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 9 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 9 Ghost Point Hunters
Ah, the miserable quasi-serenity that is the International Break. Let's try to cut through the monotony and talk ghosts, shall we? In this edition, we're going with low rostered GW9 streamers who just happened to drop some scary scores in the previous GW: Murillo, Wilson Odobert, & Nathan Collins. Meanwhile, it's all defenders on the Honorable Mention tip: Dalot, Romero, Robinson, & Pinnock. And last but certainly least, the Dr. Peter Venkman Award goes to a player who has randomly gotten a bit too big for his britches. Maybe this will bring Ryan Christie back down to earth a bit.
Murillo (one word, like Prince)
Position: Midfielder (really a defender)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Rostered: 2%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A
Ghost Points Last GW: 13.5
Prospects: He's coming off back to back starts partnering big Willy Boly at LCB, and just one goal conceded. It stands to reason that he keeps his spot this GW. While his fantasy debut wasn't anything to write home about, this past GW was a revelation and he has lowly Luton Town coming to the City Ground in GW9.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Defenders classified as Midfielders have an interesting history in this game of ours. Theoretically, they are at quite the disadvantage. Defenders, some more than others of course, derive much of their value from the possibility of earning a cleansheet (+6 points). And they usually have less chance of an attacking return given their position on the pitch. So when Defenders are out of position, they can struggle for points. Up steps Murillo, the one word mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma. He has come into this Forest side at CB for the past two games. And not to put the cart before the horse but the 21 year old Brazilian transfer from Corinthians might end up being the best of Nottingham Forest's 600k signings.
Murillo is a ball-playing defender that has a bit of Joga Bonito in his game. His slaloming Maradona-esque run this past GW against Palace was a sight to behold. More importantly, fantasy-wise, it included points from successful dribbles and shots on target. Again, classified as a MID but playing at CB, Murillo posted a mouthwatering 13.5 ghosties. This came from 2 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, 2 Tackles Won, 3 Clearances, 2 Successful Dribbles, 1 Blocked Shot, & 1 Aerial. This haul has some attacking and defensive stats, which is to be expected from a marauding CB categorized as a MID. Some slightly cold water needs to be thrown in at this point. This is just one game, one of just two starts for Murillo this season - the other was a meager 3 point display. Luton Town at home is a great chance to replicate this fantasy form. We're waiting with baited breath.
Wilson Odobert
Position: Forward
Team: Burnley
Rostered: 1%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A
Ghost Points Last GW: 11
Prospects: The youngster slotted in for Burnley over the weekend, notching his first start and first goal for the club against Chelsea. A date with struggling Brentford awaits - an exciting player, he can crack on from here and deserves a stream this GW. He could even turn into a longer term hold if he keeps this up.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Sticking with the under the radar debutants theme, 18 year old Wilson Odobert got his first nod for Burnley against Chelsea over the weekend. And he bagged his first goal. The starlet looks a player, constantly putting himself in dangerous positions on the pitch. Signing from Troyes in the summer, he was one of many young attacking talents in this Burnley team. This performance could allow him to break through and nailed down a starting role.
Fantasy-wise, so far so good. Odobert nicked 4 points from a 22 minute cameo v Newcastle then followed that up with 18 points this past GW - a yellow card putting a slight dent into his goal and bag of ghosties. His 11 scary scores stemmed from 1 Key Pass, 2 Shots on Target, 2 Tackles Won, & 3 Successful Dribbles. Forwards with this level of ghosting ability are difficult to find, especially on the waiver wire, making Odobert an exciting prospect. Having said that, there are, of course, some reasons to be skeptical. Burnley haven't scored much, he is very young, and as mentioned above there is plenty of competition. Will Kompany keep the faith in the French winger and field him at Brentford? It's certainly worth a punt to find out.
