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James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 7/17/20. 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 DFS content here on RotoBaller. The LEC is back this weekend after a break which signaled the end of the first half of the summer split. Last time we saw our teams in action, four out of the five games ended in huge upsets. The unpredictability of the teams in the LEC has led to an incredibly tight playoff race as we enter the back-half of the split. There is plenty to be excited about as a DFS player and as a fan of LoL as we return to European competitive play. If there was ever a week you did not want to miss in the LEC, this is the week.
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Friday, July 17th, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. This 5-game slate features a battle between two powerhouse organizations as well as a massive scramble for playoff spots. 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.
Team Vitality vs. SK Gaming: DFS Targets
Team Vitality (VIT) pulled off an upset win over Origen (OG) on Saturday, bringing their record up to 4-5 which is good for a tie at 5th position in the standings. VIT allowed OG to play their objective-centric style of play, while they opted for more map control and lane pressure, ultimately allowing them to surmount a significant kill/gold advantage. SK Gaming (SK) fell to Rogue (RGE) in a game where they struggled to gain any momentum against their opponents who dominated the map and neutral objectives. SK stuck to their usual gameplan and tried to play through bot lane, but unfortunately, a few failed dive attempts left them at a significant gold and kill disadvantage.
The most outstanding player for VIT in the first half of the split was Milica. He does an excellent job controlling the mid-lane which allows him to roam and help his teammates secure kills. On Saturday he finished with a 3/0/8 KDA ratio and the highest cs (creep score) on the team. Comp deserves a shout out as well for his impressive nine-kill, two-assist performance. Although SK did not look particularly impressive in their last game Crownshot is still an incredibly talented ADC who has the potential to carry any game. Unfortunately, he had his worst game of the split, posting a /0/2/1 KDA ratio (kills/deaths/assists). When SK is able to give Crownshot the proper support he needs to succeed, he is capable of taking over games.
Team Vitality ended off the first half of the split on a high note with a solid performance in their win against OG. SK looks like they may have capitalized early in the season when teams were not at their best. That being said, SK is hard to beat when they effectively play through Crownshot. As far as DFS goes, there are a few budget plays to be explored in this matchup.
SK Plays: Crownshot
VIT Plays: Milica, Cabochard, Team Slot
Rogue (-385) vs. FC Schalke 04: DFS Targets
Rogue reclaimed their seat at the top of the LEC table by winning in convincing fashion versus SK Gaming with the final kill total at a 20-6 in their favor. RGE has shown yet again that they have supreme map awareness and vision control, allowing them to dominate objectives and secure tower advantages over less disciplined teams. However, their opponents FC Schalke 04 (FCS) pulled off a massive upset over Fnatic (FNC). FCS managed to capitalize on small mistakes that FNC made which set up late-game gank opportunities.
Rogue has had solid performances from all of their players this split, but the star of their team is still Larssen. He helped contribute to RGE's win on Saturday in a big way, racking up 6 kills and finishing with a 5.5 KDA. Larssen deserved the serious consideration he got for mid-season MVP, not only is he one of the primary driving forces behind Rogue's success, but he is also one of the best control-mage players in the world. For FCS, Odoamne had his best game of the split thus far, finishing with 3 kills and 5 assists against 0 deaths. He has been one of the most consistent players for FCS and when he is able to control top-lane, it allows for FCS to set up favorable team fights.
Rogue boasts an impressive 13.7 kills/game, which is good for second-best in the league, they should be able to capitalize on their superior team fight capabilities in this matchup. It was encouraging to see some life from FCS getting their first win, but as of right now it seems unlikely they will upset another top team. Rogue should be a very high owned team in this week's slate, so it is important to play the members of RGE who have the best chance to score big.
RGE Plays: Larssen, Hans sama, Team Slot, Inspired
Fnatic (-185) vs. Misfits Gaming: DFS Targets
Misfits Gaming (MSF) continued their recent hot streak, upsetting league leaders Mad Lions (MAD) in dominant fashion. MSF used an unorthodox draft strategy to counter MAD's gameplan and capitalized on lane gank opportunities. The final kill total finished at 22-5 in favor of Misfits. As for Fnatic (FNC), they did not look nearly as impressive, conceding a win to FC Schalke 04 which was their first of the season. FNC desperately needs to regroup after a disappointing first half of the split that saw questionable draft strategies as well as a lack of cohesiveness as a team.
