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James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 8/7/20. 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 was another wild one in the LEC as we saw some of our top teams fall in favorable matchups as well as a certain underdog team continue on their recent winning streak. The playoff race in the LEC is still very marginal, with only two wins separating seventh and third place. As the LEC competitors make a final push for playoff spots, the matches will only grow in intensity. The last week of regular-season LEC action is one that you don't want to miss because anything can happen.
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Friday, August 7th, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. The 5-game slate features a matchup between two teams competing for one of the last few remaining seeds as well as one of the league's former top teams facing off against the league's hottest team. You can follow me on Twitter @s28_james and hit me up if you ever want to talk about LoL lineups or roster construction.
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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. Rogue (-265): DFS Targets
On Saturday Team Vitality (VIT) pulled off an impressive upset win over MAD Lions (MAD) with the final kill total at 21 to 8 in their favor. The game was back and forth and MAD gave VIT good competition with MAD actually leading the game in towers taken (9) and inhibitors destroyed (2). Despite the fact MAD was able to gain an advantage in some areas of the game, VIT showed the ability to close out games and proved they are better than their record may show. Rogue (RGE) followed up their trouncing of Fnatic (FNC) by falling to SK Gaming (SK) in Saturday's match. Rogue managed to secure an early lead but a few major misplays allowed SK back into the game. While Rogue did lead the final kill total at 7-4, by the time SK had flipped the momentum they were strong enough to just end the game by taking down RGE's base.
Team Vitality has continued to rely on Milica this summer, but as of late Skenaz and Labrov have really come alive for VIT. In Saturday's victory, Skeanz piled up four kills and eight assists against only three deaths. Over the past four games, Labrov is maintaining a 5.71 KDA. As for Rogue, they did not have any good DFS performers on Saturday, but Larssen has been one of the most consistent performers this split, and he as a 7.2 KDA on 72.8 KP% this season.
VIT is a strong team and they have drastically improved from Spring split. That being said, Rogue has also improved greatly and they possess something VIT lacks which is consistency. Although they do have the capability to pull off an upset here, VIT doesn't quite have the talent to play as good as they did on Saturday for multiple games in a row and RGE should be able to bounce back here.
VIT Plays: Milica, Skeanz, Labrov
RGE Plays: Larssen, Hans sama, Inspired, Team Slot
Excel Esports vs. Origen (-125): DFS Targets
This week Excel Esports (XL) looks to guarantee themselves a playoff spot after picking up a vital win versus Misfits (MSF) on Saturday. Although XL was not able to put up a huge kill total, they came out on top at 10-5. In addition, XL led in towers taken down, Baron kills, inhibitors destroyed, and dragons slain. On the other hand, OG did not look nearly as impressive, falling to FC Schalke 04 (FCS) without too much of a fight. This is the fourth game Origen has lost in a row and they are in serious danger of missing playoffs after coming into the split considered as a top-four team.
Patrik has been the strongest link on the XL roster, maintaining a 3.8 KDA on 76.1 KP% and 33.2 DMG% (percentage of team's total damage dealt to champions) on the season. Tore deserves some major credit as well with a solid 0/1/10 game on Taric in the team's victory Saturday. Alphari and Upset have continued to be consistent for OG, but they are both hard sells in DFS formats because Origen is struggling so badly as a team. OG's talent is undeniable, but they are on a four-game slide for a reason.
This matchup has the closest line of the weekend and it could go either way as neither team has any huge matchup advantages. Although Origen may have the pedigree of being a top team in the past, XL is playing much better as of right now. Patrik and Tore have proven that they deserve to be considered among the best bot-lane duos in Europe and XL should be able to play through them again to secure this victory.
XL Plays: Patrik, Tore, Caedrel
OG Plays: Alphari, Upset
FC Schalke 04 vs. Fnatic (-190): DFS Targets
The miracle run continues for FC Schalke 04 as they were able to beat Origen on Saturday. OG lacked proper communication and FCS capitalized on it early and snowball their lead into the late game for an easy victory. FCS was able to control the game in its entirety and the final kill total finished at 17-5 in their favor. However, their opponents did not fare as well in last weekend's LEC competition. Fnatic (FNC) lost their game versus G2 Esports (G2) pretty handily and unfortunately, the match was not as competitive as one might have expected. FNC was dominated in every major statistical category, only managing to secure nine kills to G2's 25.
Once again Jungler Gilius provided a much needed early game presence for Schalke in their win versus OG, and he finished the game with seven kills to go along with his excellent 7.5 KDA. Last weekend I pointed out that Hylissang has been hung out to dry many times by his teammates this split, but despite this fact, he has taken a lot of criticism for his high death totals. Although I can't defend his poor play on Saturday, Hylissang was put in a bad spot by his team stemming from a poor draft phase.
