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 13 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 12/13 Ghost Point Hunters
We're back after a quick hiatus. What did we miss? Our Goalkeepers the new ghost machines? Will Brighton ever score a goal? This week, one of many in which we have mid-week matchups, is all about emerging trends. Not one off ghosting, but consistent Caspering. Let's get into it. Our primary ghosters include: Aaron Cresswell (be still, my heart), Moises Caicedo/Alexis MacAllister (basically all the Seagulls), & Eberechi Eze. And here are the folks to be Honorably Mentioned: Bernd Leno (& almost every other GK): John McGinn: Pascal Struijk: Pervis Estupinan/Kaoru Mitoma; & Ben Mee. Unfortunately, we still need to award the Dr. Peter Venkman Award, as is tradition. Wilfried Zaha, may you never be granted this dishonor ever again.
Aaron Cresswell
Position: Defender
Team: West Ham United
Rostered: 95%
Ghost Points Per Start: 8.8
Ghost Points Last 2 GWs: 10.5 & 16.8
Prospects: A stalwart on the left side of the West Ham defense. He seems to be benefiting from having a lanky adonis in Scamacca to which to curl his sumptuous crosses.
Verdict: It's a tricky time to trade for him but Cress did disappoint most managers up until recently, and they may wanna trade on a relative high. His ppg is still less than 8, so the overt numbers still look poor. Maybe try a MID4/5+DEF 3 package like (Onana + Burn)? If this regen continues apace, you're gonna want a piece of it.
Sometimes the fantasy world gives us the most pleasant of surprises. Having already written his obituary after a a ghastly - not ghosty - stretch for several months, we may be witnessing the rebirth of a GPH favorite, one Aaron Cresswell. He had a pretty rough 2021/2022 campaign with just 7 pps, and he started this one in similar fashion. But in the past 2 gws, the impeccably parted hair of the West Ham fullback has dropped double digit ghosties on the trot, and is now averaging nearly 9 scary scores per start.
In GW11, Cresswell was especially on point, delivering 4 Key Passes, 1 Interception, 3 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, & 6 Aerials. It is surely no coincidence that his improved form largely coincides with the introduction of Scamacca at FWD over Antonio. Cressy is a creature of habit, thriving off key passes in the form of dinked open play crosses or set pieces to the foreheads of his colleagues. He needs a target man like Scamacca for his Key Pass addiction. Hopefully this renaissance goes from strength to strength.
Moises Caicedo/Alexis MacAllister (& even Solly March!)
Position: Midfielders
Team: Brighton
Rostered: 59% & 89%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7 (Caicedo) & 6.7 (MacAllister)
Ghost Points Last GW: 11 & 12 (Caicedo); 10.5 & 10.5 (MacAllister)
Prospects: Both Caicedo & MacAllister seem to be favorites of the new manager, having started every game during his tenure.
Verdict: These midfielders can be hit or miss but the back to back double digit ghosts are reason for optimism. They won't be world beaters but you might be able to get one of them on the cheap (they didn't do great v Forest in a tasty matchup on paper). Test the market on a low.
Brighton are such an enigma. They have it in their locker to play great football and to contest for European places. But there is no consistency and their finishing leaves something to be desired. This was true under former manager Graham Potter and is still true under new gaffer Roberto De Zerbi. They continue to dominate in the xG department but have now gone 3 games without a goal (& not against the top teams). This isn't all bad, however, as creating chances leads to ghost points. And most of the Seagulls' midfield and attack have done ok in that area under De Zerbi, including Moises Caicedo & Alexis MacAllister (Solly March may be the pick of the litter).
We love Caicedo as a player. He is a quintessential box to box midfielder that can do it all - defending, passing, attacking. He has also shown on occasion that he can ghost. MacAllister, on the other hand, is more of the creative midfielder that looks a bit more languid but can pick out a pass, deliver a set piece, and get you a goal. Both seem to be nailed on for De Zerbi and have posted 10+ ghosts in GWs 10 & 11 (again, unfortunately they dipped a bit against Forest). They love a yellow card, which dings their scores & value, but we like the cuts of their jibs. If Brighton ever figure out how to score goals, look out.
