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 4 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 4 Ghost Point Hunters
Another gameweek, another round of agony and ecstasy. Do we really do this to ourselves? We digress. The cream is starting to rise to the top and we're seeing some trends start to crystalize. Some ghosters are flashes in the pan, others are here to stay. This week, we're dumpster diving - on the big board, we're just highlighting players with less than 20% ownership. Dara O'Shea, Kurt Zouma, & Ollie McBurnie come on down! Honorable Mention, meanwhile, includes more household names: Joachim Andersen, Julian Alvarez, Anthony Gordon & Yves Bissouma. The Dr. Peter Venkman Award has been sent express to the south coast; Antoine Semenyo is the unfortunate recipient. We had such high hopes. We're not angry, we're just disappointed.
Dara O'Shea
Position: Defender
Team: Burnley
Rostered: 1%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A
Ghost Points Last GW: 12
Prospects: Favored CB at the moment and was very active over the weekend. Early days but he could be a Felipe type - great ghoster in a poor defense - that you'll want to stream when the schedule turns.
Verdict: Pick him up and stream in decent matchups.
The luck of the Irish. We could have used it this past gameweek when, in a pinch, we went with the devil we knew - Connor Roberts. We should have gone with the Irishman, Dara O'Shea, who somehow dropped 6 points despite conceding 3 goals. He did it by securing the following: 1 Key Pass, 4 Interceptions, 4 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, and 3 Aerials. This is an all action performance - in the Felipe (RIP) mold. But is anyone from this defense, which has conceded 3 goals in each of its first two games back in the EPL, worth rostering?
To be fair, Burnley's first two games were against two top sides - Manchester City & Aston Villa - and the schedule is still a mixed bag for the next few games. The next few games are: Spurs, Forest, & Man United. We now know if we get jammed up and need a break glass in case of emergency defender, it isn't old reliable Roberts, it's O'Shea.
Kurt Zouma
Position: Defender
Team: West Ham United
Rostered: 13%
Ghost Points Per Start: 6.8
Ghost Points Last GW: 12
Prospects: Nailed on and always up for an aerial. He has had his moments in the past but hasn't hit those lofty heights consistently in a West Ham shirt. The arrival of JWP and his dimes could do wonders for his attacking aerials. Luton Town is a good opportunity to see if he can replicate his Casper-like performance from GW3.
Verdict: Pick him up and stream in decent matchups, starting this GW v Luton Town.
Big Kurt Zouma warmed our hearts in the 20/21 campaign but has been on the decline since he made the move across London from Chelsea to West Ham. Indeed, his 10.7 PPS/8.4 GPPs from 20/21 fell to 5.8 & 6.8 in 21/22 and 6.8/6.2 last season. The lack of clean sheets hurts but the ghosts have also taken a hit. He temporarily rolled back the years over the weekend, however, when Zouma posted a dozen ghosties in a tricky matchup at Brighton. This stemmed from 2 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 1 Blocked Shot, & his bread and butter, 4 Aerials.
Is this the return of vintage Zouma or a false dawn? There are arguments for both sides. On the pro side, West Ham look a different outfit and the defense has yet to give up more than one goal in its first three games - two of which were against Chelsea and Brighton. Also, dead ball extraordinaire James Ward Prowse has joined the Hammers and we all know how Zouma loves set piece goals/aerials. The other side will just note that this is the only game in which he ghosted decently, West Ham have yet to keep a clean sheet, and the big fella just hasn't done it consistently in a West Ham shirt yet. Believe in something; stream Zouma v Luton on Friday.
Ollie McBurnie
Position: Forward
Team: Sheffield United
Rostered: 20%
Ghost Points Per Start: N/A
Ghost Points Last GW: 3
Prospects: Had a knock that has kept him from the starting lineup but just made a brief but productive cameo over the weekend v Manchester City. We know from past experience that he is an aerial machine; the time is ripe to take the punt, especially given the dearth of quality forwards on the waiver wire.
Verdict: Pick him up! Has the potential to be a low end FWD3 (that doesn't sound as exciting as it really is).
You love to see it. A good old fashioned, no nonsense, brick shithouse center forward bruising his way to aerial after aerial and, perhaps, the occasional goal. Not many of these kind of chaps exist in the EPL anymore, unfortunately. Thanks, Pep. But Ollie McBurnie is back to remind us of a simpler time - when aerials were aerials. The giant Sheffield United #9 hasn't been in the Premier League since the Blades were relegated back in 2021. In that heady era, he was known as a ghost point specialist, bagging aerials for days.
So those of us old enough to remember were yearning for the days of yesteryear when Sheffield United was promoted and McBurnie reentered the Fantrax pool. But an ankle injury kept him out the first two games. The third, however, saw Ollie's triumphant return. It took him just a few minutes to snag 3 ghosts - from 1 Key Pass &1 Accurate Cross Not a Corner (ACNC). If Ollie can get fit and reinsert himself into the starting xi, he has a chance to revive the nostalgia. Here's to hoping.
Honorable Mentions:
Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace DEF; 26.75 ghosts): This is getting ridiculous. The great Dane dropped another mouthwatering ghost point display, this time even more absurd. But we've been here before. Remember his 22.5 point performance early doors against Newcastle last campaign? Yes, he he can ghost but he has never proven consistent. He is still a trade high for us.
Julian Alvarez (Man City FWD: 15.5 ghosts): No one can stop the Alvarez freight train. He has now added ghosties to his game - averaging over 13 scary scores a week. Our early predictions of top 5 FWD are coming to fruition. Only Pep could hit the brakes.
Anthony Gordon (Newcastle MID: 14.5 ghosts): Historically a mediocre ghoster, the cartoonish Englishman turned on the charm v Liverpool. He has been a pleasant surprise fantasy-wise, especially given how late he was drafted, but we're very doubtful he can ghost like this on a consistent basis.
Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur MID; 13 ghosts): He keeps doing it - featured previously in these pages, Bissouma is letting the good times roll. Everything is going through him and Madders. Hope you were able to pick him up.
Category Killers:
Key Passes: Pascal Gross (6)
Successful Dribbles: Evan Ferguson (4)
Aerials: Raul Jimenez (8)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Serge Aurier (2)
Tackles Won: Pedro Neto (4)
Interceptions: Alexis MacAllister (4)
Dr. Peter Venkman Award:
Antoine Semenyo (Bournemouth FWD; 0 ghosts): Some of us were excited about the prospects of one Antoine Semenyo. The young forward has passed the eye test - dynamic, pacey, dangerous, and an eye for goal. An assist in the opener, a goal and 8 ghosties v Liverpool the previous GW, with Spuds coming to town, he was primed for a nice fantasy day in the office. Well, there goes that dream. Zero points later, we dropped him back to the waiver wire. Semenyo was only able to muster 1 Tackle Won, which was subsequently canceled out by 2 dispossessions. This is not what we signed up for; he lost us - and likely others - the GW with his infuriating goose egg. He was unlucky to not get on the scoresheet but Semenyo's absolute lack of ghosts is terrifying. We obviously aren't immune to getting hurt again but we need some time to heal from this one before bringing on the pain again.
***Click here to view the full Ghost Point Tracker table!***
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