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 7 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 7 Ghost Point Hunters
Some gameweeks make you ponder early retirement. GW6 was one of them. Nevertheless, we persist, there are still ghosts to be captured. This week we start fresh with 3 new candidates - either cheap trade targets or on your waiver wire - spread across the 3 outfield positions: Liam Cooper, Joelinton, Mathias Antonsen Normann (MAN from here on out, my God). And it gives me no pleasure to announce that Bukayo Saka receives the Dr. Peter Venkman award.
Liam Cooper
Position: Defender
Team: Leeds United
Rostered: 41%
Ghost Points Per Start: 11.6
Prospects: Captain Fantastic is nailed on when fit. And with a tasty schedule, he could even add a cleansheet or two to these ghosts.
Verdict: Coop's ppg is still fairly low so his managers likely won't overvalue him. I'd try to open with a rotating MID like March or Podence and add a DEF4 if need be.
Raphinha notwithstanding, Leeds have been abysmal. Sophomore Slump, Second Season Syndrome, whatever you wanna call it, they're just not performing at the same level as last season. They have conceded a ton of goals, which has depressed all of their defenders' fantasy scores. However, Liam Cooper has bucked the trend by ghosting out of his mind to compensate. He has long been a ghost point warrior but injury and the aforementioned sieve that is the Leeds defence has him somewhat under the radar. Cooper dropped 12.5 and 11.25 the past two gameweeks - sans cleansheets. This past gameweek, he posted a mouthwatering 16.5 ghosts - from 2 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, 3 Blocked Shots, and 9 Aerials. The lot. Cooper should continue to touch base with the after life and Leeds have a nice set of fixtures, with Watford, Saints, Wolves, & Norwich City upcoming. Get him in while you can.
Joelinton
Position: Forward
Team: Newcastle
Rostered: 17%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9.8
Prospects: With glassy Callum Wilson out, Sir Joseph of Elintonshire should remain a starting forward on a bad team but one with a decent schedule.
Verdict: There is still some residual doubt about Joelinton & Newcastle in general. So he should be somewhat cheap. If you need FWD depth, pick him up off the wire or try to ship a name value DEF like Varane.
I'll keep this short given that it's Joelinton. With a plethora of FWDs available, it's unsurprising he is rostered in less than a fifth of all leagues. But he is good in a pinch. Deputizing oft-injured Callum Wilson means he'll get a fair amount of starts this season. And with back to back double digit hauls, he must be considered a high end streamer. This past gameweek, he reiterated the fact that he can ghost, dropping 14 scary scores, largely stemming from: 2 Key Passes (any pass to ASM is likely a KP); 1 Shot on Target, and 12 Aerials (!). This won't be his weekly production rate but if you need a FWD, you can always turn to good ole' Joelinton.
Mathias Antonsen Normann (MAN)
Position: Midfielder
Team: Norwich City
Rostered: 5% (Less than James Rodriguez?)
Ghost Points Per Start: 9
Prospects: While he has been subbed off early on both occasions, MAN has started back to back games. He should continue and will also go the full 90 as soon as he's up to full fitness/adjusted to the Premier League.
Verdict: Two starts and two ghost-laden performances, you have to back MAN to continue until proven otherwise, particularly with a nice matchup against Burnley. Pick him up!
This business never ceases to surprise. After thinking that Martin Odegaard would be the only Norwegian midfielder worth mentioning this season, Mathias Antonsen Normann emerges from the fjord. Loanees from Russia to the worst team in the Premier League don't usually set pulses racing. But double digit scores in the first two games certainly do. MAN followed up his 13.5 point debut with a nice haul of 10.5 points against Everton. These points from a wide range of categories: 2 Shots on Target, 2 Interceptions, 2 Successful Dribbles, & 2 Aerials. Also, in those 2 starts, he took over a third of Norwich's set pieces. These stats portend a nice floor and his wide range of stat categories means he can get points in a lot of different ways - always a good thing. This form might be difficult to maintain and fantasy assets from poor teams are notoriously unreliable. But MAN is certainly worth a punt on a free, particularly vs Burnley this weekend.
Honorable Mention:
Grant Hanley (Norwich City DEF; 13 Ghosts): More Norwich, seriously? Yes, 13 ghosties last gameweek and a date with aerial warlords Burnley in the offing? Should be a decent streamer in GW7.
Matt Lowton: (Burnley DEF; 10.25 Ghosts): By the same token, getting cleansheets from Norwich has been as easy as humiliating Spurs of late. And Lowton is fresh off of nicking 10+ ghosts last gameweek.
Thomas Partey (Arsenal MID; 10 Ghosts): Almost everyone did well against Spurs, and that includes Partey, who dropped 10 ghosts. He is hit or miss fantasy-wise; I'm not sold just yet.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Bukayo Saka (MID, Arsenal): The Hale End prodigy does not deserve any negative commentary after that deflowering of Spurs this past weekend. Anyone see that match by chance? A goal, an assist, and a nice haul of ghost points, what's not to like? Well, the problem is that historically Saka does not ghost well: 5.7 ghosts per start, even after 13 this past GW, and an average of just over 7 ghosts per 90 last season. Could that be a result of being played out of position at LW instead of his preferred RW? Possibly, but unlikely. I'd be happy to be wrong about this but all signs point to this being an aberration. Saka should continue to get the occasional attacking return but given the historical dearth of scary scores, I'd trade him out on a high.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
For all the latest from Ryan, follow @CNFC82 on Twitter!
And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.
