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James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 6/27/20. 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 all coverage of the LEC here on RotoBaller. There are plenty of exciting headlines going into the third weekend of LEC competition, and more opportunities to make some money with smart DFS plays.
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Saturday, June 27th, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. This 5-game slate features a match between two of the biggest rivals in all of LoL as well as a fight between top playoff contenders in Mad Lions and Rogue. 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.
SK Gaming (-145) vs. Team Vitality: DFS Targets
SK Gaming (SK) bounced back from an upset at the hands of Excel Esports (XL) to pull off an upset of their own versus G2 Esports (G2). SK capitalized on G2's mistakes and played a very solid all-around game. SK's most recent impressive performance solidified their status as a playoff contender. Team Vitality (VIT) made a good effort in their match on Friday but ultimately fell to Misfits Gaming (MSF) by a score of 8-17. VIT had some impressive plays and the game was close throughout, but Misfit's early gold lead led to an itemization advantage that allowed them to have the upper hand in late-game team fights.
Crownshot has continued to be one of the most consistent ADC's in the entirety of the LEC and he proved that he among the best by succeeding against the top competition that Europe has to offer. His 4/0/6 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) ratio along with his 91 KP% (kill participation) versus G2 shows how important he is to the success SK Gaming has found this split. Milica was one of the few bright spots in VIT's game versus MSF, finishing with a 3.5 KDA and 88 KP%. He is an above-average mid-laner with a solid floor, but not as high of a ceiling as other mid-lane options.
Although VIT has shown that they are a decent team, SK is proving that they belong at the top of the table. With VIT surrendering 17 kills to an MSF team that isn't very strong, it seems likely SK could push for similar types of numbers. Team Vitality are a solid team but they have been on a major slide as of late losing their last 3 games in a row. SK did drop one game to XL last weekend but their win versus G2 should give them momentum heading into this game.
SK Plays: Crownshot, Team Slot
Excel Esports vs. Misfits Gaming (-195): DFS Targets
Excel Esports had one of the most outstanding performances on Friday, dominating FC Schalke 04 (FCS) with the final score totaling 15-1 in favor of XL. Although FCS is one of the weakest teams in the league, XL's strength of schedule has been very tough thus far. The fact that XL is beating the teams they are expected to as well as competing with playoff contenders shows they could be a dark horse to rise up the table. One of the teams who has received the most criticism in the LEC is Misfits Gaming but in Friday's match versus VIT they looked much closer to the team we expected to see at the start of the split. MSF played a more clean, mistake-free game than we have seen from them so far this Summer. Players who have initially struggled for MSF this split reduced the number of mistakes they made drastically which led to an MSF win.
XL's best player this split has been Patrik by a good margin. Patrik proved that yet again with his impressive 5/0/5 KDA in their win over FCS on Friday. Caedral also performed well with a 8.0 KDA in the team's trouncing of FCS. Dan Dan has faced criticism this split for underperforming but he bounced back on Friday with by dropping 7 kills to go along with 8 assists and only 2 deaths for an 88 KP%. Kobbe has been consistent thus far and he continued to score solid DFS points with his 3/0/8 KDA.
MSF did look impressive on Friday but VIT has been on a slide recently since more teams are refining their strategies. XL started very poorly but has turned things around as of late. This matchup will give us a good idea of who is more of a mid-tier team and who belongs at the bottom of the table. This matchup could go either way so it would be risky to pick either team for a 3-3-1 unless you're looking to play a cheaper one-off option with a huge potential upside.
XL Plays: Patrik
MSF Plays: Kobbe
Origen (-550) vs. FC Schalke 04: DFS Targets
Origen (OG) fell to Mad Lions (MAD) in an intense back-and-forth match that featured lots of team fights and momentum swings. OG played well and controlled early game objectives but MAD's superior team fight composition allowed them to gain a significant advantage over OG in the late game. FC Schalke 04 fell to XL in the first match of week three. FCS let the game get away from them early and struggled to play from behind the rest of the match. FCS isn't hopeless by any means, but while they shuffle around their lineup and look to solidify their team strategy, don't expect them to have any viable DFS plays.
Although OG did not manage to come out with the victory Upset continued his streak of impressive play. His 3/0/0 KDA seems weak, but when you take into account OG had 5 kills as a team, Upset's performance looks significantly better. As for FCS, they have talented individual players on their roster but until they can work together as a team, none of their players will be strong DFS plays.
