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 22 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 22 Ghost Point Hunters
The neverending GW that was GW21 is finally over. Now we just need to wait out these cup games and get back to another weird GW in which the fixtures fall in the middle of the week. Oh well, at least we have EPL footy upon us. This week, we have some relatively under the radar folks on the big board: Ogbene, Van Hecke, & Lerma. On the other hand, Honorable Mention features more household names: Eze, Konate, Jesus, & Colwill. And 2024 keeps rolling on with another Dr. Peter Venkman Award being doled out to...Jarrod Bowen?
Chiedozie Ogbene
Position: Forward
Team: Luton Town
Rostered: 9%
Ghost Points Per Start: 5.9
Ghost Points Last GW: 20
Prospects: The Irishman is flourishing in a new role. Twenty ghost points later - the guy is a hot commodity. In the hopes that he keeps this up, he is a must have this week if you need forward depth.
Verdict: Pick him up!
What a wild ride it's been for Luton Town. Several straight promotions, rough start to life in the EPL, and now with a shot to stay up. If they do remain in the top flight, Chiedozie Ogbene will probably have had some say in it. The guy has been a livewire for the Hatters, bombing down the wings and wreaking havoc on opposition defenses. He surprisingly only has one goal and one assist to his name, but he has been dangerous. For fantasy purposes, he has been hit or miss. He's only had four double digit performances. But thankfully, two of those were over the last two games.
Following a 45-minute cameo in GW20 in which he dropped 10.5 ghosties, Ogbene decided to post 20 scary scores in GW21. These came from 4 Key Passes, 3 Shots on Target, 1 Tackle Won, 1 Clearance, 5 Successful Dribbles, & 1 Aerial; in short, the lot. Yes, it was against Burnley but, again, he proved his ghosting bonafides the previous game v Chelsea. With Kabore out, Ogbene has been tasked with getting into the channels and making things happen. This is a ride until the wheels fall off scenario. Let's see where the Ogbene train takes us.
Jan-Paul van Hecke
Position: Defender
Team: Brighton
Rostered: 18%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.3
Ghost Points Last GW: 12.5
Prospects: Brighton went almost twenty games without keeping a clean sheet and now they've nicked two on the trot. Don't get used to it but the Seagulls have a good schedule and JP has the ghosts to still get a decent score even if the cleanies dry up.
Verdict: Pick him up!
Brighton defenders, bar Pervis Estupinan, have been horrific under De Zerbi. They rarely keep a clean sheet and the Shane Duffy aerial days are over. No Brighton defender has a ppg of over 6 other than the Ecuadorian LB. But Jan-Paul van Hecke is closest. The Dutch giant has shown he can ghost - with a decent GPPS of 7+. Still not great but he has his moments, including the most recent GW.
Against Wolves, van Hecke delivered over a dozen ghosties. These stemmed from the following; 1 Shot on Target, 2 Tackles Won, 3 Clearances, & 8 Aerials. As previously mentioned, Brighton are on a mini clean sheet run, but even if they can't continue this defensive form the big Dutchman should be fine. Luton Town this GW should provide ample aerials for him to feast upon and a home fixture to a struggling Crystal Palace is up next. At a time when decent defensive streamers are hard to come by, van Hecke stands out.
Jefferson Lerma
Position: Midfielder
Team: Crystal Palace
Rostered: 34%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.7
Ghost Points Last GW: 8.5
Prospects: Had some monsters earlier in the season but has since trailed off a bit. The Colombian is back fit and should be ready to ball out again. He has a nice floor and Palace will need Lerma to get forward more and make things happen given Olise's absence and the lack of goals. He also faces Sheffield United at home this GW, which makes him an easy choice.
Verdict: Pick him up!
The Crystal Palace CDM position is an odd one for fantasy purposes. For a week or two, it can be quite lucrative but then usually reverts to below the mean. Cheick Doucoure can give you 12+ ghosts then 3 points the following week. Jefferson Lerma has recently taken up the mantle having come over from Bournemouth in the summer. He averaged over 10 PPS in the first 3 games then took two months to eclipse double digits again.
Lerma got a respectable 8.5 points against a buccaneering Arsenal last weekend from 2 Shots on Target, 2 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 2 Blocked Shots, & 3 Aerials. The Colombian looked the most dangerous and wasn't afraid to shoot from distance. This should keep him in good stead v Sheffield United in a must-win game for Roy Hodgson. Hopefully Lerma can bag an attacking return with a nice floor of ghosts. We will look elsewhere for midfield depth after that fixture, however, because we just can't handle the swings.
Honorable Mention:
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace MID; 18 ghosts): Based on the eye test, he did very little in GW21 against a dominant Arsenal. But then he ended up with 18 points somehow. With no Olise in the lineup, every single solitary thing goes through Eze for Palace. Enjoy the ride and think about selling high right before Olise returns from injury.
Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool DEF; 16.25 ghosts): One of those classic Casper-like performances from the big fella, capped by a number of aerials. He lacks consistency but ghosts pretty well for a defender and Liverpool have been one of the best clean sheet keeping teams in the league. If he can stay fit, he's set and forget.
Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal FWD; 13.5 ghosts): This is what we've been waiting for. Jesus and the Gunners unleashed their pent up frustration on Palace, using the break in Dubai to good effect. With Partey coming back, the attack should be more free flowing and Jesus - and his ghosts - will likely benefit the most.
Levi Colwill (Chelsea DEF; 12.5 ghosts): Pretty rare performance from Colwill - his ghosts are ok (just under 7) but not like this. He did pass the eye test and seems to be growing into this fullback role. However, his days may be numbered given Chilly's return and Cucurella/Malo Gusto coming back at some point.
Category Killers:
Key Passes: Pedro Porro (5)
Successful Dribbles: Eberechi Eze (6)
Aerials: Gabriel Osho (9)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Gustavo Hamer (3)
Tackles Won: Marcus Tavernier (7)
Interceptions: Aaron Wan Bissaka (5)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United MID; 0 ghosts): Rarely does a top 15 player get the Venkman treatment. But if the shoe fits... Bowen certainly was deserving this past GW. His rosterers were relieved when they saw that he had recovered in time to face lowly Sheffield United and rightly expected a haul. Well, they received a goose egg instead. This is the result of 1 Aerial offset by a dispossession. Ouch. Bowen has largely been lights out this campaign. But he is not immune to these stinkers given that he has been fairly dependent on attacking returns over the years. His ghosties per start usually hover around 6, which isn't terrible for a forward, but also not stellar. So if he doesn't bag his attacking returns, these outings can happen. But don't worry, Bowen will be fine.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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