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 16 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 16 Ghost Point Hunters
Holding back the tears, we must inform you, dear readers, that this is our last GPH for awhile. The World Cup break is nearly upon us and only GW16 stands in our way. Let's get it. In bright lights are the names of three GPH first-timers (we believe): Ibrahima Konate, Gabriel Jesus, & Leon Bailey. Meanwhile, the honorable mention consists of Marcus Tavernier, Timothy Castagne, Solly March & Kenny Tete. And the final Dr. Peter Venkman Award before the World Cup goes to...Joao Moutinho. Being old doesn't shield you from warranted criticism here at GPH. Happy holidays, everyone, see you after Boxing Day!
Ibrahima Konate
Position: Defender
Team: Liverpool
Rostered: 50%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A (only has started 1 game)
Ghost Points Last GW: 13.25
Prospects: Given Gomez's form & Matip's persistent knocks, Konate should be the first choice CB to pair with VVD. And if he can keep ghosting, he has DEF2 potential.
Verdict: Pick him up!
He's back. The gigantic yet elegant in his own way CB that arrived on Blighty's shores last summer to much fanfare finally just made his first appearance of the season. In 2021/2022, his inaugural season in the EPL, he was incorporated slowly and only made 11 starts. Fantasy-wise, Konate wasn't really anything to write home about - 7ish points per start and similar ghosties per start.
While Konate's first season was meh, there was genuine hope for him to crack on this season with a campaign already under his belt. But a knock has kept him out until this past GW against Spurs. And he certainly impressed, despite shaking off the cobwebs from such a lengthy absence. He was omnipresent and dropped13+ ghosties, which stemmed from 2 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 9 Clearances, & 7 Aerials. So is he now the fantasy defender many had envisioned? Not so fast. This ghost point-laden outing was certainly a great sign but let's see if Konate can string together some performances. Either way, it's worth getting him to find out. Does he become the alpha dog and steal VVD's ghosties (much like Matip)? We shall see.
Gabriel Jesus
Position: Forward
Team: Arsenal
Rostered: 100%
Ghost Points Per Start: 9.7
Ghost Points Last GW: 12.5
Prospects: Nailed as the focal point of the top of the table side. He's still on the verge of a 5th yellow card-induced suspension but it hasn't happened yet. If he can regain goal-scoring form to go along with these scary scores, he will finish as a top 5 scorer no question.
Verdict: Will be tough to get. He's been scoring well but not consistently elite like, say, KDB. So it's worth a shot to get him in, especially before Wolves/the World Cup break. Try Son +1 or packaging big names with a FWD2: Mount & Sterling or Bernardo Silva & Zaha.
Jesus is Lord. Gabriel Jesus, indeed, has Arsenal fans, religious or not, believing. His relentless energy, pressing, and flashes of brilliance have led the Gunners to the top of the table. Fantasy-wise, he has absolutely rewarded those who took a shot on him in the first round. He is the 5th highest scorer so far and boasts ghosties per start of nearly ten - extremely impressive, especially for a FWD. In fact, he's the highest ghosting FWD - and by some distance (Mitro is a point per start behind him). Jesus doesn't have a goal-dependent bone in his body, which is even better given that he hasn't scored a goal in the league for over a month (his last was in the pivotal North London Derby on October 1st). But again, this doesn't really detract from his fantasy value, it only adds to his potential once he does find his scoring boots again.
At Manchester City, Jesus was a rotation piece, never starting more than 22 games in a given campaign. Last season, despite some rotation, he still produced some tasty numbers: 14.9 pps & 9.3 gpps, in 21 starts. Now, he's just doing it every week as he hasn't yet missed an EPL game all season. His ghosting is unique, though, in that he gets points from a variety of sources, especially ones that are usually alien to FWDs. His pressing - Pep Guardiola once called Jesus the best pressing FWD in the world - has won him a ton of a defensive points. It is, thus, no surprise that he leads all EPL strikers in tackles & interceptions.
