Hello there, LoL enthusiasts, and welcome back to RotoBaller's coverage of LCS for the Summer split on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Another four-gamer today for me to break down for you. Teams are starting to make their final push to the new playoff format, which will include eight teams instead of just six. As we saw last year in NA with CG, just because you are a low seed doesn't mean you can't play with momentum and make a run. In CG's case, they won the Gauntlet and qualified for worlds. Teams just need to get themselves into the tournament and then anything can happen.
Today I'll be bringing you my League of Legends DFS picks, advice, and analysis for the four-game LCS slate on FanDuel and DraftKings that locks on Saturday, July 18th, at 4:00 PM. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @Governor98. Thanks for reading, now let's get to the strategy and picks!
Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 10% off using code BALLER! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!
League of Legends DFS Basics
Since LCS 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.
- Stacking in LoL DFS lineups is very important. 4-3 stacks are the order of the day (on DraftKings) with 3-3-1 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.
Game 1: TSM (-130) vs. FLY
We start off the slate with the closest game of the day if you are looking at the odds. TSM is coming off of a sloppy win last night against 100T and FLY is coming off their worst weekend in recent memory in which they went 0-2. TSM made a change coming into this week at the support position with Treatz coming in for Biofrost. I think Treatz is a decent player and could be a nice change of pace from Bio. Treatz was pretty good in academy with about a 76% KP.
TSM's main threat this season has been Bjergsen, who has a 5.2 KDA and leads his team in KP at 79%. If TSM has any chance of winning this one, they're gonna need to get the Bjergerking rolling and affecting the other lanes. On the flip side, FLY has a very good mid lane in PowerOfEvil, who has a 4.7 KDA of his own. I give slight edges to TSM in the TOP and BOT lanes and FLY an edge in the jungle. I think either team is viable in this matchup, I will most likely look at which team has the lower ownership projection and work them into my lineups.
Top TSM plays: Bjergsen, Doublelift, Spica, BrokenBlade, Treatz
Top FLY plays: PowerOfEvil, Santorin, MasH, IgNar, Solo
Game 2: C9 (-500) vs. EG
EG's roster moves baffle me. Jizuke has carried them to many wins the past to seasons and to sub him out in order to get Huni in just doesn't make any sense to me. There's not really much to be said here as I think C9 takes this one handily. They are hungry again after taking a loss to 100T last weekend and I'd be surprised if they lost again this split.
Top C9 Plays: Blaber, Nisqy, Licorice, Zven, Vulcan, C9 Team
Game 3: GGS (-150) vs. IMT
This should be another good game here. Both teams have had their moments of glory and agony this split, and neither team has really established themselves as a team that can challenge the top pack of teams consistently. Both teams are near the bottom of the standings in kills/game and IMT leads the league in deaths per game. Even though that is the case, I think those numbers are a little skewed by how bad they actually were in the first couple of weeks before the roster swap. I like the GGS side of this matchup a lot. Closer is blooming into one of the up and coming stars of the league and I think he can control this one from the jungle. I give edges to GGS in the Top and Bottom lanes and I think mid will go even enough where GGS can use their leads elsewhere to win. If IMT were to try and fight this one out, Insanity would be the place where I would start. He has been a rock in the mid lane since his substitution and he will need to be on his A-game for IMT to pull out a win here.
Top GGS Plays: Closer, Hauntzer, FBI, Damonte, Huhi, GGS Team
Game 4: CLG (-165) vs. DIG
Here's where I'm going to get different. I'm going to play DIG as dogs here against CLG. DIG played well last weekend beating FLY and IMT. DIG is definitely a very volatile team but they don't really die a lot sitting at eighth in deaths per game. They have a very veteran lineup which they subbed in and it paid off for them with two big wins.
Johnsun is their anchor, a consistent ADC player who can carry games on a variety of champs. Fenix, while not consistent, is very good on certain champs, (mainly Azir, which I expect to be banned). If he can go even with Pobeltor in the mid lane I think that DIG can win the other lanes and outplay CLG in team fights. Give me the underdogs here in this Best of One format, at hopefully no ownership.
Top DIG Plays: Johnsun, Fenix, Dardoch, Aphromoo, Lourlo
Did you know RotoBaller has a Premium DFS eSports subscription?
Summary
- Favorite stacks: C9, GGS, DIG, TSM/FLY
- Underdog of the day: DIG
- Players are listed in the order that I prefer playing them.
On that note, if anyone has any questions or needs some suggestions, feel free to @ me in the RotoBaller Slack chatrooms.
RotoBaller Testimonials
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 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!
Another profitable night after a few break even or off nights due to trying to get too cute with lineup construction. @RotoBaller free articles remain ? as they have been. @mr_malmanger @ThunderDanDFS @grownfool pic.twitter.com/l015HO49GX
— John Deacon (@Jdeacdfs) April 24, 2020
Be sure to check back throughout the week as we'll be publishing daily ESports DFS articles, analysis and lineup picks for Call of Duty, League Of Legends, and Counter-Strike. Thanks for reading, and good luck RotoBallers!
More ESports DFS Analysis
RotoBaller Testimonials
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!
Had a member of slack take down the Insomnia Special last night. Pretty cool seeing that @RotoBaller logo up at the top! #Esports #LOL #Draftkings pic.twitter.com/S5FFRSUNB1
— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@ThunderDanDFS) April 16, 2020