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Dan Palyo's expert League of Legends (LoL) DFS advice and DraftKings, FanDuel lineup picks for LCS and LEC playoff slates on 4/18/20. His top LoL value plays and eSports DFS recommendations.
Welcome to RotoBaller's coverage of League of Legends DFS for FanDuel and DraftKings. Hopefully, you've been following our coverage of the LPL/LCK overnight slates on DraftKings and FanDuel. Today, I will be focusing on the two-game LEC and LCS playoff slate that has contests available on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Both the LCS and LEC have their semi-final matches on Saturday and finals on Sunday. It should be an action-packed weekend and some compelling matchups as we have only the best of the best left in both leagues. Fnatic awaits the winner of the G2-MAD rematch, while the class of the LCS, Cloud9, is waiting for the winner of the Flyquest-Evil Geniuses showdown.
Today we'll be bringing on our top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC playoff slate that locks on Saturday, April 18 at 11:00 AM. Follow me on twitter @ThunderDanDFS and definitely make sure you're following my LoL mentor and our RotoBaller lead ESports analyst @Mr_Malmanger, too!
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League of Legends DFS Basics
Since LEC contests are being offered on both FanDuel and DraftKings, it's important to note some pricing discrepancies from site to site, but the roster slots, scoring, and roster construction rules are almost entirely identical with the only exception being that FanDuel forces you to roster at least one player (or team slot) from a third team, while you can play only two teams among your seven roster slots on DraftKings.
- Stacking in LoL DFS lineups is very important. 4-3 stacks are the order of the day (on DraftKings) with 3-3-1 becoming more popular (and necessary on FanDuel) as people try to differentiate their lineups in these suddenly large-field GPPs.
- In LoL DFS, it is very important to focus on players from winning teams. Think in terms of baseball, one side of the matchup is like a pitcher and the other side the batter. This means there is a very negative correlation between teams in the same match. Players score by accumulating kills, which costs the other side points in deaths. Just like earned runs bring down your pitcher’s score.
- Along with this another mistake I see beginners making is trusting average scoring. Players' scoring potential is only realized in games that are won. If player X averages 50 DKP, that likely comes from scoring 70 in a 2-0 win and 30 in an 0-2 defeat. What this means is that someone who looks like a value at $4800 suddenly might not end up being such a great point-per-dollar play.
- Finally, you're going to want to do your best you fill your captain slot with an ADC or MID. Depending on which teams and players you decide to stack that might not be feasible. The order of preference for your captain slot is generally ADC, MID, JNG, TOP, SUP. Some players in some positions may stand out above the others so consider stats like kill share before you make your final decision.
NOTE: An important detail to note in regards to scoring is that both teams and players can get a double bonus for sweeping their opponent 3-0 in the best of five format. Each player receives 20 extra points in a 3-1 series victory, while teams get 15 additional points. That becomes 40 points per player in a sweep and 30 points per team. Both DraftKings and FanDuel both have the same scoring rules for this bonus.
LEC Losers' Bracket (SemiFinals)
Saturday 11:00 AM: G2 (-750) vs MAD Lions
G2 has been licking its chops for this game since getting knocked off in the first round by MAD Lions. If they beat Origen here, they'll have a rematch with MAD in the semifinals while Fnatic waits for the winner of that game in the finals. Meanwhile, Origen is coming off a 3-1 victory over Rogue on Friday.
In round two, G2 dispensed of a solid Origen team in four games while MAD was swept and defeated handily by Fnatic. G2 is the largest favorite of the day and for good reason. They are talented at every position and love to fight, sometimes you might argue to a fault.
This series should be bloody, but I expect G2 to dispose of MAD in three or four games. Yes, MAD beat them in five games in the first round, but I would expect G2 to come out more focused and prepared this time around. That series was incredibly bloody and we should expect some huge kill totals for G2 in their wins. They have the potential to score well even if they drop a game or two, also.
Give me a four-man G2 stack on DraftKings and at least three G2 players in all of my FanDuel builds. You do need a player from a third team on FanDuel and some of the MAD guys are possibilities as punts in the hopes that it's a bloody series and they steal a game or two.
