RADIO
Jason Malmanger's expert League of Legends (LoL) DFS advice and DraftKings, FanDuel lineup picks for LPL and LCK slates on 4/12/20. His top LoL value plays and eSports DFS recommendations.
Welcome back to my League of Legends DFS column here at RotoBaller! We will continue to extend our analysis for LoL DFS across different leagues and sites, bringing you the insight you need to succeed. Thanks once again for the outpouring of support from the DFS and ESports communities!
With five more games on the docket tonight in the LPL and LCK and the LCS and LEC playoffs in full swing, it's an excellent time for ESports DFS enthusiasts like myself. The number of contests on FanDuel and DraftKings continues to grow. There are three LPL matches, and two in the LCK that grace the slate tonight.
Today, I'll be providing my League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for this LPL/LCK slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that locks at 2:00 AM on Sunday, April 12th, 2020. Make sure you are following me on Twitter @Mr_Malmanger as I often post starting lineups when I see them and other useful info for the slate.
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LCK Matches
4:00 AM: Dragon X (-424) vs. Afreeca
Afreeca pulled off what could have been a mild upset by taking out Griffin on Thursday. Surprisingly Mystic started for them and played well in the match. AFS might have a "win one for the Gipper" vibe right now, that's all well and good, but I don't think it carries them very far on this matchup.
DRX had some, shall we say struggles, on Friday barely saving their nexus from destruction in the final seconds and snatching victory away from DWG. DRX made some very questionable decisions throughout that series and will need to clean that up going into Sunday.
DRX is the much better team in the early to mid-game and should be able to transition their early leads in farm and gold into objectives and a victory on Sunday.
Chovy - MID ($7,200)
Whoever starts mid for AFS on Sunday morning will have their hands full. Chovy's stats compare favorably to anyone in the world; if you have seen him play recently, you know how that's been translating in-game. He has a 67%KP, which is good for fourth on the team, but with his advantage in mid, he will be able to influence the rest of the map easily and rack up the stats.
Deft - ADC ($7,600) Keria - SUP ($5,600)
The bot lane duo for DRX will be another great spot on Sunday morning. The prices on DRX are all down after their sub-par showing vs. DWG, and AFS taking out GRF helped too. Deft leads the team in kill share % and Keria in KP%. With Deft as the fourth-highest priced ADC on DraftKings, this seems like a good spot to look in some value-priced upside.
7:00 AM: Hanwa Life Esports vs. Gen G (-800)
This matchup is a pretty open and shut case. Everyone is rightfully leery of big favorites overnight, but that seems to be infecting the LPL more than the LCK. The style of game that GEN plays as well lends itself to safety.
They focus on objectives and map control without unnecessary fighting; this will make them the safest play on tonight's slate. They are also priced down in this matchup vs. HLE, making Gen G my favorite cash play of the morning.
Clid - JNG ($6,600)
Clid is second on the team in KP%, with 72.5% only second to BDD. He and his mid-laner are the leaders on the team in first blood %. They work well together on both the rift and your fantasy lineups.
BDD - MID ($7,400)
Mid jungle duos are the second most talked about stack in LOL Dfs, and there are some outstanding ones on tonight's slate. Gen G's last performance vs. APK was an outlier for them in terms of production as we saw BDD go for 111DKP. I don't expect that from him today, but for a middling price, we can expect 85-90 DKP here and some excellent correlation with his jungler.
LPL Matches
2:00 AM: Dominus vs. Suning (-235)
This matchup was giving me fits even before the starting lineups were released, and now that Xiye is back in the mid lane for DMO it hasn't become any clearer. DMO's new coach Ye has helped them look more competitive since joining at the end of March.
This match will be contested more on the bottom half of the map as each team tries to get their ADCs going first. DMO does have a slightly better dragon %, but the vision battle goes over to SNG. SNG also has better baron numbers, and I feel more talented players up and down the roster. A lot of smart people are on the side of DMO here, and I get it.
