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, successful dribbles, interceptions, accurate crosses, and aerials, among others. Identifying these points is essential for your Fantasy EPL prospects, and our Gameweek 30 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 30 Ghost Point Hunters
The Fantasy EPL gods giveth and the Fantasy EPL gods taketh away. We go from a plethora of games to just four of them this GW. Yet another twist in the tale. For the big board, we focus solely on the few, the proud that will play in this blank-laden GW30: Thomas Partey, Christian Norgaard, & Caglar Soyuncu. And then we call out some folks in the honorable mention who also play in GW30 but also a few who blank in 30 but that you can sneakily try to get in now (while the focus is on GW30 studs) to help your team in GW31 and beyond: Pascal Strujk, Sergi Canos, Marcal, Nathan Redmond, & Samir. The Dr. Peter Venkman Award, meanwhile, resides with Naby Keita. The poor guy is finally healthy again and now gets hit with this. It builds character, Naby.
Thomas Partey
Position: Midfielder
Team: Arsenal
Rostered: 53%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.3
Ghost Points Last GW: 7.5 & 7 (DGW in GW29)
Prospects: As nailed on as one can get. He's a mainstay in this midfield.
Verdict: Partey is finally adding some attacking returns as well as some consistency to go along with a decent floor. He's becoming a hot commodity but is worth picking up/trading in for this blank GW and Rest of Season (ROS); has MID3/4 potential.
He's finally here. The Thomas that GPH envisaged when he transferred from Atletico to Arsenal has shown up to the Partey (had to be done). He struggled at first but has now hit form, along with many of his mates at Arsenal. He always had the talent but is belatedly stringing together some consistent performances. And the fantasy points are now flowing.
GPH expected high-end CDM production - a floor of 6-7 points with the odd attacking return, picking out some defense splitting passes and getting forward for a few goals. This didn't happen last season nor in the beginning of this one. But since Partey returned from AFCON in late January, he has been a man possessed. Over the past 4 gameweeks, he has posted 60+ points. This includes a goal and two assists but also a fair amount of ghosties. And they are coming from a variety of sources, showing both defensive and attacking nous: Key Passes, Shots on Target, Tackles Won, Interceptions, Aerials and Successful Dribbles.
Partey is nailed on every week and - again, this is a theme - he is one of a few dependable MID options in this shorthanded GW30. And if he can maintain this current form, he is a tasty MID3 option ROS. Get him in.
Christian Norgaard
Position: Midfielder
Team: Brentford
Rostered: 62%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.9
Ghost Points This Past GW: 12
Prospects: Fairly assured of a starting spot in the CDM role.
Verdict: Solid MID4/5 that can ghost but also nick an attacking return (although very rare). He is not the sexiest pickup but comes at a premium this GW.
Fantasy EPL loves a lanky, dependable Scandinavian CDM. We miss you, Sander Berge. His Danish neighbor, Christian Norgaard, is now fulfilling this role. Norgz is the kind of guy you know would pick you up from the airport. More importantly, he'll get you at least 7 points nearly every single GW, perfect for a DGW but also a nice option for this GW.
Norgaard is your typical CDM but more consistent than most. Averaging around 7 ghosts per start, he has a nice floor. He also has 2 goals and 2 assists this season; nothing to shake a stick at for his position. This past GW, he delivered double digit ghosties, stemming from 2 Key Passes, 2 Tackles Won, 4 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, & 3 Aerials. Leicester's defense, as indicated below, is fairly leaky. Even if Brentford don't score, Norgaard can do a job this GW and also isn't a terrible hold ROS.
Caglar Soyuncu
Position: Defender
Team: Leicester
Rostered: 34%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.8
Ghost Points This Past DGW: 6
Prospects: Consistent starter but inconsistent performer in an admittedly inconsistent defense. Got that?
Verdict: Pick him up off the wire; he has the ability to ghost & has a good matchup against Brentford at home.
Desperate times. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And that man is Caglar Soyuncu. The towering Turk, like the Leicester defense, has had a largely poor season thus far. They have conceded over 20 set piece goals (Arsenal, for the record, has conceded none) and rarely keep a cleansheet. That being said, he is still a good punt for this GW.
And here's why. First, there aren't many options, as we have noted throughout this piece. Second, Soyuncu has a decent matchup. Hosting a struggling Brentford at home is almost as good as it gets. And the fact that he'll be battling Ivan Toney in the air means there will be blood (and aerial points). Third, he actually has shown he can be a decent fantasy asset. When he first came into the EPL, he was a sneaky good fantasy defender. And he can ghost, as recently witnessed v Burnley & Leeds (GWs 27 & 28, respectively). In those games, Soyuncu dropped 15.25 & 9.5 scary scores, including 9 Aerials against Burnley. If he can recapture even a bit of that fantasy form and the Foxes nab a cleansheet - a big ask this season, mind you - he'll be an excellent differential to have this GW. Proceed with caution, though, as Soyuncu missed out on the Europa League match due to illness. If he doesn't go, he's an easy drop.
Honorable Mention:
Pascal Struijk (Leeds DEF; 11.25 ghosts): Despite conceding a late goal, fantasy EPL's 2nd favorite Pascal (after Gross) ghosted out. Leeds is one of the few to play this GW and is up against goal-shy Wolves. Struijk & his colleague Mateusz Klich (who also ghosted this past GW) - might be punt-worthy.
Sergi Canos (Brentford FWD; 10 ghosts): He hasn't lived up to his preseason hype but can still drop double-digit ghosts as he did this GW. And he is one of the few FWDs you can snag off waivers for GW30.
Marcal (Wolves DEF; 9.5 ghosts): The Wolves LB rotation has become completely random. But when the aging Brazilian gets the nod, he usually puts in a decent shift. He's def worth a stream this GW (if he starts) but also at points ROS.
Nathan Redmond (Southampton MID; 5 ghosts): Saint Nate is back from injury and just won't go gently into that good night. He posted 5 supernatural scores in just a 15 minute cameo; GPH will be monitoring him and streaming accordingly ROS.
Samir (Watford DEF; 11.25 ghosts): Samir yet again proved his ghosting credentials but Watford is so inconsistent and can't keep a clean sheet to save its life. High risk, high reward streamer (along w/ his counterpart Kamara) ROS.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Naby Keita (Liverpool MID; 0.5 ghosts): The Guinean has not yet lived up to his hefty 50+ million pound transfer fee. Keita has had some rough luck with injuries and can't seem to stay fit long enough to string together some consistent performances. But he has shown flashes. Fantasy-wise, he is usually boom or bust. His big boom this season was in the 5 nil shellacking of Manchester United in October. He was given a start this past GW v Brighton and was only able to muster 1 tackle and 2 interceptions whilst getting dispossessed. Luckily he won a penalty/fantasy assist by kicking a ball into an opponent's hand. He also got 1 point for a clean sheet for a grand total of 9.5 pts with an attacking return. Keita will continue to look like an attractive streamer but has it in his locker to really disappoint on the ghost front. Proceed with caution.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
For all the latest from Ryan Barnes, follow @CNFC82 on Twitter!
And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.