Believe it or not, FCS still has a shot at a playoff spot even if they go 2-1 this weekend. After starting the split 0-8 the vast majority of people (including myself) had written them off as a bad team, but with a few roster moves, they look invigorated and have been playing solid League of Legends. Fnatic finds themselves on the flip side of that coin, struggling immensely over the past few weeks after looking like strong contenders early. FNC is a powerhouse organization and comes into this matchup favored due to their immense talent, but the talent they have is not working together, and right now is a great opportunity for FCS to capitalize on Fnatic's struggles - #S04MiracleRun.
FCS Plays: Gilius, Abbedagge, Neon
FNC Plays: Rekkles, Bwipo, Selfmade
MAD Lions (-260) vs. Misfits Gaming: DFS Targets
Our top team in the LEC suffered a defeat at the hands of Team Vitality on Saturday. MAD did not look like themselves and struggles to get their mid and bot lanes ahead early which led to significant problems in later game team fight scenarios. While MAD has excelled in team fights this season, it is difficult for anyone to succeed in fights when they are getting out-scaled and out-leveled. Misfits Gaming fell to 6-9 on the season after their loss to XL on Saturday. MSF was unable to keep up with XL during the late game and the gold/itemization advantage allowed Excel to control the map as well as the neutral objectives.
MAD's big three; Humanoid, Shad0w, and Kaiser all struggled to get rolling on Saturday and that was reflected in their KDA totals and cs (creep score). Kaiser had arguably his worst game of the split at a 0/6/4 KDA ratio and struggled to make an impact on the game like he usually does. While the addition of Denyk looked to have provided some much-needed leadership and direction for a Misfits team that has struggled with communication, they took a step backward in their match on Saturday. Kobbe struggled to produce during his first game on Senna this split as he finished 0/1/2 which was not nearly enough to help MSF pull out a win.
Misfits have been one of the most inconsistent teams this split and it's difficult to tell which MSF team we will see from week to week. Conversely, MAD has been one of the most consistent but it is worrying to see them drop games to inferior teams when they have the opportunity to take over the sole position of first place. Misfits are not a bad team by any means but they don't have the talent to keep up with MAD, the MAD Lions should take this game and build some momentum heading into their important matchup versus Rogue tomorrow.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Shad0w, Kaiser, Team Slot
MSF Plays: Kobbe, Dan Dan
G2 Esports (-260) vs. SK Gaming: DFS Targets
G2 Esports picked up a huge win over rival Fnatic on Saturday, all but locking in their ticket to playoffs. G2 was able to dominate the match from start to finish and over the past three weeks, they have looked like the team we all expected them to be. As for SK, they sit at 8-7 as well after their upset victory over first place Rogue. While the stat sheet may indicate SK did not play all that well, they took advantage of the chances they were given and pushed to end the game instead of delaying to try and gain an even larger advantage. SK showed us something that they have been lacking thus far, decisiveness and the ability to end games when given the opportunity.
Once again Caps put on a world-class display in the mid-lane, racking up eight kills and six assists on LeBlanc, bringing his KDA up to 4.1 on the season. In addition, Perkz put together a nice performance on the recently buffed Caitlin, totaling 11 assists and 7 kills against only 2 deaths. ZaZee has stepped up his game in a big way as of late, with his improved gameplay and Crownshot's immense talent, SK has been able to solidify themselves as a top team in the LEC. Before Saturday's game, ZaZee had secured five or more kills three games in a row for SK and he has a stellar 78.0 KP% for the split.
While SK Gaming is playing well as a team and has been consistent, G2 is starting to hit their stride heading into playoffs. Crownshot, ZaZee, and LIMIT have all shown exceptional growth during the Summer, but G2 is hard to beat when they are playing well. Jankos and Perkz have returned to form while Caps has continued his dominance of the mid-lane. This matchup is definitely one to keep an eye on as G2 has let us down before, but it seems as if they have been able to reclaim their momentum.
G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Perkz, Team Slot
SK Plays, Crownshot, ZaZee
Summary
- MAD and G2 have the best matchups of the week and will be chalky plays. That being said, both teams have consistent DFS performers and despite the fact they should be high-owned, they should be smart/safe stacks.
- Differentiation and covering a range of possibilities will give you the edge over players who choose more popular stacks. Look for stacks in games that will have low team ownership such as XL/OG or RGE/VIT. FCS could be a sleeper stack and they will most likely be low-owned but are a much riskier play. Don't be afraid to pick tougher matchups but remember that the most important thing for your rostered DFS players is a win.
- 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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