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 19 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 19 Ghost Point Hunters
The games are coming thick and fast, folks. We just have a brief moment to catch our breaths and push on toward GW19. There's not a minute to waste, so let's get to it. Oh yeah, happy new year. The shining lights of the big board spell out Darwin Nunez (came from Benfica to the big reds), Liam Cooper, & Thiago Alcantara. Meanwhile, honorable mention is filled with household names, a GK, and a forgotten Fox: Trent Alexander Arnold, David Raya, Joelinton, Jarrod Bowen, & Ayoze Perez. And the first Dr. Peter Venkman Award of 2023 goes to...Andreas Pereira, who was on the big board last week. Life comes at you fast...
Darwin Nunez
Position: Forward
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.5
Ghost Points Last GW: 8
Prospects: Nailed on given the injuries, it will be interesting to see how he links up with newcomer Cody Gakpo. He is ghosting better than any other forward for the most part - if & when he starts adding goals, look out.
Verdict: We flagged him as a trade in target before the WC break so it's a little late in the game. However, this is a buy high before having to buy higher. Try opening with some big names like Mount + Isak and pray.
There's never a dull moment when rostering Darwin Nunez. Resembling pure chaos, the Uruguayan is completely unpredictable (other than when in front of goal). He is getting in some dangerous positions and exhibiting breakneck pace but his final decision-making has been quite poor and he has also been a bit unlucky (he hit the post last game). In short, there is nowhere to go but up. If Darwin keeps getting this chances, even if he remains a little poor at finishing, he'll get his.
Fantasy-wise, Nunez keeps posting double digits despite a brief goal drought. This past GW v Leicester, he delivered 2 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, and 1 Aerial. It wasn't his best ghosting performance but you have to love that type of shift from a FWD. In fact, he's the 3rd best ghosting FWD in the league - only behind Jesus & Mitrovic. If Darwin hits a purple patch and adds goals to that ghost point foundation, he can post top ten numbers. The window for getting him in is quickly closing.
Liam Cooper
Position: Defender
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 95%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.1
Ghost Points Last GW: 11.5
Prospects: Injuries & a drop off in fantasy form forced many of us to put Cooper back on the wire. He proved this past GW that he can still do the business. Whether or not he can sustain it is TBD but he's still worth the punt.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Many of us had written Liam Cooper's fantasy legend obituary. He was a revelation last season, averaging over 11 ghosties per start. But injuries and poor form have relegated him to waiver wire status - until now. Back fit, he started his 2nd match in a row, this time against Newcastle, where he dropped double digit ghosts. These came from 4 Tackles Won, 3 Interceptions, 6 Clearances, & 3 Aerials - a defensive masterclass.
So is Cooper back to his best? Not so fast. He hasn't been able to sustain any decent form for Jesse Marsch, and he was forced to do a ton of defending versus an attacking Newcastle side, hence the activity and points. Can he continue to score against lower level sides? We shall see, but either way, he is worth gambling on if he is on your wire.
Thiago Alcantara
Position: Midfielder
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 77%
Ghost Points Per Start: 13.5
Ghost Points Last GW: 5.6
Prospects: Finally back fit (for now at least) and has started a few matches on the trot. While an impressive outing, his overall numbers are still pretty bad, so we'll need to see more of this before signing up.
Verdict: This is a tricky one. The prudent move would be to sell high and/or wait and see if this is just a one off.
Glass Joe - aka Thiago Alcantara - is at it again. He's either injured (most common), firing blanks, or ghosting out of his mind. This makes him one of the most mercurial and infuriating players to roster. Fresh off two back to back 2 point outings, he was in the last chance saloon v Leicester this past GW. And then totally redeemed himself, posting over 13 scary scores. This performance beautifully combined both attacking and defensive activities: 2 Key Passes, 3 Tackles Won, 3 Interceptions, 3 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Blocked Shot. Thiago was omnipresent.
What shall we do with this information? There is really no bad answer here, other than dropping him to the wire or trading him in. Given his injury record and inconsistency, trading Thiago out on a relative high makes sense. So does holding and hoping it continues. For the sanity of his rostership - thank you for adding this to the draft lexicon Joe - let's hope he can string together some more good performances.
Honorable Mentions:
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool DEF; 12.5 ghosts): TAA rosterers have been screaming out for a performance like this - this was a brief glimpse of the good old days when Trent would ghost for fun. Let's hope it's the beginning of a renaissance.
David Raya (Brentford GK; 12 ghosts): The GK equivalent of Kieran Trippier at the moment, he just can't stop scoring points. One of the few set-and-forget GKs in the league.
Joelinton (Newcastle MID; 11 ghosts): The big man had a blip but is now back to balling. He needs to keep this going - and we need to see how the return of ASM will impact this attack.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham MID; 11 ghosts): Really odd player. Should be ghosting better given that he's on set pieces but often does not. This was a relatively rare Casper performance - savor while it lasts.
Ayoze Perez (Leicester MID; 8.5 ghosts): With Madders out, Perez has come and put in a shift. He's one to stream in a pinch.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Andreas Pereira (Fulham MID; -.5 ghosts): My, how the turntables...In a stunning & rapid change of fortunes, Fulham playmaker Andreas Pereira dropped a stinker against hapless Southampton at home, posting negative ghosts. Thankfully for him, he pinged a ball against JWP that ended up as an own goal and a fantasy assist. Otherwise, Pereira did nothing other than get dispossessed. The more striking aspect of this is that it comes off the back of a 20 point ghosting performance just a few days ago. While Pereira still boasts a decent ghost point average of 7 plus and is on set pieces, this is a bit concerning. That being said, he has a big opportunity to right the ship with a DGW upcoming v Leicester & Chelsea.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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