With all of the big favorites falling in the LPL recently who has any faith in an ordinary favorite over a surging cellar dweller? It's me. I like SNG to go 2-1 here and am not overly excited about DMO's recent wins over V5 and LNG.
The hedge is very much in play, though, as DMO can surprise me here and will get you access to better captain picks later in the morning. Plus, with Suning being priced up it's hard to pick their players to meet that price tag without a sweep.
Sofm - JNG ($7,400)
The jungle matchup here will tell a lot about this matchup, and it all revolves around who gets Jarvan. SofM is 8-3 on the champion and Xiaopeng is 4-3, Jarvan is both players most picked champion. SNG can secure this champion for SofM then I believe they win, SofM can also impact the matchup on Sedjuani. I think that gives him the advantage as the tanky jungle pick can achieve similar goals to that of the Jarvan.
Haungfeng - ADC ($8,200)
The most expensive player on the slate Sunday morning Huangfeng leads his team in KP% and kill share. He can go over 100 DKP any time he plays. He is a menace on Miss Fortune, but plays well on Varus or Kallista as well. I look for him to have a productive morning and be a focal point for SNG in this match.
5:00 AM: Fun Plus Phoenix (-345) vs. Edward Gaming
With the starting lineups having been announced already, we know that Gimgoon will be starting over Khan for FPX. Will this be a big enough boost to allow them to bypass the surging EDG squad on Sunday? LPL upsets are in fashion, and I very much look forward to watching this matchup.
I think Doinb and the boys get it done here vs. EDG. Scout is like a mini Doinb for the side of EDG, but tonight the master shall meet the apprentice. Doinb is the ultimate glue guy; he gets loose from the mid lane influences the other parts of the map. If he can beat Scout to the punch with the roams, then FPX taking this one 2-1.
The problem is that EDG will push them and likely steal a game. EDG also plays in a more controlled style and prefer to lose gracefully rather than going out on their shields. I like FPX for the win, but I don't like them a lot for fantasy. The usual suspects apply here; everyone from Fpx is in play besides Gimgoon, but I will look elsewhere.
6:00 AM Invictus Gaming (-650) vs. Billibilli Gaming
I don't know what's worse loving IG or loving BLG, well I guess I'll find out on Sunday morning which of my vices will kill me first. I have a soft spot in my heart for both of these teams, but when forced to make a decision, I'll side with IG here.
When I look at IG, they have struggled with teams matching their aggression. BLG is smart and controlled, but IG will be able to shove them off of their set plays and punish them with their aggro style. BLG playing better lately, this can only help IG on Sunday as they typically play to the level of their competition.
Puff - ADC ($8,000)
With his team-leading 32% kill share Puff is the highest upside play for the side of IG on Sunday. He and Southwind also have the best matchup here as Jinjao and Xinmo are a weakness of this BLG squad. Puff's Varus has been on pointe, and I'd look for him to secure that pick again here. He is 8-4 on the champ, and his insane damage output always can turn the fight.
Summary
This week of crazy upsets continued on Saturday, and I hear I am picking all the favorites for Sunday. I like the LCK side of things here for cash games with Gen G being my first pick. The LPL side is a chore to pick from, with several of the slower, safer teams being in action. All three of the dogs on the LPL side are certainly viable, but I like IG for my favorite GPP stack.
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Looking Forward
With LPL and LCK overnight slates continuing through mid-April, we here at RotoBaller have got you covered. The League of Legends DFS action never stops. The LEC and LCS playoffs are in full swing, and EU Masters will be back soon.
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we'll be publishing daily ESports DFS articles, analysis and lineup picks for League Of Legends, Counter Strike, Rocket League and eNASCAR. Thanks for reading, and good luck RotoBallers!
More ESports DFS Analysis
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Readers of RotoBaller's eSports DFS articles have been winning money on DraftKings and FanDuel regularly. Some of them are winning contests daily and bringing in some serious cheddar. Check one out below and lots more here!
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