Eberechi Eze
Position: Midfielder
Team: Crystal Palace
Rostered: 98%
Ghost Points Per Start: 7.1
Ghost Points Last GW: 10 & 10.5
Prospects: A critical piece of Palace's midfield, the South London side are benefiting enormously from his return from injury. He should remain the fulcrum in the middle of the park for Vieira.
Verdict: He's on quite a purple patch and it will be difficult to trade him in on this high. See what the going rate is but you might have to wait for a dip.
It's a joy to see quality players fully recover from long-term injuries and get back to their best. Eberechi Eze deserves a ton of credit for shaking off a horrific injury to regain his place this season as the heartbeat of this Palace attack (apologies to Olise/Zaha truthers but Eze is it). He was slowly reincorporated into the team at the end of last season but has taken advantage of a full preseason and consistent starts this campaign. Fantasy-wise, he has had some duds and his ghosties have lacked at times. But that is changing; he is en fuego at the moment.
Eze pieced together double digit ghost-point performances on the trot v Leeds & Leicester. His 10.5 scary scores against Leicester in a drab nil nil affair stemmed from a plethora of sources: 2 Key Passes, 1 Tackle Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not A Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 4 Successful Dribbles & 1 Aerial. And Eze is pairing this ghost point base with attacking returns (he's currently on 2 goals & 2 assists). With some set pieces, great form, and a decent schedule, he should crack on from here. Eze can be a set and forget MID2 ROS.
Honorable Mention:
Bernd Leno & almost every other GK (Fulham GK;11 ghosties): It has been a hell of a spell for goalkeepers in the Prem. In fact, 4 of the top 5 fantasy scorers in GW 11 were bloody goalkeepers. It's a sickness. We highlight Leno here, not because he is a former Gooner, but because he has been consistently dropping ghosts - 12 and 11 ghosts in back to back GWs. He now averages 11 ghosts per start. Undroppable now.
John McGinn (Aston Villa MID;11 ghosties): What to do with the Scottish pitbull? The prototypical Steady Eddie has morphed into Moussa Sissoko (see below), no ghosts one game, a bag full the next. He looked good v Chelsea and was unlucky not to nick an return. But can he string a few performances together?
Ben Mee (Brentford DEF; 11 ghosties): We diagnosed the giant defender with "Sissoko-itis" - the affliction of being bad one GW and good the next - in an earlier edition. And the blood tests came back positive yet again. Sure enough, he followed up a goose egg with a 20 point performance. The search for a cure continues.
Pascal Struijk (Leeds Utd DEF; 9 ghosties): Many thought the Leeds defender couldn't keep up the ghosting after a hot start. But he just won't stop - currently boasting over 10 scary scores per start. A tasty 9 ghosts against the league leaders shows he's basically set and forget. Act accordingly.
Pervis Estupinan/Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton DEF & MID; 7.75 & 8 ghosties): De Zerbi ball seems to equate to beautiful build up, zero goals, and a ton of ghosts to go around. Hey, we can't complain. These two - Estupinan & Mitoma ghosted the f out in their brief cameos in GW11. The latter is on our radar for super streamer status once he gets back to full fitness.
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace FWD; 1 ghost): It's been a tough spell for ole Zaha. He and Palace had a wretched schedule to begin the season; he scored pretty well despite that fact. Now that they have embarked on a much less strenuous calendar, he has gotten a little cold. This was not the plan. Following up his 9.5 point outing (not bad, of course, but it is when you consider he got an assist), he dropped a 1 pointer. Mama said there'd be days like this. Zaha does indeed go through these stretches. We're not worried (spoiled alert, he just redeemed himself with a 20+ point outing v Wolves mid-week). In short, he'll be fine. He will have to place this ignominious award on his mantle, however.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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