RADIO
Jason Malmanger's expert League of Legends (LoL) DFS advice and DraftKings, FanDuel lineup picks for LPL and LCK slates on 4/18/20. His top LoL value plays and eSports DFS recommendations.
Welcome back, Rotoballers, 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. I can't thank you enough for the kind words on Twitter, and your support has afforded me the opportunity to write about something I love every day.
There are three more games on the docket tonight in the LPL, and one in the LCK. With the LCS and LEC playoffs in full swing, DraftKings discovering CBLOL, and EU Masters main stage coming up, it's an excellent time for ESports DFS enthusiasts like myself. The number of contests on FanDuel and DraftKings continues to grow. Spring regular season is coming to a close, and there are already some massive contests posted in the FanDuel and DraftKings lobbies, including the 20-dollar Double Buff that pays 100k to first place!
Today, I'll be providing my League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for this LPL slate on DraftKings and FanDuel that locks at 3:00 AM on Saturday, April 18th, 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: KT Rolster (-155) vs. Damwon Gaming
This first elimination match of the LCK playoffs luckily for us is a best of three format just like the regular season. Think of it as a wild card game of sorts. KT comes in this match as the favorite having had a slightly better split overall, but after opening with five straight losses, they finished by winning ten of their last 13.
Those three losses being to GEN G, DRX, and APK. KT is a bit better early in the game, and Damwon maybe a hair better late with slightly better vision and baron numbers. The big difference is in the way these teams focus on the map and objectives.
Damwon focuses their top half much more, and you can see this in top-laner Nuguri having a 23% gold share while ADC Ghost has 24%. KT, on the other hand, focuses bot hard controlling dragons and getting 26% of their gold onto ADC Aiming no one else is above 21%.
This bot focused meta leads me to believe that this favors the side of KT here with more priority on ADCs. I'll take KT to win 2-1 here, but DWG is a live dog and certainly in GPP consideration as well.
Aiming - ADC ($7,600 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel)
Aiming is a real hard carry for his team, and they give him the full Uzi treatment. As previously mentioned, he gets a full 5% more gold than the next closest player on his squad, and he collects 35% of the team's CSM post 15 minutes. This investment into their star ADC is returned very well as he sports a 80% KP and 40% kill share, both of which lead the team.
BonO - JNG ($6,400 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel)
BonO is second on the team in KP%, and will be hovering around the bottom side of the map looking for any opportunity to get his bot lane ahead. BonO is especially attractive on FanDuel Saturday where he is the fifth-highest priced jungler. Kuro - MID ($7,000 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel) is also priced down on FanDuel, adding more value to a KT stack.
LPL Matches
3:00 AM: Vici Gaming (-1400) vs. Victory 5
Once more into the breach, my friends, but with WE's disappointing loss to LNG that leaves VG in position to qualify for the playoffs if the chips fall in their favor. We know that picking against V5 is the safest bet in all of esports, besides NA to not get out of groups at Worlds.
The problem tonight again is VG being a slower paced team similar to BLG vs. V5 on Thursday. V5 has averaged over 20 deaths in their losses, but VG only manages just over 15 kills in their wins. We saw with BLG on Thursday the guaranteed sweep is great for cash games, but they might not carry the GPP upside we're looking for as they are the second-highest priced team across the board on Saturday.
Worth noting that this will be V5's last chance to notch a win or face the Detroit Lion's treatment of having lost every series this spring they could be desperate for a win, not as desperate as you would have to be to play them but I'd have told you the same thing about LNG last slate.
Forge - MID ($7,600 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel)
Rookie's former understudy with Invictus Gaming has been a pleasant surprise for the side of VG - he leads the team in both KP% and kill share. Forge is the highlight here for me, but honestly, as many VG players as fit in your stack, the better.
5:00 AM: Fun Plus Phoenix (-800) vs. Rogue Warriors
Both teams have playoff motivation coming into this match - Rogue Warriors will be looking to sneak into the eighth spot with a win and some help while FPX is trying to keep pace with IG and stay ahead of JDG for second place.
The reigning world champions come into this match as heavy favorites and are priced like it, but for me will have the most significant upside of anyone on the day. Rogue Warriors scrappy style could lead them to a huge upset here, or lead FPX to top stack territory. With the upsets we've seen, they could be a lovely GPP option for leverage off the massive favorites.
Doinb - MID ($8,000 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel)
Were going to have to get creative to fit super carry Doinb into our lineups on Saturday, but come on, can you imagine the carnage of him vs. Ruby in the mid lane. Of course, he leads the team in KP%, but he also is tied for the lead in kill share. He has 100 fantasy point upside on both slates and will be in a more than fair share of my lineups.
LWX - ADC ($8,200 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel)
The way both of these teams tend to focus the bot side of the map, they are second and fourth in dragon rates in the LPL, there is going to be a ton of action in the bot lane. Rest assured if I get frisky and play some RW I will 100 percent have Zwuji - ADC ($7,000 DraftKings $9,400 FanDuel). If you can only fit one of the carries from FPX into your lineups, Doinb is the safer play, but LWX might be the higher upside choice with both teams laser-focused on the bottom side.
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7:00 AM Suning vs. Royal Never Give Up (-275)
Royal Never Give Up as a sizeable favorite, gee what could possibly go wrong here. Royal will be off a lot of people's lists for a good reason, they have disappointed us before. There is also confusion surrounding their superstar ADC Uzi and whether he will play a game or not to be eligible for playoffs.
Betty is announced as the starter, and Uzi does NOT have to play a game to be eligible. I like RNG here for this reason; people will be off them, and SNG's ADC Haungfeng seems like a Miss Fortune one trick. He has played 19 of his 36 games on this champion, and it is the only one he has a winning record on other than Aphelios (2-0).
SNG will be popular as a slight dog that will allow people to stack up FPX or VG. This match is probably a hedge spot just because of the way SNG can score even in losses if they get a game they can pay off their prices enough to justify the play. This set is all about the GPP plays for me SNG has the stats to win, and RNG loves to disappoint and may even swap; to be clear, I do NOT expect them to.
Summary
- VG has to be the safest spot for cash. Sub 1% ownership for the bold MME crowd on the V5 won't go winless narrative.
- FPX has the upside to surpass VG with some help from RW. RW likely get thrashed by the defending champs as they round into playoff form.
- DWG/APK/SNG/RNG will be GPP spots for me though I have faith in the favorites and fading and FPX or VG for RNG players will be scary enough to keep people away.
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Looking Forward
With LPL and LCK overnight slates continuing through the month of 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
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
