Gameweek 5 Ghost Point Hunters: Draft EPL

Ryan Barnes
Sep 25, 2024
7 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 5 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 5 Ghost Point Hunters

We move. With GW5 now in the books, we have a little more data and more eye test footage to analyze. This week's edition features Jesper Lindstrom, Illia Zabarnyi, and Sepp van den Berg on the big board. We scold Moises Caicedo and Kyle Walker by telling them Not So Fast. And Mikkel Damsgaard and Joachim Andersen are the One(s) To Watch. Meanwhile, the Dr. Peter Venkman Award unfortunately goes to Declan Rice; again, we're nothing if not fair.

Jesper Lindstrom

Position: Midfielder

Team: Everton

Rostered: 5%

Ghost Points Per Start: 9 (only 1 start)

Ghost Points Last GW: 9

Prospects: The dross, route one, anti-woke football of Sean Dyche's Everton was due for an injection of creativity. So over the summer the Toffees brought in not one but two creative midfielders in the form of Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom. The former cracked the starting lineup two games ago and the latter just got his starting debut over the weekend. And he did not disappoint, posting nearly double digit ghosts from just 60 minutes of work and from a variety of sources: 1 Key Pass, 1 Shot on Target, 4 Tackles Won, 1 Interception, 1 Successful Dribble, & 1 Aerial.

The Danish maestro impressed over preseason, particularly with his tasty free kick goal, and now looks like he'll finally get a chance to shine (as much as one can at Everton). But Harrison is still competing for this spot and Dyche did only give Lindstrom 60 minutes (hopefully just building up fitness). If he can nail down this spot, though, he could be a gem. He's also got a shot to break up McNeil's set piece monopoly, taking their only free kick shot so far and only corner not taken by McNeil (who's a lefty, while Lindstrom's a righty). Everton has a nice run of fixtures from here on out and, again, there is quite a shortage of midfield talent on the waiver wire. If given the chance, he could really be a force multiplier for managers. Let's hope he keeps getting starts and can work his set piece magic.

Verdict: Pick him up!

IIlia Zabarnyi

Position: Defender

Team: Bournemouth

Rostered: 11%

Ghost Points Per Start: 7.1

Ghost Points Last GW: 9.25

Prospects: The big Ukrainian had a good run last season. But it was not sustainable. We have short memories, however, as fantasy managers and now we're (temporarily at least) back on the Zabarnyi train. He ghosted pretty well in GW5, delivering nearly double digits from 3 Tackles Won, 2 Interceptions, 5 Clearances, 2 Blocked Shots, & 1 Aerial.

Let's be real, Zabarnyi can be very mediocre. His 6.5 GPPS in 23/24 is nothing to shake a stick at. But he can also turn it on in games and in good matchups. It really doesn't get any better than lowly Southampton at home, which is the matchup Bournemouth have been gifted this GW. So stream away, with the knowledge that this is a very short term play.

Verdict: Pick him up and stream this GW.

Sepp van den Berg

Position: Defender

Team: Brentford

Rostered: 2%

Ghost Points Per Start: 8.5

Ghost Points Last GW: 11

Prospects: The latest in a long line of largely discarded but talented Liverpool defenders (e.g., Nat Phillips), Sepp van den Berg had to swap Merseyside for West London this summer in order to get some game time. And he finally is getting those well deserved minutes, starting back to back games for the Bees. While his debut was forgettable - it was at the Etihad, so it is a write off - his latest start was full of ghosts. His 11 scary scores stemmed from 1 Key Pass, 3 Tackles Won, 1 Interception, 4 Clearances, 1 Blocked Shot, & 3 Aerials.

It must be said that the Brentford defense is pretty crowded, with erstwhile ghosting legend Ethan Pinnock and new boy Nathan Collins also fighting for these precious points. But it looks like there may be enough to go around. Sepp is more than capable of hoovering them up as he is good defensively and also on the ball. He averaged 5.4 aerials won/90 in the Bundesliga last season. It remains to be seen if he stays in the lineup, though, with Brentford usually moving away from a back 3 against the easier teams. For now, it looks like VDB has earned a spot in the XI, but be sure to see how Frank lines up his squad this weekend vs. West Ham. He should be treated as a high upside streamer, especially in decent matchups, with the potential to be a rest of season hold if he shows some ghosting consistency (and starts often). Watch this space.