Nathan Collins
Position: Defender
Team: Brentford
Rostered: 37%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.6
Ghost Points Last GW: 10.5
Prospects: Ben Mee's persistent knock has given Collins a run of starts at CB for the Cherries. Barring a return, which is possible, he should be in line for another go this weekend against lowly Burnley (disregard the hype above) and a nice hedge against Odobert :)
Verdict: Pick him up!
A Sean Dyche disciple, Nathan Collins has been somewhat of a disappointment as a fantasy asset. James Tarkowski he is not. But that doesn't mean he can't still do a job. He has had his moments over the past few years at Wolves and now more recently in West London with Brentford. He has started 7 of 8 thus far and it remains to be seen if he keeps his place when towering Ben Mee, another Dyche man, recovers from injury.
Making his EPL debut with Burnley in the 21/22 campaign, Collins finished with a respectable 8.5 PPS. But he leveled off dramatically the following season with a pathetic 3.4 PPS. That was obviously affected by Wolves' poor form but his ghosts were still mediocre at a clip of roughly 6 per start. A fresh start at Brentford this season has seen the Irishman experience some ups and downs. Let's take a glass half full approach and look at recent returns: Collins is averaging double digit ghosts over the past 2 GWs. Most recently, v Man United, he posted a tasty 10.5 ghosts, which he sourced from 1 Tackle Won, 2 Interceptions, 6 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 1 Blocked Shot, & 4 Aerials. With relegation fodder Burnley coming to town, the towering CB should provide decent streaming value, especially if Pinnock's nagging achilles keeps him out (there would be more ghosts to go around if the lanky Jamaican isn't there to hoover them up). Let's trust Collins but verify.
Honorable Mention:
Diogo Dalot (Manchester United DEF; 18.75 ghosts): This was a tricky one. We're all well aware of how good Dalot has been on the ghost point front historically. But before this GW, he was pretty poor this season. He certainly rolled back the years this GW. Let's see if he can keep it up.
Cristian Romero (Tottenham DEF; 15 ghosts): "Cuti"-pie Romero likes to act like a tough guy but he likes ghosties more of late. Consistently inconsistent, Romero's GPPS is now almost up to 9, which makes him set and forget - at least for now.
Antonee Robinson (Fulham DEF; 13.75 ghosts): Jedi finished with 6.75 total points this past GW - not great but not bad. But it's extremely impressive when factoring in an own goal and a goal conceded. His 8.4 GPPS makes him a must stream in a decent matchup.
Ethan Pinnock (Brentford DEF; 13.25 ghosts): In a season with fewer reliable DEFs, good ole Neil (IYKYK)/Ethan Pinnock keeps delivering the goods. Now if only Brentford could keep a cleansheet.
Category Killers:
Key Passes: Dwight McNeil (6)
Successful Dribbles: Marcus Tavernier (7)
Aerials: DCL (7)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Diogo Dalot (4)
Tackles Won: Solly March (5) - should we hope for more starts at LB?
Interceptions: Alexis MacAllister (6)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Ryan Christie (Bournemouth MID; 0 ghosts): Usually we reserve this ignominy for better known/more talented players who have had a bad day at the office. The Ryan Christies of the world are usually spared. Not this week. The Bournemouth midfielder has been touted by many in the community this season - evidenced by the fact that he's nearly 50% rostered, likely the highest "rostership" he's ever had. Taking over sets and beating out somewhat fierce competition from the likes of Hamed Traore had many managers buying in. Christie's late August-mid September stretch in which he posted 8, 9, & 13 then seemingly confirmed their suspicions. Now it's safe to say he's reverting to the mean; in his past 3 games, he dropped 6.5 (with an assist), 7.5, &, most recently, 0. Granted, this GW8 goose-egg came from only 45 mins of play. Christie nicked an interception & a clearance, nullified by 2 dispossessions. This is a long lead in to the main point here: he isn't the problem, you're the problem. He can have decent stretches but he's a streamer/MID5. This is the player he's always been - temper your expectations.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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