Anything can happen in the LEC, but OG comes into this game as heavy favorites versus FCS who continue to struggle. OG looks to be a good 3-3-1 stack in this matchup, 4-2-1 can be considered as well because this matchup should be an easy win for OG. Although they do not put up the most consistent points, OG tends to score big on opponents when they can dominate the game.
OG Plays: Upset, Xerxe, Nukeduck, Destiny, Team Slot
Mad Lions (-130) vs. Rogue: DFS Targets
One of the most impressive teams of the Summer split thus far has been MAD. Mad Lions are having great success playing off-meta champions and straying from traditional gameplay strategy. After beating OG on Friday MAD improve their record to 5-1 with their only loss coming week one to G2. That being said, MAD's opponent Rogue (RGE) has arguably been just as impressive as MAD. Rogue is tied with MAD at 5-1 atop the LEC table after taking down Fnatic on Friday. RGE showed that they can be just as explosive as the other top teams, turning a 3 kill gank into a free Baron and pushing their advantage to end the game.
This game will feature arguably one of the best matchups of the split, Humanoid has been on an absolute tear for MAD as of late racking up a 5/0/6 KDA in their win over OG. Opposing him in the mid-lane will be Larssen who you can make a case for as a top 3 mid-laner in his own right. Larssen has a 9.9 KDA on the season to go along with his 75 KP% and if you exclude their one loss of G2, Larssen is at 69 kills+assists versus 4 deaths.
This would be the game of the week were it not for one of the greatest rivalries in Esports playing out on the same day. Both MAD and RGE have beaten top teams, they will square off against each other to see who will remain at the top of the table. I expect this will be a high scoring game with lots of momentum swings and it will be a fun game to watch. From a DFS perspective, this one is tricky, MAD tend to put up huge kill numbers when they win, same for RGE. This matchup can be used as a possible 3-3-1 stack but it is significantly riskier than a matchup like OG vs. FCS. Even though both teams are hot, MAD has consistently beaten top teams and they should have a slight edge in this game.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Orome, Kaiser
RGE Plays: Hans Sama, Vander
G2 Esports (-205) vs. Fnatic: DFS Targets
G2 continues to be most of the most polarizing teams in the LEC. On Friday they dropped an important game to SK in which they looked completely outclassed. Week to week we have seen a huge variance in their performance as a team. G2 are still a top playoff contender in the LEC, but their inconsistent play makes it hard to justify paying a premium price for their players in DFS formats. Fnatic went back to a more traditional style of play on Friday, allowing star ADC Rekkles to play a late-game carry champion in Aphelios. Although they did not pick up the victory, it was reassuring to see them return to a composition that they have found success with in the past.
Caps did not love up to expectations on Friday, posting 0/3/1 KDA on a questionable champion pick. He gave up a solo kill late-game that ruined any momentum G2 amounted in hopes of a comeback. Even though he performed poorly, this match is a huge one for G2 and you should expect their best player to rise to the occasion. Rekkles was back on to his traditional carry role posting a slightly more respectable 5/4/1 KDA along with his 75 KP%. Although this is a significant improvement from last week, FNC needs to improve their communication as a team and limit the individual mistakes they are making in order for their players to thrive. Giving away early-game kill/gold advantages makes it significantly harder to get back into the game.
This is the best matchup of the split so far as we get to see another rendition of one of the greatest rivalries in all of LoL. Although both of these teams are struggling right now, they are still top contenders for playoff spots in the LEC. Anything can happen in this game and it will be very intense from start to finish. G2 has more to play for being the last split's defending champions, but don't expect FNC to roll over and let them take a game from them in this heated rivalry. G2 has another golden opportunity to prove to themselves and their fans that they are the G2 we remember dominating Europe for so long.
G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Team Slot
FNC Plays: Rekkles
Summary
- OG looks to be the strongest play in either a 4-2-1 or a 3-3-1 stack. They have the best matchup this week and you should look to include at least some of their roster in your lineup.
- SK could be another team that will score well collectively. Although they do not have as good of a matchup as OG, they have proved throughout the split that they are a strong team when they play through Crownshot.
- G2 vs. Fnatic is an absolutely classic matchup that all fans of LoL will be excited about. This may not be the best DFS matchup to score big on because there are a ton of variables to take into consideration when top teams play, but there is potential for this one to be very high scoring and reward DFS players who are willing to take a risk.
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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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