Verdict: Pick him up! He should serve as a premium defensive streamer in good matchups ROS.

Not So Fast:

Moises Caicedo (Chelsea MID; 12 ghosts): We've seen this movie before. The Ecuadorian, after religiously producing mediocre fantasy numbers, pops up for a game or two with some surprising ghosts. He did it last season and we almost fell for it - before finishing with a damning 5.7 GPPS in the 23/24 campaign. And now he's doing it again. He delivered a dozen ghosties to go with an assist in a battering of West Ham. But this was a clear aberration. Despite these newfound scary scores, his GPPS for this nascent season stand at just 6.6, which is better but still streamer numbers. So we don't have a clear reason - a new manager, a new position, a new tactical fix - to explain these figures from the weekend. It happens. In short, he's not worth picking up and holding. He'll revert to type soon enough.
Kyle Walker (Man City DEF; 13.25 ghosts): Managers with a Man City defender death wish have been waiting at long last for a Kyle Walker start. They got one this past GW and the one prior, with the aging Englishman finally supplanting youngster Rico Lewis. And he repaid the faith with 13+ ghosts. But this is largely because plucky Man City got a very deserved and rare break from the officials to go a man up for an entire half. Walker does not usually rack up offensive stats like this: 3 Key Passes, 2 Shots on Target, & 2 Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs). But he did so because City dominated possession and were desperately bombarding the Arsenal box the entire second half. We are very unlikely to see these types of numbers for him again this season. His first start in GW4 v BRF only yielded 5 points and he could only muster a 5.9 GPPS last campaign. Sell high and/or avoid other than for a stream in favorable circumstances.

One(s) To Watch:

Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford MID; 12.25 ghosts): We flagged the great Dane earlier this season after a ghostly performance against Southampton as someone who couldn't be trusted - yet. But now he's proven he can do it again, dropping a dozen scary scores on Tottenham. Yes, he could be seen as a flat track bully given that his two hauls have been against lowly opponents but it's rare to find a waiver wire asset - a midfielder no less - that can do this type of ghosting. His now 10 GPPS is very impressive (with 0% set dependence to boot). Damsgaard is one to pick up and ride until the wheels fall off. It is worth noting Norgaard and Jensen will be returning from injury in the coming weeks, which could unfortunately see him move back to the bench.
Joachim Andersen (Fulham DEF; 10.75 ghosts): Known to go on crazy ghosting streaks during his time at Crystal Palace, we weren't too sure how the Dane (yes, we doubled up on Denmark in this section) would fare in his new surroundings at Craven Cottage. Early returns look good. He's now coming off back to back double digit ghosts in his first two starts with Fulham. Let's see if he can keep this up and turn into a reliable DEF2/3 that he was during spells in South London.

Category Killer Winners:

Key Passes: Son Heung-Min (7)
Successful Dribbles: James Maddison (7)
Aerials: Dan Burn (6)
Accurate Crosses Not Corners (ACNCs): Victor Kristiansen (3)
Tackles Won: Alexis Mac Allister (5)
Interceptions: Jan Bednarek (5)

Dr. Peter Venkman Award:

Declan Rice (Arsenal MID; 2.5 ghosts): We have to be brutally honest here. Rice has been cooked thus far this season. He's currently averaging just over 4 ghosts per start (7.4 GPPS last season) and has zero attacking returns, along with a red card and a one game suspension. If we remember the heady days of the second half of the last season - when he took to the LCM role like a duck to water, averaging just under 14 PPS and delivering 11 G/A - this is quite the precipitous drop. This past weekend, Rice reminded us of this rut, only mustering 2.5 ghosties, which were dinged by yellow card and 2 dispossessions. Despite others bagging defensive points from the siege the ten man Gunners withstood at the Etihad, he could only nick two clearances and three blocked shots. He is certainly not living up to his Round 3 draft position.

But all is not lost, folks. He is still taking some set pieces (left sided corners, with no corresponding fantasy points yet) and we know how good Arsenal are at this. And the schedule softens up considerably now, with visits to Villa, Tottenham, and Man City out of the way. Rice should haul in the next two GWs against Leicester and Southampton at home. But given Merino should be returning soon and likely shifting Rice further back to a CDM role, a trade out after the Southampton matchup might be the play.