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 all LEC related content here on RotoBaller. One thing that I love just as much as the LEC is talking to fellow Esports fans who read our DFS articles. I'm more than happy to chat about DFS lineups, Leauge of Legends, and other Esports/video games with any readers who are interested. You can find me on Twitter and DM me with any questions or comments you have!
I'll be bringing you my top League of Legends advice, analysis, and picks, for the LEC slate on Friday, July 3rd, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. This 5-game slate features As I've said before you can follow me on Twitter @s28_james and hit me up if you ever want to talk about LoL lineups or roster construction. I am more than happy to chat with you all!
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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.
12:00 PM - Excel Esports vs. Team Vitality: DFS Targets
Excel Esports (XL) fell to Misfits (MSF) on Saturday, derailing the momentum they had built up over the previous matches. XL was defeated pretty soundly with the final kill total at 6-15 and GD (gold differential) over 10 thousand. Conversely, their opponent Team Vitality (VIT) had a strong showing versus one of the standout teams of the split SK Gaming (SK). VIT bounced back from a recent losing streak to take down SK in convincing fashion. VIT was able to capture 4/5 dragons and 2/2 Barons during the game to go along with their 13 kills compared to SK's five.
Patrik has continued to be the focal point of XL's gameplan contributing 34.2 DMG% (average total share of team's damage dealt to champions per game). His KDA sits at a less than impressive 2.3, but the games that XL has won are due to Patrik's success from the ADC role. Milica has been showing consistently strong performances in this split. His 3.6 KDA is solid for a team that is under .500, in addition, he has a 32.7 DMG% which is very impressive for a mid-laner.
This matchup is one of the weaker of the weekend. Both teams are solid mid-table competitors with the potential to pull off some upsets versus top teams. This game should be exciting with lots of momentum swings back-and-forth but there better DFS plays in other matchups this Friday. That being said, there are some potentially strong one-off plays if you are looking to snag a budget player for your roster.
XL Plays: Patrik
VIT Plays: Milica
1:00 PM: Mad Lions (-650) vs. FC Schalke 04: DFS Targets
The team sitting in first place this split is neither G2 Esports (G2) nor Fnatic (FNC), it's the Mad Lions (MAD) at 6-1 through the first three weekends of competition. MAD finished off their weekend by topping Rogue (RGE) in a tough game that didn't feature the type of scoring we're used to from both of those two teams. The final kill total was 11-4 in favor of MAD, but this says more about the strength of RGE than it does about MAD underperforming. FC Schalke 04 (FCS) has continued to have a difficult split, falling to Origen (OG) pretty handily with their final kill total at 7 versus 16 for OG.
MAD's star mid-laner Humanoid finally cooled off a bit on Saturday, putting up a less than impressive 1/2/2 KDA ratio in the win over RGE. That being said, Humanoid will have a favorable matchup in this game and his 35.9 DMG% on the season indicates he should be scoring some big points versus a struggling FCS roster. Shad0w has also been excellent this split, sporting a 6.5 KDA to go along with his 72.3 KP% (kill participation percentage). As for FCS, they have good individual pieces, but they are not working well as a team yet and that is reflecting upon their player's scoresheets.
This matchup should be a slam-dunk for MAD. MAD is the hottest team in the LEC thus far and FCS are the coldest, having 0 wins to their credit. The vast majority of DFS lineups will have some sort of MAD influence in their roster, and for good reason. MAD has easily the best matchup on Friday, giving DFS players a great stack opportunity. Consider stacking MAD in either a 4-2-1 or 3-3-1 versus FCS.
MAD Plays: Humanoid, Shad0w, Orome, Team Slot
2:00 PM: Fnatic (-345) vs. SK Gaming: DFS Targets
Fnatic followed up their 0-2 weekend with another 0-2 weekend, dropping their game versus G2 on Saturday. Fnatic was outclassed in the match versus G2, putting up 6 kills versus G2's 24. SK Gaming did not look particularly impressive either on Saturday, losing to a very beatable opponent in Team Vitality. SK did not control objectives as well as they had in previous matches, this led to a gold/item lead that they could not come back from.
