RADIO
Welcome back to another League of Legends DFS fantasy slate everyone, it has been a while since I have last posted. The LCK and LPL spring splits are both underway, both have gotten off to an exciting start with some unexpected outcomes. The LCK is approaching the end of their Week 2, while the LPL is approaching the conclusion of their Week 1 set of matches. Both regions will still be playing on patch 14.1.
If you guys haven't noticed, patch 14.1 is the introduction to some major changes; including Voidgrubs, Voidmites, Voidborn monsters (which offer post-20-minute universal team buffs), three Baron Nashor forms each with their own Baron Pit (Hunting, Territorial, and All-Seeing), map changes to every lane and jungle, and over 100 item changes (new and old)!
This article will consist of my predictions and analysis of the five-game slate (3 LPL, 2 LCK games) on DraftKings that locks at 1:00 AM EST on Saturday, January 28, 2023. If you have any questions about the slate or anything, please reach out to me on X @OhMyDyr or tag me in the RotoBaller Esports Premium chat. Let's jump right into things and good luck RotoBallers!
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1:00 AM: DRX (-150) vs. BRO (+110)
We get a matchup between the two teams that have still yet to win a series this split. To make matters even worse, BRO has yet to win a map, with DRX not so much better with only one themselves. Both rosters were predicted to be in this spot for most of the year, so it is not shocking, to say the least. If I had to pick a winner here, I am leaning toward DRX. They have had more success in the early game so far this year, and they do have players on their roster that I trust a little more in being a contributing factor to a series win (such as Teddy). I am not sure this series gets extremely bloody, so I have my reservations on anything over small stacks or 1 offs.
Prediction: DRX Win 2-1
Top DRX plays: Teddy, Team Slot
2:00 AM: WBG (-250) vs. TT (+175)
This matchup should be interesting. After this series, one team will remain undefeated at 2-0 while the other will join the plethora of teams at 1-1. I have my reservations about how good either of these teams can be, especially Weibo Gaming who are the 2023 Worlds runner-ups. WBG has moved on from TheShy & WeiWei/Karsa and brought in the duo of Zdz/Xiaohao from AL. This top/jungle duo did have some hiccups in their debut game vs Rare Atom but were near flawless in the second game, winning the series 2-0.
Thundertalk Gaming, on the other hand, is running back 4/5 players from the last split while bolstering their team with QuiQui, a veteran support. TT looked fortunate to upset LNG a few days ago, and I expect WBG to win this series. These teams are amongst the lowest in combined kills per minute (CKPM), something that is normal for the WBG organization. Even in victory, I am not expecting either team to have crazy scores unless kill participation (KP) is over and beyond their average.
Prediction: WBG Win 2-0
Top WBG plays: Xioahu, Light, Crisp, Team Slot
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3:00 AM: T1 (-188) vs. HLE (+137)
This should be a fun one. HLE is undefeated on the year (3-0), however, this will be their toughest opponent to date. They made the appropriate roster changes in the offseason, with their biggest need being a competent jungler. Peanut should bring this team a little more consistency as the year plays out, and his veteran presence will need to be on full display to take down the World Champs in T1. I expect this series to be very close, and if HLE were to upset, I think they score extremely well. T1 doesn't drop many maps, but when they do, it usually results in a bloody game. When T1 wins, their range of outcomes can vary, but usually are modest to low-scoring affairs.
Prediction: T1 Win 2-1
Top T1 plays: Faker, Guma, Keria, Team Slot
Top HLE plays: Viper, Delight
4:00 AM: JDG (-1600) vs. RA (+700)
JDG should win this game easily. This will be the first time we see Flandre/Kanavi on the rift together, as Sheer/Maggie replaced both of them during the Demacia Cup. Speaking of Flandre/Kanavi, did you notice that DraftKings forgot to enter them in the player pool today? Very unfortunate to say the least. Regardless, JDG should easily win this 2-0, and their carries should score well!
Prediction: JDG Win 2-0
Top JDG plays: Yagao, Ruler, Missing, Team Slot
5:00 AM: LNG (-350) vs. OMG (+250)
I do not expect LNG to play as badly as they did versus TT. This should be the perfect bounce-back spot versus a team that is a shell of themselves in comparison to last year's roster. For LNG, their roster is not as great as last year's as well, however, I do believe it to be much better than OMGs. It is still pretty baffling to me that LNG thinks that Mark is a better fight for this team than Hang after Hang got to play with GALA all of last year.
With that being said, I will refrain from rostering Mark since substitution is a risk (we saw both of them being played during the Demacia Cup). WeiWei will have big shoes to fill with him replacing Tarzan, but I think in this meta he could fair well. What is even more baffling than that, is OMG's obsession with Starry starting for this roster. Able has practically played 250 games straight at ADC for this OMG squad, including the Demacia Cup, and for some reason, OMG has made the switch right as the split commenced. Not sure how long this experiment lasts, but I fell for OMG the other day vs FPX, I don't think I will fall for them today.
Prediction: LNG Win 2-0
Top G2 plays: Zika, WeiWei, Scout, GALA
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Summary
- TLDR: Start your lineups with JDG/LNG players. HLE makes for an interesting longshot in GPPs. I expect DRX, BRO, T1, and WBG to score low in wins.
- GPP Stacks: Like I said above, HLE upset is probably my favorite GPP stack. Taking a shot on TT to do the unthinkable again should be reserved for 150-max. LNG ownership pivot over JDG is interesting for GPPs.
- Cash Stacks: JDG players are the safest scorers on this slate. Specific lineups could get chalky with 2 players excluded from the player pool.
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