Welcome to RotoBaller's League of Legends DFS column. We'll continue ramping up our analysis for LoL DFS all week, bringing you the insight you need to succeed. With three games on the docket tonight in the LPL, and the LCS and LEC playoffs in full swing, it's an excellent time for ESports DFS enthusiasts like myself and the number of contests on FanDuel and DraftKings continues to grow by the day!
There was some big LPL news from earlier in the week that could impact this slate. Top ESports signed former Invictus ADC Jackeylove. Jackey has been sitting by the side for the majority of spring split. On April 1st, it was announced that Top ESports, considered among the leaders in the offseason to sign Jackey, had indeed made the signing. Even though Photic was steadily improving I still feel that Jackey is an upgrade for them. Jackey will not be starting today. I also doubt that he will sub in leaving Photic a viable bot choice.
Today I'll be providing my League of Legends DFS advice, analysis, and picks for this LPL slate on DraftKings that locks at 2:00 AM on Monday, April 6th, 2020.
LPL Matches
2:00 AM: Suning Gaming (-650) vs. Victory 5
SNG has lost four games in a row, albeit to teams far above them in the standings. Monday morning brings them a welcome respite, as they face the last-place team in the LPL.
V5 owns the worst record in the league being 0-11 record in series and only one game win in 23 tries. V5 is the worst team in the league by a wide margin, and it shows in their statistics. They own the lowest gold generation, drake percentage, baron percentage, cspm, vision, and damage output stats in the league.
SNG should rebound with an easy 2-0 tomorrow. Value will be hard to come by on this slate tomorrow, and SNG prices are at or near the top across the board.
Sofm - JNG ($7,400)
Second on the team with 75.6 KP% SofM has transitioned in his career to become more of a setup man. When he first joined Snake Esports 2016 spring, he was a more carry-oriented jungler. He plays more Jarvan and Sedjuani these days, looking to engage and hold enemies for his ADC to finish.
Huangfeng - ADC ($8,200)
The man charged with cleaning up those kills that SofM sets up is Huangfeng. His 35.6% kill share leads the team and shows that he is capable of doing precisely that. Strange for an ADC, he leads the team in kill participation as well.
5:00 AM: OMG vs. Vici Gaming (-150)
The second match of the night in the LPL is a tight one. OMG sits percentage points above Vici in the standings, they are precisely at .500 with a 12-12 game score. Vici is sitting at 14-15, but they have been performing very well recently.
These two teams have a similar view of how to play the game, both wanting to lock down objectives. Vici Gaming has been focusing on the bottom side of the map, putting the priority on iBoy to win games for them. That bot side focus leads them naturally to outstanding dragon percentage; they have a much better drake % than does OMG. OMG, however, answer with better top side focus leading them into better Baron control stats. OMG also has better gold generation, cspm stats, and damage numbers.
Vici are favored here, but with value being scarce on Monday morning, OMG will be the more popular choice. Most people will justify this pick only by the price, but a closer look show OMG have a few key advantages they can press to gain victory. VG as the lowest priced favorite is also worth a look, even though I don't expect either team to be able to sweep.
Curse - OMG - TOP ($5,800)
Curse in the top lane is a nice value piece for Monday morning's slate. He has the third-best kill share on the team and is very close behind Icon who is second. His ability to carry here should be huge if OMG can pull this one out. His lane opponent, Cube, plays a ton of Renekton, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that pick be contested.
Smlz - OMG - ADC ($6,800)
Vici's intense bot focus will put Smlz in the spotlight Monday morning. I would look for Cold to play a protective champion such as the Braum or Tahm Kench to try to help Smlz ward off early pressure from Vici. Smlz himself should play something with a late-game focus, Caitlyn, Xayah, Kaisa, or the Senna pick would work well here, giving OMG time to scale up and match Vici late game.
Forge - VG - MID ($7,400)
Formerly the backup to IG's Rookie, Forge is getting a chance to come into his own on this Vici roster. His lane opponent Icon has been the backbone of this OMG squad for years, shutting him down will remain a key to winning for VG. Forge is ahead of Icon in several key areas this year, such as gold per minute, damage per minute, % of team damage, and kill participation %.
Aix - VG - JNG ($6,800)
With some big names on the other favorites, I expect this mid jungle duo stack to go under-owned relative to the others. Aix has been great since getting a chance to start for VG. He is averaging 90 DKP during Vici's current three-game win streak. His opposite number H4cker will look to match him, and this jungle matchup will likely decide the series. If H4cker limits Aix's ability to influence the bottom half of the map in VG favor, then OMG can let Curse naturally win out top lane then look to use that advantage to cruise to a win. If not, Aix will likely see another near triple-digit score on DraftKings.
7:00 AM: Top Esports (-850) vs. Rogue Warriors
Much like our first match of the day, this one should be very onesided. RW sits just ahead of V5 at the bottom of the table; meanwhile, TES sit fourth and have added the biggest free agent of the season to their bottom lane.
Knight - MID ($8,000)
Commonly regarded as one of the top mid-laners in the world, Knight might be the MVP of the league this year. Knight leads TES with 77.2% kill participation, plus he is second on the team with a 27.5% kill share. In an incredibly winnable match up with those kinds of stats sign me up.
Karsa - JNG ($7,200)
Another jungle-mid duo here to choose for your lineup Thursday morning. Karsa has the second-best KP% on the team, with 71.5%. Without having to ease Jackey into the lineup TES is free to pursue business as usual, and that is getting Knight rolling so he can control the game from mid lane.
Looking Forward
With LPL and LCK overnight slates continuing through mid-April, we here at RotoBaller have got you covered. The League of Legends DFS action never stops. The LEC and LCS playoffs in full swing and EU Masters kicks off next week.
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!
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