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 17 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 17 Ghost Point Hunters
Finally, we get a bit of a breather - but not for long. After this brief respite, the fixtures come thick and fast yet again. This week, we're shedding light on a turnaround story, a potential turnaround story, and an under the radar workhorse: Pedro Porro, Anel Ahmedhozic, & Lewis Cook. Meanwhile, Honorable Mention is a weird one, with Pascal Gross, Mykhailo Mudryk, Sergio Reguilon, & Neco Williams. The Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to one of the best fantasy January signings in history: Youri Tielemans. Where has the time gone?
Pedro Porro
Position: Defender
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9.5
Ghost Points Last GW: 15.25
Prospects: Had a slow start under Ange but has hit his stride in the new system. He's nailed on, no Europe, and can combine ghosts with attacking returns. The lack of cleansheets and the loss of Son as a target in January/February hurt but in a season in which reliable defenders are in short supply, he's one to roster.
Verdict: Wait for a lower score and try opening with big names like Jack Grealish in a 1:1 or something like Adingra + DEF 3 (Cash/Ake).
Brought in last January as the ideal wingback for Antonio Conte's system, Pedro Porro (known as Joint Boy to some of us) has had a topsy-turvy time on the shores of Blighty. He's now on his third manager in less than a year (Conte, Stellini, Mason, & now Postecoglu). He had a decent start despite the poor form and instability at Spurs - in his 13 starts, he boasted a PPS over 10 and a 9+ GPPS, with 3 goals and 3 assists.
It was hard to tell how the Spaniard would fare coming into the new campaign without Kane, under a new manager, and in a new role/system. Adding fuel to the fire, Emerson Royal started some preseason games and even the first few EPL games. This uncertainty deflated Porro's draft position and ended up provided value for those who punted on him in the draft (his ADP was 52; he is currently the 27th top scorer). He has shrugged off the doubters, mastered the system, and hasn't looked back since the end of September. His set piece dominance with Maddison out of the picture has elevated his ghosting - Porro is now above his last season totals & his ghost point form is now at a mouthwatering 15+. On Monday, he dropped over 15 ghosties, stemming from 3 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 3 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC),1 Interception, 1 Clearance, 1 Successful Dribble, &1 Aerial. In a time when it is increasingly difficult to find clean sheets and rostering ghosting defenders is paramount, Porro is an incredibly attractive option.
Anel Ahmedhodzic
Position: Defender
Team: Sheffield United
Rostered: 9%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.2
Ghost Points Last GW: 13.75
Prospects: Coming into the season there were high hopes for the big Bosnian as a fantasy asset. But Sheffield United's horrific form dashed those hopes very quickly. But early returns under new/old manager Chris Wilder look pretty good. Can he pan out after all? He has all the attributes to be a ghosting defender in the mold of Dara O'Shea.
Verdict: Stream if desperate; monitor his point production over the next few GWs to see if this persists and act accordingly. He could end up being a premium DEF streamer, especially in decent matchups.
One has to like living on the edge if drafting defensive assets from promoted teams. These squads usually concede a lot of goals when they come up to the Premier League - so their defenders better ghost to compensate. Anel Ahmedhodzic was floated, prior to the draft, as one such unicorn who could score well despite being on a bad team with a leaky back line. He posted nearly 400 fantasy points and a 12.1 PPS in the Championship with Sheffield United - and according to our draft kit team preview, he finished in the 99th percentile for defenders for goals, assists, and shots, displaying a knack for getting forward.
It hasn't gone to plan for the Balkan CB. Prior to this past GW, Ahmedhodzic's highest score was 4 points, with 3 scores in the red. Sheffield United have been rooted to the bottom of the table and had yet to win a game, forcing club leadership to sack Paul Heckingbottom in favor of previous manager Chris Wilder. And a new manager bounce - or at least a mini one - is now in full swing. The Blades beat Brentford one-nil at home in GW16, and Ahmedhodzic feasted. He delivered nearly 14 scary scores from 3 Tackles Won, 1 Interception, 11 Clearances, 1 Blocked Shot, & 6 Aerials. Expectations must be tempered but he is worth keeping an eye on in case he ends up living up to the preseason hype after all.
