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James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 7/24/20. 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. Last weekend's LEC matchups provided plenty of entertainment and excitement for fans of LoL and DFS players alike. We saw Mad Lions solidify themselves as the frontrunners in Europe and middle of the pack teams like SK Gaming get back on track for a potential playoff position. In the LEC anything can happen, and this weekend there will be even more of these thrilling games that we have come to expect from the European LoL scene.
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Friday, July 24th, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. This 5-game slate features a rematch from the start of the year between two top teams and a matchup between two dark horse worlds contenders. 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.
SK Gaming (-160) vs. Excel Esports: DFS Targets
SK Gaming (SK) picked up their second victory of the weekend with a win over FC Schalke 04 (FCS) on Saturday in dominant fashion. SK used their superior team fight capabilities to gain a significant advantage over FCS but had serious trouble closing out the game as the match went well past the 40-minute mark. As for Excel Esports (XL), they fell to Rogue (RGE) with the final kill total at 9-4 in RGE's favor. XL had the lead in the early-game and managed to keep up with rogue during the mid-game, but a decisive late-game team fight which saw Rogue pick up 4 kills to XL's one that allowed for RGE to end the game.
Contrary to what we have come to expect from SK, Crownshot was the NOT star of the show on Saturday. LIMIT stole the show for SK, racking up 16 assists to go with 4 kills against 0 deaths. In Crownshot's defense, he wasn't too bad either and finished with an impressive 4/0/10 KDA ratio (kills/deaths/assists). XL's success has come from Patrik so far this split, but as of late they have been allowing top-laner Kryze to play late-game focused carry champions such as Camille, Quinn, and Kayle. Last time these two teams faced, Kryze was on Kayle and finished with an 8.0 KDA for that match.
This matchup will be tough to call from a DFS perspective. Although SK is favored, XL has shown signs all split that they have playoff potential. Both of these teams will most likely be lower-owned in DFS competitions on Friday, but this game could go either way so it is difficult to justify a heavy stack of either team. XL has been my favorite dark horse playoff contender, but the recent momentum SK has been building up is hard to ignore. Look for SK to win a close one here, but don't be surprised if XL pulls off the upset.
SK Plays: Crownshot, ZaZee, LIMIT
XL Plays: Kryze, Patrik
Origen (-245) vs. Team Vitality: DFS Targets
Origen (OG) had an excellent weekend of LEC play, beating G2 Esports (G2) on Friday and Misfits Gaming (MSF) on Saturday. OG turned things around after losing 3 of their last 4 and showed us the type of gameplay we expect from them, controlling objectives/map vision that allowed them to create a huge advantage over the course of the game. OG finished their game versus MSF with the kill total at 17-5 in their favor. On the other hand, Team Vitality (VIT) fell to Fnatic (FNC) in a hotly contested game in which the final kill total was 25-17 with FNC holding the advantage. VIT showed us that they can compete with the best teams in the LEC, and until they lost a key team fight at the 31-minute mark, they looked like they could have taken this one. With the loss, VIT fell to 4-7 in the split.
The backbone of Origen's team comes from their bot lane and ADC Upset. OG's team compositions are focused around letting Upset carry the game, and he did not disappoint on Saturday, securing 6 kills and 7 assists against zero deaths. Xerxe deserves a shoutout as well, he had an outstanding 5/0/7 KDA performance on Volibear and he propelled OG to out to an early lead from which they never looked back. Team Vitality introduced a new jungler, Skeanz, over the weekend. He was impressive on Lee Sin (a notoriously difficult jungle champ) posting a 3/6/9 KDA ratio, not bad considering VIT gave up 25 kills.
This matchup is going to be one of the most interested of the weekend, an upset here would be devastating for OG's playoff hopes. That being said, Origen is returning to the form that we expect from them and riding the momentum from the previous weekend. Team Vitality is not a bad team by any means, but they have only managed to win 1 out of their last 4 games. OG should take this one without too much trouble. From a DFS perspective, this game is not as appealing, both teams play a slower, objective-oriented style of gameplay.
OG Plays: Alphari, Upset, Jactroll
VIT Plays: Skeanz, Milica
G2 Esports (-650) vs. FC Schalke 04: DFS Targets
Unfortunately for fans of G2 Esports, they dropped an important game to Mad Lions (MAD) on Saturday with the final kill total at 16-7 in favor of MAD. G2 got off to a bad start, allowing their bot lane to get gank'd which put their ADC at a significant level/gold disadvantage. In addition, G2 gave away free kills by making simple mistakes that allowed MAD to control the map and neutral objectives. FCS did not look good versus SK the previous weekend, only mustering up 4 kills to SK's 20. FCS is the weakest team in Europe right now, and we may be seeing some more roster shuffling in the future.
