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 9 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 9 Ghost Point Hunters
Let's get back to business before we're hit with another international break, shall we? On the big board we have three debutants: Ryan Manning, Elliot Anderson, and Trevoh Chalobah. In the Not So Fast department, we're going with AWB & Eddie Nketiah. And we finally have a scouser as the One(s) To Watch: Curtis Jones (and Casemiro). Rounding things out, the Dr. Peter Venkman Award is bestowed upon Kevin Schade. It's been a long time coming.
Ryan Manning
Position: Defender
Team: Southampton
Rostered: 1%
Ghost Points Per Start: 10.4 (just two starts)
Ghost Points Last GW: 13
Prospects: This guy was not on our bingo card. We have been completely off Southampton players all season. But the Irish fullback has now at least piqued our interest. Ryan Manning, in his second start on the trot, dropped over a dozen ghosties: 4 Key Passes, 1 Accurate Cross Not A Corner (ACNC), 2 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, &1 Aerial. He was also on some set pieces and passed the eye test, looking dangerous and utilizing that wand of a left foot. There's a lot to like here.
Now on to the bad news. Manning plays for the worst team in the league, they will continue to concede goals for fun, and they have Man City away this GW. We've also seen similar things from his fellow Saints fullback teammate, Sugawara, and it's clear that none of their assets are reliable. The next test, however, is Everton in GW10. He's a worth a stream in that matchup and we can go from there.
Verdict: Manchester City away is his reward this week. Stay away but pick up and stream next week when the matchup is much more favorable (Everton at home).
Elliot Anderson
Position: Midfielder
Team: Nottingham Forest
Rostered: 32%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8
Ghost Points Last GW: 22.5
Prospects: This also came out of nowhere. We gave Elliot Anderson a shot earlier this season before dropping him in a tizzy after some mediocre displays. But he topped the list of ghosters this week in the late game v Crystal Palace. A mouthwatering 22+ ghosties later, his stat sheet looked like this: 5 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, 1 Accurate Cross Not A Corner (ACNC), 6 Successful Dribbles, 1 Blocked Shot, & 3 Aerials. His set piece dominance certainly didn't hurt and he was unlucky not to nick an attacking return. He took full advantage of MGW and JWP's absences, serving as the creative attacking outlet.
Is this going to last? The data says probably not. This all action performance boosted Anderson's GPPS to 8.4, which is pretty tasty but it's heavily reliant on this 22 spot and his GPPS last campaign was a middling 6.5 GPPS. He has proven with this outing that he is worth the punt, especially when he is the main man going forward, which should continue for the next few GWs (depending on MGW's fitness). Anderson is a premium short term streamer with an outside chance of being an ROS hold in a position crying out for depth.
Verdict: Pick him up and stream for at least while MGW is out (and monitor going forward).
Trevoh Chalobah
Position: Defender
Team: Crystal Palace
Rostered: 5%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8
Ghost Points Last GW: 13.5
Prospects: Chelsea academy product, Trevoh Chalobah, was done dirty by the Blues. He was frozen out during the Boehly spending spree and found himself across town with Palace at the end of the summer. He is starting to show some life in South London. He went for over 13 scary scores v Forest, stemming from1 Key Pass, 2 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not A Corner (ACNC), 6 Clearances, 3 Blocked Shots, & 4 Aerials.
While it's good to see Chalo getting some reps, we just don't know if he'll find consistency, especially when Palace looks completely off as a whole. He has shown some flashes in the past and can get attacking returns. But he usually only musters a 6ish GPPS and is on a bad team. We'll keep an eye out.
Verdict: Not convinced yet; let's see how he does v Tottenham this weekend.