Lewis Cook
Position: Midfielder
Team: Bournemouth
Rostered: 14%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.1
Ghost Points Last GW: 17.5
Prospects: He's nailed on in a midfield two with Ryan Christie. He has shown he can ghost and also get the odd attacking return. But he and the rest of the Cherry midfield are fairly inconsistent. Can he keep delivering? It's definitely worth finding out, especially given the dearth of engine room talen on the waiver wire.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Bournemouth is back from the dead. After being tipped for relegation and manager Andoni Iraola destined for the sack, the Cherries have turned it around, winning 3 of their last 4, mostly recently a 3 nil thumping of Manchester United at Old Trafford. And their fantasy assets' form has unsurprisingly dovetailed with this IRL purple patch. One asset who is clearly benefiting from this new system under the Basque is Lewis Cook. The holding midfielder has never sent fantasy managers' hearts a flutter. He boasted a horrific 5.5 GPPS last campaign. So no one was hopping on the bandwagon coming into the new season.
But here we are - Cook is averaging over 8 ghosties per start. Iraola has performed miracles. During this aforementioned Bournemouth purple patch, he has a 10.7 GPPS form. He is taking a lot of set pieces (38% according to our Set Piece Taker Tracker), which helps provide a nice floor. His most recent masterclass resulted in 17.5 ghosties from 3 Key Passes, 2 Tackles Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), 6 Interceptions, 3 Clearances, 2 Successful Dribbles, &1 Blocked Shot. Cook was omnipresent. If he can keep this up - and there's no real reason he can't at least stay close to his current 8GPPS - he is somehow MID3 material. What a time to be alive.
Honorable Mention:
Pascal Gross (Brighton MID; 24 ghosts): The German midfield maestro has been a monster this season - regardless of the role/position. De Zerbi recently waxed lyrically about how much he loves him. He might end up being the steal of the draft if he keeps up this production - and who says he can't?
Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea MID; 16 ghosts): Was this an aberration or a sign of things to come? Too early to tell but historical (4.1 GPPS last season) as well as more recent data (5.8 GPPS this campaign) signal this was a one off. Having said that, we're playing against him this week, so anything is possible.
Sergio Reguilon (Manchester United DEF; 14.25 ghosts): The Spaniard has it in his locker to put in these types of performances. But he's consistently inconsistent. He's a high upside streamer for the time being.
Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest DEF; 13 ghosts): Oh, Neco. After some lovely Casper-like outings early doors last season, he fell off a cliff and lost his spot. He hinted this past weekend that he can still put in a shift. He still has Aurier to contend with in the RB role but he can be a decent stream during the festive season.
Category Killers:
Key Passes: Trent Alexander Arnold (6)
Successful Dribbles: Mykhailo Mudryk (5)
Aerials: Anel Ahmedhozic (6)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Pascal Gross (4)
Tackles Won: Yves Bissouma (6)
Interceptions: Bruno Guimaraes (7)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa MID; 0.5 ghosts): When Unai Emery nabbed Tielemans on a free over the summer, it was with excitement but also confusion. The Villa midfield was already pretty full of his type of profile - McGinn & David Luiz can play that midfield role to critical acclaim. Sure enough, the Belgian has found playing time scarce and reports are that he is already upset about his lack of opportunity. But Tiels is now getting a few starts under his belt. The problem is that he doesn't have set pieces and is usually subbed off early - thus, his fantasy prospects have been minimal. He proved this yet again over the weekend v Arsenal. Before getting yanked in the 55th minute, he mustered a half point. This came from1 Successful Dribble, which was diluted by a Dispossession. The Villa midfield, outside of the aforementioned Luiz & McGinn, remains a minefield. Tieleman's nearly double digit PPS and 7+ GPPS (his current GPPS is under 5) from his early days at Leicester City is a distant memory. And we don't see him coming back anytime soon.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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