G2's roster is filled with immensely talented players who are not living up to expectations right now, maybe none so more than Perkz. He has not been himself at all this split, struggling to put a string of strong performances together anywhere throughout the split. In most games, it feels as if he just disappears and has little to no impact on the match. Odoamne, FCS's veteran top-laner, has continued to be FC Schalke's most solid performer thus far. As much praise as he deserves for his consistency, he is not a viable DFS play when FCS continues to get blown out.
Despite G2's recent struggles and disappointing performances, they should be able to take this game fairly easily. FCS is the worst team in the LEC and this is a perfect opportunity for G2 to build some of their confidence back up and take some momentum into Saturday's game. The G2 line will be incredibly chalky here but it would be a mistake to not include G2 stacks in a good portion of your lineups.
G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Wunder, Mikyx, Perkz, Team Slot
Rogue (-180) vs. Misfits Gaming: DFS Targets
Rogue has continued their strong run in the LEC, extending their winning streak to four games with their victory over XL on Saturday. Unfortunately, RGE did not rack up as many DFS points as we would have hoped, only securing nine kills throughout the match. Despite this fact, RGE has been dominant this split and with their superior map and vision control, we can expect to see higher kill totals from them. Misfits have been one of the most inconsistent teams this split, showing us flashes of a great team one week and regressing to a middle of the pack team the next. MSF has lost three of their last four, right after turning things around with a three game winning streak. Misfits looked sloppy versus OG, trying to force unfavorable fights over neutral objectives and getting caught out for free kills.
Larssen had the best game for Rogue on Saturday, finishing with a 5/0/4 KDA ratio, bringing his KDA for the split up to an immaculate 9.6 on 76.5 KP% (kill participation). Larssen's success has been the biggest driving factor behind RGE's drastic improvement. Dan Dan and Razork let down the team again after both had shown significant signs of improvement. Collectively, the two finished with 11 deaths against two kills and two assists for an abysmal 0.367 KDA.
This will be one of the most exciting matchups of the week, Rogue can all but guarantee a playoff spot with a win on Friday. Conversely, a loss in this matchup will put Misfits near the bottom of the table with little hope of making playoffs. If MSF plays up to their potential as they did a few weeks ago, then we could see a close game and a potential upset here. That being said, MSF has not consistently shown those strong performances and with RGE on another long winning streak, it's hard to see them sneaking a win here.
RGE Plays: Larssen, Inspired, Finn, Team Slot
MSF Plays: Febiven, Kobbe
Mad Lions (-175) vs. Fnatic: DFS Targets
MAD took a big step forward in the road to LEC supremacy last week, toppling G2 easily with the final kill total at 16-7 in their favor. By creating favorable team fight scenarios, MAD is able to generate advantages for their laners. In late-gate team fights, the itemization advantages obtained in the early game allow MAD to assert their dominance and win these key fights. Fnatic has had a disappointing split thus far, but in the past few weeks, they have significantly improved. Although FNC did not dominate Team Vitality as many people expected, they executed their gameplan properly and left with another victory. FNC was far from perfect, but the most important take away from this game was that their communication as a team has been much better.
MAD has plenty of talented players to choose from but on Saturday their strongest performer was Humanoid. Humanoid posted a solid 3/4/8 KDA ratio while landing against one of the best mid-laners the LEC has ever had in Caps. Humanoid was able to be successful versus top European competition, a trend that we are seeing more and more as time goes on. Rekkles had an impressive performance on the increasingly popular champion Senna, racking up 13 assists to go with 3 kills against only 3 deaths, good for a 64 KP% and 5.33 KDA.
Once again the game of the slate is the last matchup of the day. MAD come into this game as favorites and rightfully so, they only have 2 losses on the season, neither of those coming against FNC. Fnatic looks to be back on track and competing among the top LEC teams, but they need some more time to continue working out communication issues before they are beating the best LEC teams. If Fnatic communicates well they have the talent to beat anyone, but MAD has been the best team in Europe this split and they should continue their dominance of the LEC.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Shad0w, Kaiser, Team Slot
FNC Plays: Rekkles, Selfmade
Summary
- G2 should be the chalkiest stack of the slate but it is wise to include at least a few lineups with G2 influence in them. FCS is giving up the most kills in the league and when G2 win they tend to put up high kill totals.
- Differentiation and covering a range of possibilities will give you the edge over players who choose more popular stacks. Look for stacks in games like MAD vs. FNC or RGE vs. MSF that are riskier but have the potential to have high kill totals. SK has had some outstanding DFS performances lately but they are also a riskier play versus XL. OG versus VIT has good 1 or 2 man stacks but isn't my favorite to stack heavily.
- 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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