‘The difinition of madness is doing the same over and over and expecting the same results’

That is something that experimenting allows, to do something different and to be daring enough to do so.

I like having so many top draw players, different options, and players who are influential in fluid, free flowing and progressive sides.

There are no guarentees in football, any team can win, lose or draw in any given game, all games start 0-0 and a lof of games this season have 3 goals or less (not all games).

With the schedule especially in mind, I am very conscious of *possible* rotation risk, although it doesn’t concern me too much, it is something to be weary lf; I am captaining players that start or are highly likely to start most games.

All my defensive players don’t face my attackers and vice versa (in official FPL).

• Looking at recent form, XG, and game theory, goalkeeper stats and XGC.

• Set piece takers offer extra possibilities of points.

• Have players with mainly good fixtures (on paper).

Since playing my wildcard in GW18, my rank has gone up hugely, from aproximately 4 million to around 1 million.

Making calm, rational and yet different choices helped do this, and I want to carry on like this, to do what feels right.

| Thoughts, Rational & Approach |

• Playing a highly owned goalkeeper with reasonable fixtures, mainly defenders, especially with their possibilities of points (possibilities of clean sheets/assists/goals).

• In a very unpredictable season, it feels like going for something different it is be worth doing or at the very least ‘experimenting’ with.

• 11 DGW players.

• 2 free transfers used.

• Maja and Watkins in for Barnes and Wood (both injured/or lacking match fitness/have difficult fixtures).

• Transfered in players who are scheduled to play in GW29.

• Kept players that are set to play in GW29.

• I have technically have had a defensive captain return from a defender before in FPL (Baines as vice captain), and successfully captained Ederson in Sky FF (28 points at home against Spurs, clean sheet and an assist), and successfully captained defenders such as Trent in Sky FF (admittedly a bit by default given how you can captain a player for each gameday in that game, but it can be effective, and especially when games are tight).

• Manchester City have the best defence in the league (and don’t concede many chances).

• A Manchester United defender is in a lot of teams in FPL, therefore, having one of their defenders is a part block move strategy and with potential to gain; both have attacking potential and/or are a threat from set pieces.

• Everton are on a high after winning the Merseyside side derby for the first time in 10 years, have arguably the best fixtures, Ancelloti’s side come off a back off a clean sheet; Digne (appears to be high up the pitch as a left midfielder or wing back, has a high XGA, and is one of the most creative defenders in recent seasons) and Rodriguez are very creative and are on set pieces, as well as being left footed players that have goals in them.

• Liverpool and Salah’s form is very unpredictable this season, Sheffield United are well organised with a system they know well (3-5-2) despite being bottom and having injuries, I’m more than happy to have the league’s top scorer but strangely (rightly or wrongly) didn’t really overly fancy him as capitan or vice captain.

• Ederson, Dallas, De Bruyne, Fernandes and Bamford are attacking and exciting threats in particular in my Sky FF team.

• Sky FF capitans *may* change.

• Enjoy the GW, remember this is quite literally a game and sometimes doing something different can be effective, embrace the madness.

• I am enjoying playing fantasy football again, once the GW starts, the relentless decision making is tiresome  but having football on is important to us and is very stimulating.

• I think where football is at is tactically fascinating, as well as currently playing fantasy football and engaging with people about the game, I like observing trends in the sport.

• Look out for more ‘experimental’ content from Zonerism, as unorthodoxed as it is, some may be addes to or edited, recycled or updated later on).