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James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 7/4/20. He discusses the LEC LoL slates and his top targets.
Welcome to RotoBaller's continued coverage of League of Legends DFS for FanDuel and DraftKings. Hopefully, you've been following our coverage of the LPL, LCK, and LCS as well as we intend to cover all LoL leagues for the Summer split. Today, I am focusing on the 5-game LEC slate that has contests available on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
My name is James Swindell and I will be continuing to bring you LEC related content here on RotoBaller. One thing that I love just as much as the LEC is talking to fellow Esports fans who read our DFS articles. I'm more than happy to chat about DFS lineups, Leauge of Legends, and other Esports/video games with any readers who are interested. You can find me on Twitter and DM me with any questions or comments you have!
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Saturday, July 4th, 2020 at 11:00 AM EST. This 5-game slate features As I've said before you can follow me on Twitter @s28_james and hit me up if you ever want to talk about LoL lineups or roster construction. I am more than happy to chat with you all!
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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.
- Once a match starts, anything can happen. Usually, the better teams are very consistent. Be sure to check the player pool carefully and try to craft a roster of players who have been playing recently or do not have listed backups.
- Stacking in LoL DFS lineups is paramount. 4-3 stacks are the order of the day (on DraftKings) with 3-3-1 or 4-2-1 are 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.
11:00 AM: Rogue (-245) vs. SK Gaming: DFS Targets
Rogue (RGE) looked very impressive on Friday, controlling objectives throughout the game versus Origen (OG). Analysts and fans alike have pointed out that RGE has not had the most difficult strength of schedule, but with their win over OG, Rogue has shown they can beat top-level LEC competition. SK Gaming (SK) fell to Fnatic (FNC) on Friday in a hard-fought contest that saw many momentum swings back and forth. The late-game was controlled by FNC after a crucial error in the mid-lane allowed FNC to capture both the Elder Dragon and Baron. SK looked solid for the vast majority of the game but small mistakes led to their downfall.
Every week in the LEC thus far, Larssen has shown up to play for RGE. He showed up again on Friday and was one of the driving forces behind Rogue's domination of the map. His 3/1/3 KDA ratio was not excellent but his 7.8 KDA on the season to go along with a 73.9 KP% is outstanding. Hans sama also played well, finishing the day with a respectable 5/2/2 KDA ratio. Crownshot finished his game at 1/3/5, an underperformance from him. In addition, he had a significant misplay in the mid-lane during the later stages of the game that gave momentum back to XL.
This matchup is one of the most interesting of the weekend. On one hand, Rogue has proven that they deserve to be considered among the top teams in the LEC after beating OG. On the other hand, SK looked excellent to start the split but they have not shown up the past few games when they've played tougher competition. SK has shown they can upset anyone, but RGE is on a hot streak and until we see SK turn things around it is hard to justify more DFS plays for them than a one-off.
RGE Plays: Larssen, Hans Sama
SK Plays: Crownshot
12:00 PM: Team Vitality vs. Origen (-275): DFS Targets
Unfortunately for Team Vitality (VIT) they dropped a close match versus Excel Esports (XL) on Friday. VIT was in the game the whole way but a late-game team fight loss allowed XL to finish off the game with VIT only managing to secure 5 kills. Origen fell to Rogue in a hotly contested match that took over 46 minutes for a victor to be crowned. OG fell behind early and RGE capitalized on their advantages by controlling objectives. Origen did their best to mount a comeback but was unable to overcome the massive gold/item advantage.
Milica put up a good fight versus an overwhelming XL team comp. He finished at a 2/1/3 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) ratio which is not excellent but he did have a 100 KP% (kill participation percentage) with only one death. It's a similar story for OG top-laner Alphari who did his best to fight back against the lead RGE had built up but finished at 3/2/6. Upset finished with a solid 6.0 KDA but unfortunately, he had zero kills in the match. Upset did not have as big of an impact as we were expecting, but throughout the split he has been one of the most consistent performers for OG.
Origen lost some of the momentum that they had built up over the previous weeks, but a loss to Rogue is nothing to get too worked up about. OG might not be playing at an elite level right now but they are still a top team. That being said, VIT has shown they are not a pushover squad and there is definitely potential for an upset here. OG should win but don't be surprised if VIT gives them a good run for their money.
OG Plays: Upset, Alphari
VIT Plays: Milica
1:00 PM: Fnatic (-700) vs. FC Schalke 04: DFS Targets
Fnatic bounced back from last weekend's poor performance to take down SK on Friday with the final kill total at 18-11 in their favor. FNC let SK hang around in this game for a long time with some questionable plays but ultimately cleaned up their gameplay and used a more methodical approach to end the game. FC Schalke 04 (FCS) came out strong versus Mad Lions and controlled the game up until around the 20-minute mark when a crucial error during a team fight gave away the momentum they had built up. Although FCS did not come out with the victory, their play up until the late game showed that they still have the potential to turn their season around.
