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 38 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 38 Ghost Point Hunters
Welp, here we are; the end of the road, as Boyz II Men would say. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. Let's put this season to bed with a W. We're going to do things a bit differently this week. We'll give you 3ish ghosters to target on the waiver wire for this week: Lewis Hall, Michael Keane, & Wilfried Gnonto/Demarai Gray. In addition, we have a few end of season superlative awards/ghost point statistics. And we'd be remiss if we didn't cap off the season with the final Dr. Peter Venkman Award, which takes into account the entire season. It goes to repeat offender, Kyle Walker. You earned it, here is some more silverware.
It goes without saying that GPH and TDS are nothing without you, our subscribers & friends. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for a wonderful season. Please let us know if you have any feedback on this article (e.g., anything you particularly like or dislike? Any changes you'd like to see?). And stay tuned for the draft kit in a few months!
3 Ghosters to pick up for GW38
Lewis Hall (Chelsea MID): The youngster just dropped 13 ghosts on City's B team and this is after delivering 9 scary scores the week before. He passes the eye test and is the liveliest of Chelsea players (admittedly a low bar). He was unlucky to not pick up an attacking return to go with his ghosts. We flagged him last week because of the ghosts but also because he is an out of position attacking left back that is classified as a MID in Fantrax. So he doesn't get dinged when the Blues inevitably concede. He has shown he is largely matchup proof - so if he gets the nod in the final day against Newcastle, slot him in for sneaky value.
Michael Keane (Everton DEF)/Yerry Mina (Everton DEF): The monster at the back is back. After rolling back the years and racking up the ghosties, Sean Dyche had the audacity to relegate Keano to the bench. But he made his glorious return in a substitute cameo over the weekend after Nathan Patterson went off with an injury. He nicked a few ghosts and a cheeky assist. Expect him to start the final game and to do his thing. If he doesn't for whatever reason, go with his colleague, Yerry Mina. Everton have it all to play for and a favorable matchup against Bournemouth at home.
Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds FWD)/Demarai Gray (Everton MID): The diminutive Leeds winger replaced Patrick Bamford and secured 6.5 ghosties in the cameo - nothing crazy but enough of a floor to trust him as a GW38 punt in a must win against Spurs. Gray, who has been out in the cold as Dyche-ball has raged on Merseyside, dropped a dozen ghosties in a 45 minute outing last GW. If he gets the nod (perhaps if DCL is out hurt), he deservers a run out, again, in a great fixture for Everton at home to the already safe Cherries.
End of Season Superlatives:
Most Fun:
Pre-Injury Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal FWD): The indefatigable pressing, the slaloming dribbles, the curling shots on target. Early season Gabriel Jesus was a sight to behold. In addition to being a joy to watch, the ghost points flowed. We flashed the spotlight on him early doors - his ghosts were very impressive for a forward. Unfortunately, a knee injury in a meaningless group stage game for Brazil in the World Cup killed this version of the player (although he is still going to finish with a gpps of over 8). We never truly saw him again, even when he returned 4 months later. Let's hope he makes an epic resurgence next season.
Biggest Tease:
Hamed Traore (Bournemouth MID): What a 4 GW whirlwind. Hamed Traore, an unheralded January transfer to the Cherries, had a February to remember. He dropped four double-digit ghost point performances that month, whetting our appetites for more, before disappearing into thin air. Managers were left wondering what might have been. Injuries cut short what would likely have been an excellent campaign. His set piece dominance and ability to get ghosties from multiple categories make him a ghoster extraordinaire. His loan to Bournemouth was made permanent, so he is definitely one to watch come drafting time.
Most Surprising:
Joel Ward (Crystal Palace DEF): Where on earth did this come from? Joel F-ing Ward has recently become Casper the friendly ghost. The defensive version of James Milner for sheer boredom-inducing consistency and stability turned into Adama Traore. Granted, he was his middling self for much of the season, that is until Uncle Roy Hodgson returned to Selhurst Park, transforming the English fullback into prime Roberto Carlos. An exaggeration but he has average double digit ghost points for the final month and a half of the season. We doubt he keeps this up in 2023/2024 (maybe unless Hodgson stays) but we'll always have the memories.
Most Likely to Steal Your Wife:
Felipe (Nottingham Forest DEF): One of our favorite ghosting finds of the season, Felipe, not only looks like he can head any ball but also that he can pull any bird. Don't bring your girl around him, true player for real...Anyway, the Portuguese-speaking pony-tailed rolls royce popped up after the World Cup break and slid under the radar for a bit due to Forest's determination to never keep a cleansheet. But you can't hide from GPH; we'll always find you. And we did, shouting him out early. The towering CB will likely finish with a gpps of over 11 - incredible stuff. Just keep him away from the missus.
Most Infuriating to Play Against:
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle DEF): This comes as no surprise to anyone that did not have the fortune of rostering him, but counting Kieran Trippier among your opposition was akin to Chinese water torture for much of the season. Wielding complete set piece dominance and with giants such as Schar, Botman, and Joelinton to aim at, he pumped in sumptuous cross after sumptuous cross. And the ghost points flowed like Niagara Falls. Even if it went nowhere near the goal, as long as his cross met a Newcastle head, it'd count as a Key Pass and/or ACNC. It is, thus, no wonder that he took the ghost point crown with the highest GPPS average (a staggering 13) of all players who started a decent amount of games He was an unfair cheat code and we are glad to be rid of him for at least a few months.
Counting Stat Leaders (as of GW37):
Key Passes (The Norwich Emi):
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United MID (112)
Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United DEF (107)
Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City MID (97)
Successful Dribbles (The Adama):
Eberechi Eze, Crystal Palace MID (66)
Jordan Ayew, Crystal Palace FWD (62)
Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal MID (59)
Aerials (The Oli McBurnie Medal):
Ben Mee, Brentford DEF (132)
Tomas Soucek, West Ham United MID (114)
James Tarkowski, Everton DEF (113)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (The Matty Phillips Fellowship):
Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United DEF (52)
Trent Alexander Arnold, Liverpool DEF (42)
Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City MID (38)
Shots on Target (Anwar El Ghazi Memorial Award):
Harry Kane, Tottenham FWD (60)
Erling Haaland, Manchester City FWD (59)
Mohammed Salah, Liverpool FWD (46)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Kyle Walker (Manchester City DEF; 3.7 gpps this season): The English RB's fierce commitment to not scoring counting stats is remarkably impressive. He seemingly goes out of his way to stay out of the stat sheet yet sees over 70% rostership every single season. Walker's name recognition is just as powerful as his Venkman-like qualities. As we know, most Manchester City defenders don't score well - they don't have much to do and without a clean sheet they are devoid of any value whatsoever. But one would think that Walker, as a sometimes marauding fullback, would at least get some attacking points. Alas, he doesn't. He has only mustered an average of 3.7 ghost points per start this campaign. This is who he is - an abysmal ghoster. His gpps last season was only slightly higher at 4.2; still dreadful. For the love of everything ghostly, please don't roster him next season. We beg you. He'll be a contender again for the award next season. Book it.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
For all the latest from The Draft Society, follow @Draft_Society on Twitter!
And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.
Comments