This past GW v Chelsea underscored this particular feature of his game. Jesus posted over a dozen ghost points in the form of 2 Key Passes, 1 Shot on Target, 2 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 2 Clearances, 3 Successful Dribbles, & 2 Aerials. In all our years of ghost hunting, we just haven't seen a FWD consistently get these types of points. While the lack of goals isn't a great narrative, it obviously hasn't been that detrimental to team as Arsenal have only dropped 4 points all season, nor has it put a real dent in his fantasy scoring. But when he does start finding the net again, he'll have an incredible ghost point foundation to build from, and then it's lights out.
Leon Bailey
Position: Forward
Team: Aston Villa
Rostered: 70%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.5
Ghost Points Last GW: 9
Prospects: Spent some time on the bench but has seemingly been revitalized since the departure of Stevie G & should solidify that RW spot under new manager Unai Emery.
Verdict: The time to buy low was last week at the latest - we flagged him as one of the primary beneficiaries of Emery's appointment in the Key Pass Collective a few weeks ago - but you can still probably get him for a decent price. Try opening with a solid MID like Soucek or Bentancur.
One would be hard pressed to find more of a rollercoaster fantasy player than one Leon Bailey over the past year and a half. He lit up the Bundesliga with his electrifying pace and dribbles from the wing. He was viewed as an exciting signing for Aston Villa last summer, coming to the West Midlands as part of the post-Grealish package, along with Emi Buendia. He came out of the blocks pretty strong but knocks kept him out for much of his debut season, limiting him to just 7 starts. This season, he has actually started the majority of games (11 thus far) and has managed to keep himself fairly fit. But Stevie G failed to produce consistently good football and results at Villa Park and Bailey, among others, suffered.
Gerrard's sacking and the arrival of Unai Emery offer Bailey a new start in England. And early returns appear to indicate that he's going to take it. In Emery's first game at the helm this past GW v Man United, the Jamaican combined a goal with 9 ghosties: 1 Key Pass, 2 Shots on Target, 1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC), & 2 Successful Dribbles. A few dispossessions and a yellow card somewhat masked his complete performance but this could portend a golden run for Bailey. In the Emery system, the RW role usually gets free reign to run at defenders and he should benefit. The points should flow, as long as he remains healthy. While it must be said that his current ghost point record is fairly poor, this could also change under Emery. The future looks bright for Leon - try and get him while you still can.
Honorable Mentions:
Marcus Tavernier (Bournemouth MID; 13.5 ghosts): We called him out in the Start section of last week's Start/Sit Fantrax Article but we didn't know he would do THAT well. Thirty plus points later, he was the top scorer this past GW, and racked up nearly 14 scary scores. This is likely an aberration but he's still worth a shout when he has poor opposition and a streamer MID is needed.
Timothy Castagne (Leicester DEF; 11.75 ghosts): After conceding like drunken sailors for the first 7 games of the season, the Leicester defense is now a well-oiled cleansheet machine. And Castagne is adding ghosts on top of that (now averaging a solid 7.5 per game). Worth a pick up.
Solly March (Brighton MID; 11.5 ghosts): We all knew ole Solly could ghosts, we've seen it before, but he just hadn't been given the run of starts. No longer rotated, he is becoming a set and forget MID3.
Kenny Tete (Fulham DEF; 9.75 ghosts): He nearly dropped double digit ghosts against City and is now up to an average of 8 ghosties per start. He'll be suspended for the next match, so he should be available on many waiver wires after that. He's worth a pick up, particularly in good matchups.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Joao Moutinho (Wolves MID; 1 ghost): Just when one could be forgiven for thinking Moutinho had rolled back the years and was a viable streamer (at least) again, he goes and does something like this. Joao used to be a fantasy heavyweight but has since become an occasional high end streamer. This season, he has put in some tasty ghost performances and is almost always available on the wire. His last 3 starts resulted in 13.5, 8, & 11 points. So why wouldn't we stream him this past GW v Brighton? Well, best laid plans and all that. Moutinho conjured up just 1 single solitary interception and nothing else - a very uncharacteristic performance by the diminutive Portuguese. But Brighton dominated the ball, Moutinho didn't get many set pieces, and Wolves went down to 10 men right before halftime. We haven't given up on him as a potential streamer but we're disappointed. We're not mad, just disappointed.
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