RADIO
Jason Malmanger's League of Leagues (LoL) analysis and LCS DFS lineup picks for FanDuel, DraftKings on 3/30/20. He discusses the LEC LoL slates and his top targets.
Welcome to RotoBaller's League of Legends DFS column. We'll be giving you all the analysis for LoL DFS that you need to succeed. I'm here to help you out by breaking down matchups and highlighting a few players to target from each one for your DFS lineups.
Today we have the Tiebreaker slate of games for the LCS Spring Split. These games are contested under the rules of the LCS regular season, which means that they will remain best of one format. There are only two games on the slate, but it's still shaping up to be a really fun slate with what should be two tightly contested matchups. Both FanDuel and DraftKings have contests available, but I will be using DraftKings pricing in my article.
I'll be bringing League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the 3:00 PM LCS slate on Sunday, March 30th, 2020.
League of Legends DFS Basics
Remember that the LCS (like the LEC) plays a single-game series, unlike the LPL and LCK leagues that play the best of three.
- 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 very important. 4-3 stacks are the order of the day with 3-3-1 becoming more popular as people try to differentiate their lineups in these suddenly large-field GPPs.
- In Lol DFS, it is essential 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. Meaning 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 participation before you make your final decision.
LCS Matches
3:00 PM: Dignitas vs. Immortals
This is the first round of the sixth-place tiebreaker match. The winner of this game advances to face Golden Guardians for the final playoff spot. These teams have faced each other twice already this season. Dignitas have won both.
In week five, the stomped IMT 17 -4 in under 30 minutes. The second match was Saturday's come from behind win. That was a marathon, and DIG was able to win the game despite finishing behind in kills. Dignitas will be on the blue side of the rift for this battle. The "Blue side win rate" in the LCS is 60% on the year.
The first matchup took place with Dignitas on the blue side as well. The team stats are very even. I give the nod to the side of Dignitas. From a fantasy standpoint, this should be the slower of the two games today. DIG should be the highest owned team today. For that reason even though I'm on board with them winning, taking some pieces of IMT could be a nice contrarian play.
Akkadian - DIG - JNG ($6,800)
It seems like only yesterday I was calling for Akkadian to be a difference make vs. TSM. While he did help his team collect a sweet victory over TSM, his fantasy output was lacking. Everyone on DIG had problems producing yesterday as TSM rolled over and played dead. With a KP% of only 61%, Akkadian might seem like someone we'd want to avoid. However, he is a very close third on the team in kill share. He leads all junglers in the league with his 27.1%.
Johnsun- DIG - ADC ($8,000)
DIG has played a bit more through bot lane. Their dragon control is one of their advantages over the likes of Immortals. After the hot start to his LCS return, Apollo has dropped off a bit. I look for DIG to try to exploit this matchup and help the bottom side of the map to get ahead early and stay there. Johnsun has played some Aphelios and Kaisa lately. I'd prefer to see the Aphelios, but Kaisa's late-game damage and mobility are hard to ignore.
3:45 PM: 100 Thieves vs. Flyquest
100T and FLY face off in the first game of the second-place tiebreaker. The winner of this matchup goes on to face Evil Geniuses later Monday night. These two teams split their season series.
100 Thieves won the most recent meeting 21-16 in week eight. Back in week four, Flyquest prevailed 8-1. Each team collected their win while on the blue side of the rift. Due to that win and Flyquest swapping top-laners again yesterday for no discernible reason I believe they may be the lowest owned play on the slate. Especially whoever starts in the top lane.
The problem is we likely won't know who that will be. I also am a firm believer in the blue side buff for these teams. This should be the more exciting game of the night. I like 100T to pick up this win but will likely look to hedge for DFS purposes.
Codysun - 100T - ADC ($7,800)
Cody continued his hot run of form on Sunday afternoon. He also played his fourth game on Aphelios in a row. I do not think that is a coincidence. Cody is a win condition for 100T. Like a baby UZI, he might need a ton of resources to get there, but I think he will be able to do exactly that in this tiebreaker. Even if FLY pays attention and ban the Aphelios, I believe he can do just as much damage with a Varus or Kaisa pick.
Most of the time, I'll tell you to look to pair your ADC up with his support, but you could skip stunt in this scenario to change up your lineup a bit. Stunt's main job is to protect Cody and ensure he makes it to the late game unscathed. He does this admirably, but it isn't an assignment that leads to fantasy goodness. I would look more for Meteos to pair up here.
Power of Evil - FLY - MID ($7,400)
If FLY does pull what now must be seen as an upset, it will be on the back of POE. While he wasn't able to get going yesterday vs. GGS, Flyquest must change that if they want a chance to avoid C9 in the playoffs. POE gets the highest percentage of his team total kills of anyone in the league that's played the entire season.
Santorin is a good pair here if you're looking to start a small stack. Jungle-mid duos are a close second to bot-lane duos in LOL stacks. This will be further reinforced by Flyquest's need to get POE going if they want a chance to take 2nd place.
Everyone needs to remember we're playing a short 2 game slate here with some close teams. Today could be a good day to try some variation with your lineups. The standard 4-3 stack remains the best way to stack up two winning teams, but on this small slate will also lead to the most ties. Don't' be afraid to get a little weird and have some fun today.
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 will start their playoffs this weekend, and EU Masters kicks off next week.
Check back throughout the week as we'll publish more Esports League of Legends advice, analysis, and DFS lineup picks. Thanks for reading, and good luck RotoBallers!
More ESports DFS Analysis - League of Legends
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