It may be too early to jump on the Fnatic hype train, but seeing them perform well does inspire confidence in playing the talented individuals on their roster in DFS format. Rekkles had a stellar performance on his second Syndra bot-lane of the year racking up 4 kills to go along with 12 assists and no deaths. Hylissang got back on track with an impressive 2/3/14 KDA ratio, bringing his KP% up to 60.6 in the split. Odoamne got off to a strong start but finished with a 2.0 KDA.
This matchup should be an easy win for Fnatic. Thankfully for fans of FC Schalke 04, they have been steadily improving, albeit not by a whole ton. Despite this improvement from FCS, FNC should be able to dominate this game and carry some momentum into the next week of LEC play.
FNC Plays: Rekkles, Hylissang, Selfmade, Team Slot
2:00 PM: G2 Esports (-345) vs. Excel Esports: DFS Targets
G2 Esports (G2) looked excellent in their matchup with Misfits Gaming (MSF) on Friday. With Perkz resting some wondered if G2 would slip up versus a Misfits team that had been performing well in recent weeks. With a substitute ADC and an unorthodox team composition, G2 still went on to dominate the game racking up 22 kills in the process. Excel Esports played an impressive game versus Team Vitality, they managed to gain an early gold/item advantage and stayed in the lead the rest of the game. XL did have some missteps and indecisiveness that is unbecoming of a top team, but this solid performance kept their playoff hopes alive.
Once again G2's player of the game was undeniably Caps. He took over as the main carry for G2 as their ADC Perkz missed the game for personal reasons and followed up his stellar performance last Saturday with an even better one on Friday. Caps finished with a 13/1/7 KDA ratio and some of the best team fight execution we have seen from the mid-lane this split. Mikyx and Jankos also had great games for G2, each with a KDA north of 7.0. Patrik was the heart of XL yet again, this time killing 4 to go with 7 assists against only 1 death. Caedral deserves a mention as well, putting up a solid 2/0/5 KDA ratio on Volibear in the jungle.
XL is quickly becoming the dark horse team to steal a playoff spot in the LEC. If they were facing any other team I would be wary of a potential upset, but G2 has really started to assert their dominance over the mid-tier teams in the LEC and they are getting back to championship contender form in a hurry. Excel Esports is a fun team to watch and their record at the end of the year might be even better than we expected, but G2 are the reigning kings of the LEC, and it's hard to bet against them when they're on a roll.
G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Wunder, Team Slot
XL Plays: Patrik
3:00 PM: Mad Lions (-240) vs. Misfits Gaming: DFS Targets
Mad Lions gave us a scare on Friday giving up an early lead to FC Schalke 04, but eventually MAD was able to swing the game's momentum with a huge team fight win in the bot-side river. MAD displayed their mastery of team fight tactics finishing the game with a total of 21 kills. Misfits Gaming was dismantled by G2 on Friday, putting up 8 kills to G2's 22 in a match that only lasted 26 minutes.
All of the players on MAD have been on a tear as of late. Particularly Humanoid who bounced back in a big way after Saturday's underwhelming showing. He finished the game with a 5/1/13 KDA ratio and has a 34.6 DMG% (percentage of team's total damage dealt to champions) this split. Shad0w had another excellent performance as well, with an 18.0 KDA and a 73.9 KP% for the split. As for MSF, Kobbe continues to play well although his stats may not show it. Although he finished at 2/4/2, Kobbe is sitting at a solid 66.2 KP% as well as a 27.3 DMG%.
There is good reason MAD are sitting at 7-1 this split, they have been the best team in the LEC thus far. That being said, MSF are not a bottom-table team that will be a free win. Although it isn't likely that Misfits will upset MAD, they have the aggressive, unorthodox players to pull it off. The Mad Lions are consistently putting up kills and beating down opponents, they look to be a strong stack again on Saturday even in a more difficult matchup.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Shad0w, Kaiser, Team Slot
MSF Plays: Kobbe
Summary
- Fnatic, Mad Lions, and G2 all have good matchups this week, stack those games but don't be afraid to play a Rogue or Origen one-off to separate yourself from the pack.
- Keep an eye on dark horse teams like XL and SK, you can usually find a good value one-off play from their teams if you need a budget player in your lineup.
- Look for price discrepancies on different DFS sites. In general, Draftkings prices players based on odds and FanDuel prices based on recent performance. I'm repeating this tip because it gives DFS players a huge advantage knowing this. If you primarily play on DK look for players/teams who are hot right now, if you play on FD look for good individual matchups you can capitalize on.
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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!
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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