Gameweek 11 Ghost Point Hunters: Draft EPL

Ryan Barnes
Nov 7, 2024
6 min read

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 11 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 11 Ghost Point Hunters

Even though Halloween is now in the books, we still have some ghosts lurking about. This week, we have some defensive streamers on the main menu: Toti, Kilman, & Johnson. Meanwhile, Emile Smith Rowe & Joao Gomes feature in the Not So Fast category. And everyone's favorite backups, Reiss Nelson & Konstantinos Tsimikas, are the One(s) To Watch. To round things off, we are contractually obligated to censure Leandro Trossard with the Dr. Peter Venkman Award. Hopefully he reverts back to being a super sub. In the meantime, he can lament being the recipient of this prize.

Toti

Position: Defender

Team: Wolves

Rostered: 3%

Ghost Points Per Start: 5.3

Ghost Points Last GW: 9.5

Prospects: While many were chasing the dragon with Nelson Semedo over the weekend, Toti ended up being the best scoring and best ghosting Wolves defender against Crystal Palace. In just 62 mins, he nearly delivered double digit ghosts. These stemmed from 2 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, 2 Successful Dribbles, & 3 Aerials.

While not earth shattering, this is helpful reading for those - like us - that fancy Wolves' matchup against Southampton at home this coming GW. Toti's ghosts are historically erratic but this recent form and his potential for nicking random attacking returns make him a high upside streamer this weekend. If you want to roll the dice, he's your man.

Verdict: Pick him up and stream against Southampton.

Max Kilman

Position: Defender

Team: West Ham United

Rostered: 52%

Ghost Points Per Start: 7.8

Ghost Points Last GW: 12

Prospects: Recommending any West Ham United players is fraught with danger. Lopetegui's brief reign has been nothing short of horrific thus far. But we look at things on a weekly basis, and they have a chance to right the ship against struggling Everton at home this weekend. And Max Kilman could do a job. Despite shipping 3 goals against Forest in GW10, he still ended up with 8 points. That's because he snagged a dozen ghosties from these sources: 2 Interceptions, 8 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 1 Blocked Shot, & 6 Aerials.

While some of this may be due to West Ham's back line having to actively defend with ten men, Kilman still ghosts decently historically. He's averaging almost 8 ghosts per start this season, which is similar to his 7.4 GPPS from 23/24. And with a favorable matchup against an Everton team that does a lot of crossing and doesn't score many goals (they just gave Southampton their first clean sheet last GW), you could do worse than punting on Kilman this weekend.

Verdict: Pick him up!

Ben Johnson

Position: Defender

Team: Ipswich Town

Rostered: 1%

Ghost Points Per Start: 9.4

Ghost Points Last GW: 13.25

Prospects: Ah, the Ipswich Town defense. It is laden with ghosts - but it's hard to know where they will reveal themselves week to week. Greaves, O'Shea, Tuanzebe, Burgess, and others have taken their turns as the non-Leif Davis talisman. Enter Ben Johnson, next in line to take a pop. The Right Back delivered 13+ scary scores against Leicester, stemming from 2 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 4 Interceptions, 3 Clearances, 1 Blocked Shot, and 2 Aerials.

These are tasty numbers. But again, it's hard to know if Johnson or any of the Tractor Boys' defenders will experience any consistency. And they ship goals (21 so far; second worst in the league). With a tricky matchup at Spurs forthcoming, we'd probably avoid if you can. Having said that, he has proven to be a high upside option in case of a pinch. Keep that in mind for the rest of the season.

Verdict: Pick him up if you need a defensive streamer late in the gameweek. And use as a "break glass in case of emergency" option moving forward.

Not So Fast:

Emile Smith Rowe (Fulham MID; 12 ghosts): Here we go again. ESR is back in the limelight after a good performance and a rare ghost point-laden cameo. A dozen ghosties is tasty indeed for the young Englishman. The problem is that he has shown us time and again that he just cannot ghost consistently. And this seems like another aberration. He posted 4 Key Passes in this game but is averaging just under 1 Key Pass per start (7 in 8 starts prior). This clearly isn't sustainable. His 5.2 GPPS this season closely mirrors his 5.5 GPPS in 23/24, and that is unlikely to change. He'll remain an attacking return dependent asset and that's ok. Just plan accordingly.
Joao Gomes (Wolves MID; 13.5 ghosts): The Wolves MIDs like Gomes can always pop up for a good performance but they rarely string together multiple hauls. This weekend the diminutive Brazilian did it again with a mouthwatering 13+ ghosts from 3 Key Passes & 4 Successful Dribbles. But this won't last and he is impossible to predict. Case in point, prior to this game, he only mustered 2 Key Passes and 4 Successful Dribbles in 9 starts. He averages 4.8 GPPS this season, slightly below his 5.5 from last campaign. He looks like an attractive option against Southampton at home but we're not falling for it. As Admiral Ackbar warned, it's a trap!

One(s) To Watch:

Reiss Nelson (Fulham FWD; 12.5 ghosts): What Adama rosterers have been fearing/half expecting finally came to pass - Reiss Nelson got his first start of the season. And we must admit he looked pretty good, passing the eye test and, more importantly, the ghost scan. He delivered over a dozen scary scores from the following: 2 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), & 5 Successful Dribbles. You have to be happy with that. While you can't expect these ghosts (he only mustered 4 GPPS in 23/24) and most of his colleagues also ghosted well (see above) in a great matchup v Brentford, he might improve his ghosting in this role if given the minutes. Fulham wingers under Silva have shown some ghosting bonafides. He could immediately return the spot back to Adama but he will deliver some good performances this season. Keep an eye out.
Konstantinos Tsimikas (Liverpool DEF; 16 ghosts): We saw the writing on the wall a few weeks ago with regard to resident Venkman winner Robertson. Our hunch was proven right over the weekend as Tsimi got the start and he did well, posting an impressive 16 ghosts. He could be making this spot his own as he has now started 3 on the trot - let's see if this continues in GW11. This could be a ghosting aberration as he got just under 4 in his previous start and maintained a middling 7.7 GPPS last season. But he has some sets and pumps in dangerous crosses. Try to get him in (even if he loses out to Robbo again over the weekend).

Category Killer Winners:

Key Passes: Matheus Nunes (5)
Successful Dribbles: Mateus Fernandes (6)
Aerials: Max Kilman (6)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Lucas Digne (3)
Tackles Won: Trent Alexander-Arnold (8)
Interceptions: Rayan Ait-Nouri (4)

Dr. Peter Venkman Award:

Leandro Trossard (Arsenal MID; 1 ghost): This little guy is Do Not Draft for us. We love his usually clinical finishing but he rotates and just doesn't ghost. Now he's playing in a role - due to Odegaard's absence - that doesn't suit him and one in which there are no fantasy points to be had. Against Newcastle he only salvaged one ghostie: 1 Tackle Won and 2 Clearances, which were dinged by 1 Dispossession. He is in really bad form, averaging less than 2 points per start in last 3 starts. But this isn't too far out of the ordinary as indicated by his current 4.2 GPPS and his 5.3 GPPS last season. And with the imminent return of Odegaard, he will go back to rotating with Martinelli for LW starts. But at least he has a chance of nicking attacking returns in that role! Let's hope hitting rock bottom with this award will make him see the light.