Gameweek 16 Ghost Point Hunters: Draft EPL

Ryan Barnes
Dec 12, 2024
6 min read

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

Apologies, dear readers, for the brief hiatus. But we're back with a vengeance and have a lot to catch you up on. Let's get it. We have a selection of defenders in bright lights: Matt Doherty (is it 2019?), Max Kilman, and Cameron Burgess. Meanwhile, we give Illia Zabarnyi & Will Hughes the Not So Fast treatment, and Szoboslai + Kristiansen are the One(s) To Watch. Last and certainly least, Brighton's newest gem has shown some flaws. In other words, Carlos Baleba is the latest recipient of the Dr. Peter Venkman Award. Tough luck, kid.

Matt Doherty

Position: Defender

Team: Wolves

Rostered: 4%

Ghost Points Per Start: 9.1

Ghost Points Last GW: 14.75

Prospects: This brings us so much joy. Nuno's Wolves circa 2019 was one of our favorite teams. And a marauding Matt Doherty was the Irish heartbeat of the squad. He made the mistake of going to Spurs but is now back home in Wolverhampton. It's been slow going for the aging wingback but we're delighted that he rolled back the years - at least temporarily. And he did it in a big way, pairing a well taken goal with a full house (hitting at least one of every ghost point stat category in a game) for an absolute haul. Against West Ham in GW15, he posted nearly 15 ghosties: 1 Key Pass, 1 Shot on Target, 1 Tackle Won, 1 Accurate Cross Not A Corner (ACNC), 1 Interception, 3 Clearances, 1 Successful Dribble, 1 Blocked Shot, & 5 Aerials. Is the old Doherty back?

Well, yes and no. His total pts hauls from his prior three starts were the following: 3.75, 0, & 0. But these scores were dented by all the goals Wolves have conceded this season. Doherty's overall Ghost Points Per Start (GPPS) is pretty decent, as we would generally expect from this legend. So if he starts and Wolves don't get concede more than two goals, he can be a premium DEF streamer. A nice matchup - at least on paper - awaits Doherty and Wolves this weekend, with the black country bandits hosting Ipswich Town. If he is on the team sheet and you want some defensive upside, Doherty is your man.

Verdict: Pick him up!

Max Kilman

Position: Defender

Team: West Ham United

Rostered: 70%

Ghost Points Per Start: 9

Ghost Points Last GW: 14.75

Prospects: This guy is such an enigma. Almost every time he goes nuts ghost point wise, he blanks the following week. Max Kilman has lacked consistency this season, much like the rest of West Ham. He has appeared in these pages before but we felt the need to go back to the well. The towering Englishman has now posted crazy ghost point totals in back to back GWs. In "El Sackico" v his former club, Wolves, he rivaled Matt Doherty in ghosties, posting 1 Key Pass, 1 Tackle Won, 1 Interception, 7 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 7 Aerials.

While Kilman has deceived us before, he has some momentum (his GPPS form is over 11). He also passed the eye test v Wolves by getting involved in the attack, which was an odd sight but a welcome one for his rosterers. And he has a decent matchup v Bournemouth in GW15. He is in the midst of a ride it until the wheels fall off situation. Act accordingly.

Verdict: Pick him up if available.

Cameron Burgess

Position: Defender

Team: Ipswich Town

Rostered: 3%

Ghost Points Per Start: 8.7

Ghost Points Last GW: 12.5

Prospects: Similar to Palace, the Tractor Boys' backline has all ghosted well at one point or another this campaign. Greaves, O'Shea, & Tuanzebe all have had their time in the sun. But it's hard to predict. It was Burgess' time in the sun this past GW. To go along with an assist, the big man accumulated 2 Key Passes, 10 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 4 Aerials against Bournemouth.

Burgess' time in the XI may be brief, however, as Greaves is available again. Let's see if he keeps his place after a nice performance. But either way, he can be seen as a decent streaming option when he pops up for starts moving forward. Make a note.

Verdict: Use as a "break glass in case of emergency" defensive streamer ROS.

Not So Fast:

Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth DEF; 18.5 ghosts): The Ukrainian has had his moments in the past but he's always been the worse ghoster of the Bournemouth CB pairing. Senesi and now Huijsen nick scary scores better than Zabs. Just because he dropped a crazy score one week, that doesn't move us. Despite the 18+ ghosties, his GPPS is still under 7. And he only posted 4.25 ghosts the prior start, with this past GW resulting in only his second double digit total point score of the season. He won't be able to accumulate 6 Tackles Won every week. While he is still a decent streaming option late in the GW v a struggling West Ham, this is an aberration. Treat it as such.
Will Hughes (Crystal Palace MID; 10 ghosts/22 fpts): We're happy for slick Willy. We really are. He can pop up for these big games once every lunar eclipse. And we're glad it happened against Man City. We're also glad he takes some sets. But this doesn't change the fact that he can't even muster a GPPS over 6, which is less than Alexis MacAllister, and that he could only salvage 5.25 & 4 ghosts, respectively, in his last two outings. Utilize as a hail mary option during the festive season, nothing more.

One(s) To Watch:

Dominick Szoboslai (Liverpool MID; N/A ghosts): It's a funny old game. The Hungarian has had a terrible start to the season fantasy-wise. He was note only scoring poorly but also faced some rotation. The latter is still a threat but the former has reversed. He's seemingly turned it around of late. In his last two starts, he delivered 44 combined points. And he currently boasts a GPPS form (GPPS avg over the past 3 games) of just under 13. He will still face some rotation but if he can keep up this form, he can finally live up to the hype. Stay tuned.
Victor Kristiansen (Leicester City DEF; 10.5 ghosts): We fell for the Viking's allure earlier in the season, only to be burned. But his set piece prowess and perhaps a new manager bump has us intrigued again, at least for a cheeky stream every now and again. His 9+ GPPS form is tantalizing indeed. We'll stream him if need be in the festive season.

Category Killer Winners:

Key Passes: Liam Delap (4)
Successful Dribbles: Antoine Semenyo (6)
Aerials: Josko Gvardiol (8)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Victor Kristiansen (4)
Tackles Won: Illia Zabarnyi (6)
Interceptions: Dean Huijsen (4)

Dr. Peter Venkman Award:

Carlos Baleba (Brighton MID; 2.5 ghosts): The Brighton holding midfielder role has had some illustrious occupants - Alexis MacAllister, Moises Caicedo, and now Carlos Baleba. He is keeping the tradition alive and putting in some really impressive performances. He was also all the rage fantasy-wise early in the season, combining defensive and attacking stats. We admired his desire to have a pop at goal from outside the box. But the shine is coming off. Baleba scored 0.5 total points his last time out, with 2.5 ghosts and a yellow. He finished with just1 Key Pass and 1 Interception, drowned out by a dispossession and a yellow card before getting hooked at HT. A tidy MID4/MID5 earlier in the campaign, he now sits at 6.8 GPPS (and 3.8 GPPS form). He's become very droppable.