FNC has not lived up to expectations this split, but they still have top-class individuals on their roster. Rekkles and Selfmade still lead the team in KP% at 75.9 and 72.4 respectively, this shows they are still contributing to the team despite what the stat-sheet may say. Unfortunately, the slump that FNC has found itself in has affected their DFS scoring significantly. Crownshot had his worst game of the split versus VIT on Saturday posting a measly 0/1/3 KDA ratio. The good news is that this is an outlier in his DFS performance, he should be putting in solid performances again soon.
FNC is pretty heavily favored in this matchup but don't count out SK in this one, when they can control early objectives and get Crownshot rolling they are a tough team to beat. FNC has some good matchups in the mid and top lanes but based on their recent performance it's hard to justify paying a premium price for their players. Although their losses have come versus four of the top teams in the LEC, FNC needs to prove that they are capable of contending for a spot at the world championship.
FNC Plays: Selfmade, Rekkles
SK Plays: Crownshot
3:00 PM: Origen (-145) vs. Rogue: DFS Targets
Origen rolled FCS in their match on Saturday, they played an all-around solid game controlling objectives and building up small advantages throughout the game until they were comfortable pushing for the game. Rogue fell to MAD on Saturday and was only able to muster up 4 kills as a team. Although this might look bad on paper for RGE, their only losses of the split have come to MAD and G2 respectively, showing that Rogue deserves to be considered among the top of the LEC contenders.
OG has been enjoying the success of Upset this split, and he continued his hot streak on Saturday with a perfect KDA (no deaths) on top of 6 kills and 6 assists. His 40 DMG% is one of the best among ADC in the league and if OG is scoring kills, expect Upset to be a major part of it. Larssen has been one of the best mid-laners in the LEC so far, sporting an impressive 8.0 KDA on the season despite his 3/2/0 KDA ratio in RGE's loss to MAD. Larssen's 75 KP% to go along with a 32 DMG% show that he has been one of the biggest factors contributing to Rogue's success this split.
Both of these teams are looking to solidify their status as a top tier team in Europe. OG come in as favorites largely due to the fact that RGE has had one of the easier strength of schedules in the LEC. RGE clearly has the potential to compete for a playoff spot, but Origen is starting to hit their stride this split. OG should win this game but don't expect an overwhelming victory one way or the other.
OG Plays: Upset, Alphari
RGE Plays: Larssen, Inspired
4:00 PM: G2 Esports (-185) vs. Misfits Gaming: DFS Targets
Saturday's win over Fnatic gave G2 Esports some much-needed confidence and momentum heading into the fourth week of regular season play. G2 looked dominant in their match, snowballing an early lead into a huge gold/kill advantage which allowed them to end the game in just over 25 minutes. Misfits looked solid in their win versus XL, making it a 2-0 weekend as they have won 4 of their last 5 games.
G2 was able to beat FNC easily, racking up 24 kills in the process. A big contributor to their success was Caps, posting a 4/1/16 KDA ratio on Twisted Fate. In addition, Perkz looked like Perkz again racking up 8 kills to go with 8 assists against only 1 death. It is important to note that Perkz will be taking a break for a few matches and we will see P1noy taking over the ADC role. Kobbe has continued to be consistent performer this split, posting a 6/1/2 KDA ratio in their win on Saturday. Razrok has improved significantly recently, posting a 7.75 KDA over the past 4 games.
The momentum that G2 built up last week should carry over into this week's matchup versus MSF. Some may be skeptical of this matchup knowing that Perkz is sitting out, but there is a good reason P1noy is a reserve for Europe's best team, he has tremendous skill as well. MSF has drastically improved their play as of late, but G2 has favorable matchups across the map.
G2 Plays: Caps, Jankos, Team Slot, P1noy
Summary
- MAD is the team to stack this week, most DFS players will have either 4 or 3 players rostered. The way to separate yourself from the pack is by hitting on your other slots. G2 or OG combined with a one-off budget play could be very strong.
- Fnatic are a great team but don't count SK out. FNC players will be some of the most expensive on Friday and there is better value to be had elsewhere.
- Look for price discrepancies on different DFS sites. Someone like Rekkles might be a bad value on DK because FNC is heavily favored, as opposed to Larssen who is playing well but his team is an underdog. In general DK 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.
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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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