go from here? We're not ready to bet the farm on Gakpo nailing down this LW role. For now, the best one could hope for is more of this type of rotation. While the Dutchman proved he can do a job, Slot would be crazy to completely change horses at this point given that Diaz has played very well. This would make rostering either of them separately quite a headache. Cuffing him with Diaz sometime in the next few weeks after his value subsides a bit is the way forward.
Verdict: If you roster Luis Diaz, it might behoove you to trade in Gakpo. However, this is the worst time to do so given his start/performance this GW. Wait until the Colombian almost certainly reclaims his spot v Chelsea.
Wout Faes
Position: Defender
Team: Leicester City
Rostered: 21%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8
Ghost Points Last GW: 9.25
Prospects: It's very difficult to resemble David Luiz - he has a very distinct look, much like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons. Wout Faes pulls it off although he is not as good of a defender. Nevertheless, he has shown some fantasy value. He posted nearly double digit scary scores against Bournemouth over the weekend and his Leicester defense bagged their first clean sheet of the season - happy days. He got there by picking up1 Key Pass, 1 Tackle Won, 9 Clearances, 3 Blocked Shots, & 1 Aerial.
This tidy display bumps Faes' GPPS up to 8, which is decent but not out of this world. While we don't think he is ROS material - these ghosts aren't enough week to week to offset all the goals this team concedes - he can be a solid streamer, depending on the matchup. Well, it doesn't get much better matchup-wise than facing Southampton, and guess who the Foxes have in GW8? Stream away.
Verdict: Pick him up and stream against Southampton if you need defensive reinforcements. He can also be a good start in the following fixtures vs. Forest and Ipswich.
Vitaly Janelt
Position: Midfielder
Team: Brentford
Rostered: 12%
Ghost Points Per Start: 4.8
Ghost Points Last GW: 12.5
Prospects: That came out of nowhere. Vitaly Janelt can score but he's not one of those guys that you pull out all the stops to pick up when you see him in the starting XI. He delivered over a dozen ghosties against Wolves, and it was an incredibly diverse performance: 2 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 1 Tackle Won, 2 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs), 4 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 1 Blocked Shot, & 1 Aerial. The German was just one Interception away from the ghost point "Full House" - the very rare occasion in which a player gets on the board in every single ghost point statistical category. That is rarified air.
We hate to take a turn into negative town but this likely won't last. Janelt is hard to pin down because he has played almost everywhere for Brentford due to his versatility. But the numbers don't lie. Despite the near full house, he can only boast a GPPS of 4.8 this season, which is somehow even worse than his 5.6 GPPS in 23/24. This relegated Janelt to "break glass in case of emergency" streamer status. And that's fine. There's no shame in it.
Verdict: Pick him up if you're desperate for a midfielder and want to roll the dice.
Not So Fast:
Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves DEF; 17.75 ghosts): We've been here so many times before. Yes, RAN can dribble his ass off. Yes, he gets in dangerous positions and can nick attacking returns, which result in a few monster scores a season. But he cannot and will not consistently ghost enough to be a reliable set and forget defender. That's just how it is. He went nuts over the weekend and dropped almost 27 total points despite Wolves conceding 5 to Brentford. But this is not gonna happen again for a long time. Despite this incredible performance, his GPPS (7.6) is less than that of Kyle Walker. Don't fall for it.