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 8 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 8 Ghost Point Hunters
Fresh off the first DGW and ready for one more bite at the apple before another dreaded international break, enter GW8. This week, we see erstwhile ghosters Bruno G & Pedro Porro (lovingly referred to as Joint Boy by some in the community) getting back to it and we finally put newcomer Jeremy Doku under the supernatural microscope. Honorable Mention includes pats on the back (we flagged them last week) in the form of James Garner & Alfie Doughty as well as Aguerd & Mykolenko. And the Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to an unlikely destination - express delivery to the Black Country villa of one Pedro Neto. Weird.
Bruno Guimaraes
Position: Midfielder
Team: Newcastle
Rostered: 98%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.25
Ghost Points Last GW: 19.5
Prospects: Back to his best after a long period in the wilderness. Is this just the Burnley effect or can he go back to his swashbuckling form from yesteryear? Color us skeptical.
Verdict: Ride till the wheels fall off (tempting given the nice schedule) or trade high. We recommend the latter.
We usually try to give newcomers to the EPL the benefit of the doubt. It can take some time for arrivals to get their feet wet and adjust to the power and pace of this league. However, there are cases in which transfers immediately hit the ground running but then fall off a bit with time. Bruno Guimaraes largely falls into the latter category, at least fantasy-wise. In his initial 11 starts in the 21/22 campaign, he average over a dozen points per start (8+ coming from ghosts). Fast forward to last season and these numbers dipped quite a bit: 8.4 & 6.4, respectively. Granted, 37% of these points stemmed from attacking returns - his goal run was legendary.
Bruno G's role has been subsequently tweaked and he doesn't get into as many dangerous positions as before. Hence the falloff. But he's recently been showing he still has it in him. Fresh off of bagging a goal and assist against Sheffield United, the Brazilian ghosted out of his mind v Burnley this past GW. In an all action performance, Guimaraes delivered 5 Key Passes, 4 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 2 Interceptions, 2 Successful Dribbles, 1 Blocked Shot, & 1 Aerial. With injuries to Joelinton & other more attacking midfielders and his 22/23 and pre-GW6 data, not to mention that these two atypical scores were against extremely generous bottom dwellers, we have a reason to take these scores with a huge helping of sodium chloride. This feels like a trade high.
Pedro Porro
Position: Defender
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Rostered: 99%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.6
Ghost Points Last GW: 19.25
Prospects: After facing a battle for starts with Emerson Royal early doors, Porro seems to have nailed down that RB spot and has tasty matchups in his future, starting this weekend with Luton Town.
Verdict: It will be difficult to prise him away after such a performance v Liverpool & looking forward to this soft run of fixtures for Spuds. Trading high is another possibility - targeting a Darwin Nunez is a tantalizing option.
Porro has had an interesting go of it at Spuds. Coming in as a wingback tailored for the Antonio Conte "system" - if you could call it that - and now finding his feet as a more prototypical RB in "Ange-ball". He balled out in Fantrax the previous campaign, posting 10.3 PPS, 9 of which were from ghosts. But he had a dedicated wing back role and Harry Kane to pummel with crosses. Coming into the draft, there was skepticism he'd be an Ange man and if he could score as well in a different role. These fears were realized early doors when Porro was dropped for Emerson Royal. But he has since relegated the Brazilian to the bench, starting six on the trot.
Over the weekend, Porro nearly eclipsed 20 scary scores. He was able to so do so by securing the following: 3 Key Passes, 6 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 5 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 2 Blocked Shots, & 1 Aerial. The lot. It must be said that he did this against a 10 man and then 9 man Liverpool. And his GPPS is not amazing, especially since it's inflated by this 20 spot. Prior to this performance, Porro failed to score more than 12 & change in any given GW, and that's despite two cleansheets and some attacking returns. He hasn't yet proven he can be the fantasy asset under Ange that he was with Conte (RIP). Spuds do have a tasty schedule but - sticking with the theme of this edition of GPH - this also smells like a sell high (no pun intended, Joint Boy).
Jeremy Doku
Position: Forward
Team: Manchester City
Rostered: 82%
Ghost Points Per Start: 11.25
Ghost Points Last GW: 17.5
Prospects: He has been a fixture in the starting XI since arriving on the shores of Blighty - but will Grealish's return force heavy rotation? He has played very well and offers something refreshingly different and direct so the spot may be his. This is still Manchester City, though, and it's a big risk to ride it out without cover.