Top G2 Stack:
- Jankos - JNG (9000 FanDuel, 7200 DraftKings)
- Caps - ADC (10600 FanDuel, 8000 DraftKings)
- Wunder - TOP (8800 FanDuel, 6800 DraftKings)
- Perkz - MID (9400 FanDuel, 7800 DraftKings)
I love Mikyz (8100 FanDuel, 5600 DraftKings), too, but SUP is a position I think we can consider punting as or going with a player from the other game as pricing is incredibly tight this week.
Favorite Captain/MVP:
- Jankos (best point-per dollar option, not necessarily highest raw score)
Top MAD One-Offs:
- Carzzy - ADC (9200 FanDuel, 7200 DraftKings)
- Shadow - JNG (8100 FanDuel, 6400 DraftKings)
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LCS Losers' Bracket (Semifinals)
4:00 PM Sunday: Evil Geniuses (-290) vs Flyquest
Here we have a rematch of the LCS round one series that saw EG beat FQ 3-1 and send them into the loser's bracket. Since that loss, FQ has reeled off two impressive series wins against Golden Guardians (3-0) and Team Solo Mid (3-2).
The winner of this match gets a date with Cloud9 in the finals on Sunday. Evil Geniuses dropped their second-round match to Cloud9 3-1 and need a big win here to secure a rematch with the class of the LCS.
EG has had Flyquest's number this season as they beat them twice in the regular season before dispatching them 3-1 in the first round - that's five out of six games this split! However, one thing you'll notice is that the games from the first round were much closer than their meetings during the regular season and may reflect the improvement that Flyquest has made late since their poor stretch late in the season.
The biggest weakness of this FQ team is their inability to play from in front against good competition. Their early game rating is poor and the fact that EG dominated towers won (31-17) in the round one series reflects FQ's weakness to control lanes and win the early game.
The line has already moved nearly 100 points towards EG in this match and they are widely regarded as the second-best team in the LCS. I could see them favored by even more come Saturday afternoon based on their dominance of FQ this season.
The smart move is to use them as your secondary stack with G2, but the pricing on this slate is going to make that a challenge. I do think FQ is playing about as well as they have all season and can take this series to five games, perhaps even pulling off the upset.
This series should be bloody enough that the winner scores very well and getting this game right will be of the utmost importance on this slate. I'll have shares of both teams as this one is too tough to go all-in on, and Flyquest's prices make them a really nice team to fit with G2. If they pull off a five-game upset win, they should help you shoot up the leaderboards.
Top EG Stack:
- Kumo - TOP (8100 FanDuel, 6400 DraftKings)
- Bang - ADC (9600 FanDuel, 7400 DraftKings)
- Jizuke - MID (8400 FanDuel, 7600 DraftKings)
Favorite Captain/MVP:
- Bang
Top FQ Stack:
- PowerOfEvil - MID (8100 FanDuel, 7200 DraftKings)
- Santorin - JNG (8000 FanDuel, 6600 DraftKings)
- Solo - TOP (7700 FanDuel, 6200 DraftKings)
- IgNar - SUP (7100 FanDuel, 4200 DraftKings)
Favorite Captain/MVP:
- PowerofEvil
Summary
- Never fade G2 on any LEC slate, let alone this one. Getting the right combination will be important, but I expect G2 stacks to be in the winning lineups.
- The FQ/EQ is a hedge situation for me. On paper, EG should win but this FQ team is pesky and an underdog worth taking a shot on in GPPs.
- I think I'd rather play someone from the EQ/EG team as my third team "one-off" rather than go with a MAD player in case G2 sweeps them.
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The @RotoBaller crew keeps producing ? content and insight. Been a great week so far and They have more great content coming for the weekend! Keep it up! @mr_malmanger @ThunderDanDFS @rdr1634 pic.twitter.com/L9B3njL2xL
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Looking Forward
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, CounterStrike, Rocket League and eNASCAR. Thanks for reading, and good luck RotoBallers!
More ESports DFS Analysis
RotoBaller Testimonials
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!
Did you read a RotoBaller article and win too? Send us your screenshots on Twitter @RotoBaller and we'll add it to our winners Hall Of Fame!
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— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) April 16, 2020