Fnatic did not have any players who performed well on Saturday, but they do still have a talented roster. Rekkles still deserves some consideration for DFS lineups, in Fnatic's 4 wins he has 19 kills and 30 assists against 0 deaths. As good as he has been when FNC wins, the issue is that Fnatic is struggling to find those wins. Misfits were shaky during the first half of the split, but recently they look like they are putting it together as a team. A big part of their success is Kobbe who has continued to be incredibly consistent. In Saturday's victory, he finished with a 15.0 KDA and dominated the bot-lane matchup. Razork has faced a lot of criticism this split but on Saturday he had an excellent seven-kill, nine-assist performance.
This matchup should be one of the most exciting of the week to watch. MSF has been hot as of late but we can expect to see an improved FNC team after the break week. Well established organizations with good team management capitalize on time off in order to fine-tune or adjust the team's gameplan and Fnatic should be no different. We will have to see which MSF we get on Friday, as for now FNC is favored but it would not be surprising to see MSF with an upset here
FNC Plays: Rekkles, Selfmade
MSF Plays: Kobbe, Febiven
Mad Lions (-315) vs. Excel Esports: DFS Targets
MAD still sits at the top of the table alongside RGE, but their loss on Saturday was unbecoming of what we have been accustomed to seeing from them. Mad Lions did not look good in team fight opportunities and a few of their players got caught out and gave away free kills. Excel Esports (XL) pulled off another impressive victory on Saturday, bringing their record up to a respectable 4-5 for the first half of the summer split. XL was able to come back from an early deficit against G2 Esports (G2) with a stellar performance from their bot lane duo who totaled a 95.5 KP% (kill participation) on the team's 22 total kills.
Both Humanoid and Shad0w did not have their best games of the split, finishing with 0.33 and 1.0 KDA respectively. This performance is not indicative of who they are as players, but it was worrying to see them struggle versus a team they should be beating. XL has found success playing through their star talent in the bot-lane ADC Patrik. Patrik had a monster day for XL, amounting to a stellar 9/1/10 KDA ratio. Tore and Patrik are rapidly becoming a bot-lane duo that should be feared by their LEC peers.
Both of these teams have been two of the most exciting to watch in the LEC during the first half of the summer split. XL is starting to get into a groove, winning 4 of their last 5. MAD is one of the top three teams in the league right now, arguably the best. XL is a great dark horse playoff contender but there is good reason MAD sits at the top of the standings, it's hard to imagine they drop two games in a row.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Kaiser, Shad0w, Team Slot
XL Plays: Patrik
G2 Esports (-230) vs. Origen: DFS Targets
Unfortunately for fans of G2 Esports, they have not looked like themselves so far, showing the dominance we expect from them far less often than we would have predicted. They dropped their game on Saturday to XL, only securing 12 kills to XL's 22. Perkz will be coming back to action this week after taking a short break to recuperate. Origen fell to Team Vitality on Saturday, putting them further back in the standings than we would have guessed at the beginning of the split. OG made a good effort to control the neutral objectives on the map, but VIT was able to execute better in team fights and build up a significant gold advantage that allowed them to control the turrets and other in-lane objectives.
Caps had his work cut out for him on Saturday, and unfortunately, he was unable to deliver. Caps finished with a respectable 6 kills and 4 assists, but he also had 6 deaths. ADC Perkz will be returning to play this week, coming off of some well-deserved downtime. Perkz has been good this split, but he is a world-class player and you should expect him to return to that form in the second half of the split. Star top-laner Alphari posted a miserable 0/3/1 KDA ratio while the team struggled as a whole.
This split in the LEC has shown us that G2 is not invincible and can be taken down with the right style of gameplay and good decision-making. Unfortunately for OG they do not really fit into this category of aggressive gameplay, G2 should be able to play the game the way they want to without too much early-game lane pressure. OG shouldn't be counted out of the playoff race just yet, but G2 should bounce back with the return of Perkz.
G2 Plays: Caps, Perkz, Jankos, Team Slot
OG Plays: Alphari
Summary
- Rogue, G2, and MAD have the best matchups of the week. RGE may be a chalky play here so look for other stacks and one-off plays that will help separate you from the pack.
- The better teams will come out stronger and with a more refined strategy out of the break week, although there is always the potential for upsets in the LEC, the best teams will capitalize on the opportunity to refine their strategies.
- 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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