Verdict: The conservative play is to trade him on a high, potentially targeting the Grealish rosterer, and not have to deal with the headache of rotation. But there's a compelling case that he keeps his spot; if you can convince the current rosterer that rotation is coming, you could try to get him on the cheap.
Whew, that didn't take long. Jeremy Doku, Manchester City's new winger - proper winger - from Rennes has been immediately thrown in the lion's den, starting 4 games since arriving in late August. This is unheard of for a Pep Guardiola side. Injuries to Grealish, Bernardo Silva, & others have helped. But the Belgian youngster has also proven his worth tout suite. He has been a fresh air for neutrals, mercifully helping us forget the dreadful pass back merchant that is the Man City iteration of Jack Grealish. Count Doku is averaging a 1 v 1 every 4 minutes. The guy just loves to take on defenders, and it's fun to watch.
But how has this translated into Fantrax? Very well. Doku boasts a double digit GPPS (14 Successful Dribbles have helped) and a goal in 4 starts. Against Wolves, he continued his torrid run, dropping 17.5 ghosties from 4 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, & 6 Successful Dribbles (!). But will he get into a healthy Manchester City side? There is a good chance he will. Pep has sung Doku's praises, he offers something more direct and different, and they've only dropped points once since he joined the side. And with Champions League, Club World Cup, & FA Cup fixtures, in addition to EPL, there will be plenty of games to go around. This is, of course, risky business. We all know that Pep giveth and Pep taketh away. The safe play is to trade high, expecting increased rotation. The more fun option is to hold or try to get Doku in (reminding the current rosterer that they didn't spend much on him and Grealish will take his place). Believe in something.
Honorable Mention:
Alfie Doughty (Luton Town MID; 40 ghosts in DGW): Zambo-Anguissa, Adama, 2019 TAA, all the ghost point legends are looking down upon Doughty with a cheeky smile. They recognize one of their own. The guy refuses to stop pumping in Key Passes. He's shown he is an ROS hold until proven otherwise (only a knock or Barkley coming back to reclaim sets can derail the Alfie train). Bravo.
Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United DEF; 14.25 ghosts): Sheffield United illustrated yet again that it is a tonic for opposition defenders. Aguerd benefited handsomely over the weekend. To be fair, he has a respectable GPPS of 8+ and can stake a claim for streamer/DEF 4 status ROS.
Viitalii Mykolenko (Everton DEF; 13.5 ghosts): It was against Luton but still impressive. If he can get another start v Bournemouth at home this GW, he's an attractive streamer.
James Garner (Everton MID; 10.5 ghosts): The young buck on the come up made us look good by posting double digit scary scores after receiving the GPH seal of approval. Hopefully he keeps his spot - if so, again, the kid's got MID3 potential.
Category Killers:
Key Passes: Alfie Doughty (7; v Burnley)
Successful Dribbles: Jordan Ayew (6)
Aerials: DCL (9)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Mads Roerslev (3)
Tackles Won: Pedro Porro (6)
Interceptions: Antonee Robinson (6)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Pedro Neto (Wolves FWD; 0 ghosts): A more frustrating fantasy asset may not exist. Pedro Neto burst onto the scene in 20/21, finishing with double digit PPS and a gang of ghosties. Since then, injuries have killed his prospects. There has been false dawn after false dawn. He was pretty bad last season under Lopetegui even when healthy. Confidence has truly been sapped, hence his average draft position of Round 9. But of course he has decided to randomly turn it back on this season - averaging 16 PPS and reclaiming top 10 status. The million dollar question on everyone's mind is: can Neto keep this up? Getting Venkman status doesn't bode well. Neto finished with 4 points in GW7 against Man City. This isn't terrible against the Champions, right? Well, he got 4 points WITH AN ASSIST. This is only feasible with numbers like this: 2 Dispossessions, 1 Yellow Card, 1 Clearance, &1 Successful Dribble. This is the aberration thus far and, again, it's Man City. They can do this to any of our fantasy assets. But along with the Arsenal rumors in January, it does get one thinking.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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