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 6 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 6 Ghost Point Hunters
On Twitter, TDS received a request for more West Ham United coverage. We give the people what they want. Happy wife, happy life, so here you go. Two Hammers to go along with the Ivorian phenom: Jarrod Bowen, Nicolas Pepe, & Kurt Zouma. None of these players is on your waiver wire (check the honorable mention for potential WW pick ups) but could be good trade targets. The dishonor that is the Dr. Peter Venkman award goes to...drum roll please...none other than the anti-Casper that is Neil Maupay.
Jarrod Bowen
Position: Midfielder
Team: West Ham United
Rostered: 98%
Ghost Points Per Start: 11.7
Prospects: Has yet to lose his starting spot in EPL games, despite the onset of Europa League and the arrival of Nikola Vlasic. Bowen is the starter until proven otherwise.
Verdict: I would try and trade a big name that is underperforming (James Maddison anyone?) or a MID4/DEF2 combo like Solly March & Emerson Royal. Ghosting mids like Bowen (at the moment) are hard to find. Play up the threat of Europa and Vlasic in your negotiations, and maybe offer a Nando's takeaway as a sweetener (I'd bite).
Jarrod Bowen burst onto the scene as a January 2020 transfer from Hull City in the Championship. He impressed immediately, ending that campaign with an average of roughly 10 points per game (largely of the ghost persuasion). But this player disappeared last season, becoming an underwhelming, goal-dependent MID4/5, with just over 7 points per game. His incredible dip in form unsurprisingly coincided with a big hit in pre-draft fantasy value - Bowen was largely drafted around the 9th Round, even with the dearth of quality midfielders this season. But he is repaying those late round punters. Bowen currently ranks 13th in our ghost point tracker, with nearly a dozen ghosties per start (he is big on Key Passes & Successful Dribbles). According to our trusted Set Piece Tracker, he is currently taking over a majority of West Ham's set pieces (60%), which is providing a nice floor. When Bowen starts adding some attacking returns to the mix, he will deliver some explosive/game-winning performances. Try and get him in while you can!
Nicolas Pepe
Position: Forward
Team: Arsenal
Rostered: 96% (quit your league if he is on your waiver wire)
Ghost Points Per Start: 12.4
Prospects: Nico has survived the formation shift from 4231 to a 433 and was only benched for one EPL match against Man City. Unless new evidence comes to light, he should be considered a regular starter at RW.
Verdict: For the added FWD upside, I'd open with a solid MID3 & DEF2 or FWD4 (Gallagher & Tarks?). Raise past history of rotation as well as the upcoming AFCON tournament that will likely see Pepe miss 2-3 matches in trade talks.
While I refrained from featuring my boy, Pepe, in last week's article, that is no longer tenable. These ghost points cannot be ignored; journalistic integrity must be maintained. Other than a collective laying of an egg against Chelsea (where fantasy points go to die), Nico has dropped double digit scores in every start: 11.5, 29, 11.5. And his ghosts have been so tasty, ranking in the top ten with over a dozen scary scores a game (like Bowen above, these come largely from Key Passes & Successful Dribbles). Pepe, despite Odegaard's arrival, is also taking 85% of Arsenal's set pieces, a nice added bonus. The ghost point floor and possibility of attacking returns gives him top 10 FWD potential, incredible value for a 6-7 rounder. The year of Nico has commenced; act accordingly.
Kurt Zouma
Position: Defender
Team: West Ham United
Rostered: 71%
Ghost Points Per Start: 10.0
Prospects: We have all been anxiously awaiting Zouma's appearance in the starting XI - it came against Man United this past gameweek and he should be nailed on from here on out. West Ham have good matchups.
Verdict: The fact that he didn't start for a few weeks and West Ham conceded 2 goals to mask his ghost points bodes well for trade negotiations. Try to nick him for another DEF like Tyrone Mings or a MID4/5 like Westwood.
The aerial beast that is Kurt Zouma is starting EPL matches again, hallelujah! After a torrid stretch with Chelsea at the beginning of last season, when he was delivering DEF1 numbers, he saw the bench. With a recent transfer to West Ham, he has a chance to rehabilitate his Fantrax career. Zouma's bread is buttered by Aerials - he is also a threat on every set piece and will score at least a handful of headed goals - so he usually has a good ghost point floor, particularly against teams like Burnley that lump the ball forward. He opened his 2021/2022 EPL account with 10 ghost points against Man United this past gameweek: he got some of his patented Aerials but also clocked an obscene number of Clearances (12). While Zouma won't get as many clean sheets with the Hammers as he did with Chelsea, they do have some nice fixtures coming up and he is likely to keep ghosting.
Honorable Mention:
Jan Bednarek (Southampton DEF; 13.5 Ghosts): I shouted out his teammate Mohammad Salisu, but Bednarek ghosted even more this past gameweek and, like Salisu, has a soft schedule incoming.
Billy Gilmour (Norwich MID; 15 Ghosts): If the Scot remains on set pieces, these ghosts should continue.
Ruben Dias (Man City DEF; 18.5 Ghosts & Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa DEF; 17.5 Ghosts) : Where on earth did this come from? Chalking these ghost point performances up as one offs but certainly worth monitoring.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Neil Maupay (FWD, Brighton): Well, we knew it was gonna happen at some point, and no time is better than the present. Maupay could win this award every week to be honest. This week, however, it is even more important to remind managers of the Achilles heel of the man best known for using a cry baby goal celebration: his complete and utter contempt for ghost points. Yes, this past gameweek, Maupay delivered a nice 15 spot. But this came almost entirely from a penalty kick. Last gameweek, he posted -0.5 points, which is impressive even for him. It is, thus, no surprise that he ranks 255th (42nd FWD) in our ghost point tracker, with an average of 4.5 ghost points per start. Get Maupay out on a high. Save yourself.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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