LEC DFS Picks for 8/8/20 - FanDuel, DraftKings League of Legends Daily Fantasy

James Swindell's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LEC DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 8/8/20. 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. Friday was another excellent slate for the LEC and there are plenty of more matches to get excited about on Saturday. We know how close they playoff race is in Europe and as of right now every single one of our teams can still lock up a spot in the postseason. As our LEC competitors make the final push for playoff spots, the matches will only grow in intensity. If you thought the last couple of slates were entertaining, Saturday's matches should be even more explosive. This slate is one that you definitely that both DFS players and LoL fans will not want to miss.

I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Saturday, August 8th, 2020 at 11:00 AM 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.

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.

1. 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. 
2.  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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

FC Schalke 04 (-160) vs. Team Vitality: DFS Targets

The #S04MiracleRun is alive and well after FC Schalke 04 (FCS) secured their fifth consecutive win, this time coming over Fnatic (FNC). Not only did FCS pull off the upset, but they also won in dominant fashion. While the early to mid-game was fairly even, Schalke pulled way ahead late and the final kill total was 24-10 in their favor. Team Vitality (VIT) was able to complete their second consecutive victory over a first-place team, toppling Rogue (RGE) in Friday's first match of LEC action. VIT was able to keep pace with Rogue early in the game as they controlled the map's neutral objectives and took smart trades when available. The late-game was swung heavily into their favor by a Baron steal and they were about to close out RGE from there.

Once again the hero of the day for FCS was Gilius. Gilius provided a ton of early game pressure on Sejuani which he snowballed into a four kill, eleven assist performance as well as some huge plays in the bot side river. There is no mistake that Gilius is core to the recent success that Schalke has found. As for Vitality, Milica had his second strong performance in a row collecting four kills and four assists against only one death. For the split, Milica has a team-best 4.2 KDA (kills/deaths/assists) to go along with his solid 67.3 KP% (kill participation).

Schalke are playing excellent League of Legends right now and have found themselves right back into the playoff race with a 17.6% chance to qualify for playoffs. On the other hand, Team Vitality has taken down the league's two top teams in back-to-back games and has a 33.6% chance to secure a spot in playoffs. FCS is playing well enough that I feel confident picking them here but this is a MAJOR trap game for them. Don't count Vitality out but Schalke is one of the strongest teams in the LEC right now and they should be able to avoid an upset here.

FCS Plays: Gilius, Abbedagge, Neon

VIT Plays: Milica, Skeanz

SK Gaming vs. Origen (-125): DFS Targets

SK Gaming (SK) was unable to defeat G2 Esports (G2) in their game Friday after being competitive for a fair part of the match. SK came out strong and even held the lead in kills/gold for a small duration of time, but it was not enough to overcome the superior map control and team fight strategy of G2. Unfortunately for fans for Origen (OG), their playoff hopes are all but over after their loss to Excel Esports (XL) on Friday. OG had the lead for the majority of the game but they gave it away by failing to secure the Baron for themselves while they were ahead. Origen's odds to make playoffs are down to 1.7 percent of all scenarios after their record fell to 6-10 for the split.

Crownshot had another great performance on Friday but unfortunately, his heroics on Summoner's Rift was not enough to help SK pull out a win. That being said, his 6/3/3 KDA ratio is impressive considering the fact that SK had nine kills as a team, leaving Crownshot with a perfect 100 KP%. Origen's ADC Upset had another solid statistical performance despite the fact they were unable to win. Upset scored five kills and 2 assists with only one death, good for an impressive 7.0 KDA. OG's issues stem from a lack of communication and underwhelming gameplan execution, while they may have a few strong players, they lack the cohesiveness they need to win games.

We have another close matchup here that could go either way, Origen can still technically make playoffs but have the lowest percentage chance at 2.34%. On the other hand, SK should feel confident as they have a 79.1% chance to lock, but if they lose this game things will become a lot more complicated and their playoff destiny may be out of their hands. I'm going with SK here because of the fact that OG is still in the midst of a five-game losing streak, but don't count Origen out just yet, they still have enough talent to compete and they won't roll over while their playoff hopes are still alive.

SK Plays: Crownshot, ZaZee, LIMIT

OG Plays: Alphari, Upset

Excel Esports vs. Fnatic (-205): DFS Targets

In the second matchup of Friday's five-game slate Excel Esports came away with a huge victory over Origen. XL fell behind early down by as many as five kills at one point, but by capitalizing on the indecisiveness of Origen, Excel was able to get back into the game. Finally, XL set themselves with excellent positioning to secure the Elder Dragon and they were able to end the game. Conversely, Fnatic fell to FC Schalke and are sitting at 7-9 for the split. Although FNC did manage to communicate well early and keep the game even, they were outplayed in team fights which allowed FCS to build up a significant kill/gold lead which gave them a huge advantage in the late-game.

Excel's comeback could not have been possible with the excellent back-line dives that Kryze provided the team on Camille. In the past Kryze has proved how effective he can be on the champ and Friday was no different. He finished with three kills and five assists with one death for an 8.0 KDA. Fnatic players are a hard sell in DFS format right now, but Nemesis did have a solid 5/3/4 performance in the team's loss. Unfortunately, FNC players are still expensive on some DFS sites like DraftKings and it is hard to justify paying for them when Fnatic is not picking up wins.

I am expecting this to be one of the most exciting matches of the weekend as both Fnatic and XL are still fighting to secure their spot in playoffs. XL has been playing well enough lately to move up to a 91.0 percent chance to lock versus FNC who only has 61.3. I have criticized Fnatic for their poor play over the past few weeks but when push comes to shove I believe that star players like Rekkles and Selfmade will be able to step up for them. Fnatic has not missed playoffs throughout the entirety of their existence in the LEC and while I don't think they will be strong contenders to win the LEC, it's hard to imagine the playoffs without them.

FNC Plays: Rekkles, Selfmade, Team Slot

XL Plays: Patrik, Kryze, Caedrel

Misfits Gaming vs. G2 Esports (-345): DFS Targets

Misfits Gaming (MSF) struggled to get any momentum going in their loss to MAD Lions (MAD) Friday, only managing to score 2 kills against MAD's 14. The game was controlled by MAD from start to finish and MSF was not successful in their attempts to swing the game via team fight skirmishes. Misfits' chances to make playoffs fall to just seven percent after their loss as they sit at 6-10. On the other hand, MSF's opponents G2 Esports picked up a big win over SK Gaming to take control over third place in the LEC table as they sit at 9-7. G2 looked solid while securing their fourth win in a row, using excellent picks to set up easy kills and gain a major advantage heading into the late-game. The final kill total ended at 19 to 9 in their favor as G2 was able to dominate the matchup and guarantee a playoff position.

Unfortunately, MSF did not have any noteworthy DFS performances. MSF only managed to secure two kills which resulted in very lackluster statistics for the individuals on their roster. Kobbe is still a great player and averaging a respectable 4.3 KDA on the season but MSF does not have many viable DFS plays when they are struggling so hard. Caps has been the star of G2 this season and had yet another excellent performance on Friday with an 8/0/5 game and showed great leadership from the mid-lane. G2 Esports has returned to form and Caps is the primary reason for the mid-season turn around.

While the MSF roster does have good individual pieces they are not competing on the same level as G2. We have seen upsets many times this split but this game seems very favorable for G2. Anything can happen in the LEC but with G2 regaining their momentum and Misfits still struggling to play well as a team, I'm going all G2 in this one.

G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Perkz, Wunder, Team Slot

MSF Plays: Kobbe

Rogue vs. MAD Lions (-130): DFS Targets

Rogue fell to Team Vitality on Friday with the final kill total at 10-8 in favor of VIT. RGE was unable to execute their usual gameplan and get out to an early game lead. In addition, Rogue had a Baron stolen from them right after they had swung the momentum of the game in their favor with a big team fight win. Because of Rogue's poor performance, MAD Lions was able to take over the sole position of first place in the LEC standings. MAD played an excellent all-around game versus Misfits as they controlled the tempo of the game and surmounted a large kill/gold advantage that persisted throughout the match.

Larssen is without a doubt one of the best mid-laners in Europe and he was able to put together a decent DFS performance despite the fact that Rogue was unable to win. Larssen secured four kills and three assists but was killed twice and without his strong gameplay things could have been a lot worse for RGE. I'm going to sound like a broken record here but MAD's big three was awesome again in Friday's match. Kaiser, Humanoid, and Shad0w combined for 10 kills and 19 assists but the most impressive statistic is that none of the three had a single death. While they have faltered on occasion, this trio has been consistently excellent and frankly, pretty incredible to watch.

The match of the week is our last game of Saturday's slate and it will be worth the wait. Rogue has a ton to prove here and their recent struggles have had analysts begin to question if they really are the second-best team in Europe. MAD will be looking to further assert their dominance over their LEC contemporary and finish the split 2-0 versus second place Rogue. While Rogue has surprised me in the past and grown into a strong team, MAD is playing excellent Leauge of Legends and they are the team to beat as they sit at the top of the table at 12-4.

MAD Plays: Humanoid, Kaiser, Shad0w, Team Slot

RGE Plays: Larssen, Inspired, Finn

Summary

1. G2 has the best matchup of the week but there is no doubt will be chalky. That being said, I wouldn't recommend not stacking them at all as they have a very high kills/win correlation. At least a few of your lineups should have some G2 influence.
2. 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 FCS/VIT or SK/OG. MAD Lions will be a riskier play since their game could go either way. On the other hand, when games go long and are competitive the kills tend to pile up. Don't be afraid to pick tougher matchups but remember that the most important thing for your rostered DFS players is a win.
3. 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!

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