This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL LCS: Friday Cheat Sheet
Friday's games mostly seem pretty straightforward. G2, H2k, OG and Fnatic will be heavy favorites on the day while UoL vs. Vitality is the only close game, at least on paper. This leaves us with not a ton of room for value on Friday, making it tough to fill your lineup without taking a shot on a couple players from likely losing teams. My "Players to Avoid" are taken from teams we expect to win, as most of the lower tier teams should be obviously avoided.
The following players are out this week:
Safir (ROCCAT) has been released and replaced by Tabzz
Edward (ROCCAT) due to a visa issues is replaced by Extinkt
Diamondprox (UoL) due to a visa issue is replaced by Rudy
Ryu (H2k) due to a visa issues is replaced by Selfie
Daily Player Recommendations:
Top Lane:
Odoamne (H2k vs. EL, $7,200): H2k has probably been the best team in the league at systematically winning games. Although this doesn't always produce the best fantasy results, Odoamne is usually the biggest beneficiary of these strategies. In games where H2k are heavily favored they win by out rotating, out farming, and eventually dominating objectives. When there is a team fight the kills tend to be scattered amongst the team, but Odoamne usually picks up a ton of assists in that situation which helps his fantasy score.
Other Suggestions: Gamsu (FNC vs. ROC, $7,000), Vizicsacsi (UOL vs. VIT, $5,900)
Top Lane Player to Avoid:
sOAZ (OG vs. GIA, $7,400): So far the fantasy production just hasn't been there for sOAZ. Today's matchup is a pretty easy one, but even so I'm not sure that sOAZ will be worth his price. I'd rather build around Origen's carry options and spend a little less in the top lane than pay up for sOAZ today.
Jungle:
Trick (G2 vs. SPY, $6,700): By far the best fantasy jungler of the split so far, Trick's aggressive style has translated well into fantasy points. He's a must play when his price is low like yesterday, but he's also hard to fade even when he's a bit more expensive. In cash games I think he's as sure of a thing as a jungler can be, but if you want to look elsewhere in GPPs that's fine too.
Other Suggestions: Spirit (FNC vs. ROC, $6,700), Rudy (UoL vs. VIT, $5,500)
Jungle Player to Avoid:
Shook (VIT vs.UoL, $6,500): Of the top level junglers I think that Shook is the riskiest today. UoL and Vitality could be a close game that goes longer than others this week and while I'd lean towards Vitality winning, the fantasy points haven't been there for Shook.
Middle Lane:
Perkz (G2 vs. SPY, $7,800): Perkz has basically dominated the lower level mid laners (and some of the upper tier as well) so far this split. I really like PowerOfEvil and Febiven today, but Perkz is cheaper than PoE and probably has more upside. We've seen him carry games all split for G2 and there's no reason to expect that won't happen again today. He'll most likely be the highest owned mid laner today.
Other Suggestions: Febiven (FNC vs. ROC, $7,800), PowerofEvil (OG vs. GIA, $8,300)
Mid Laner to Avoid:
Nukeduck (VIT vs. UoL, $7,500): Much like Shook, the fantasy points haven't been prevalent for Nukeduck this season. Even as Vitality win games, Nukeduck has found it tough to rack up any sort of points as he's eighth in the EULCS in kills and sixth in assists. There's no reason to pay up for this low level of fantasy production.
ADC:
Zven (OG vs. GIA, $8,300): This is the best play of the day in my opinion. Zven is the carry for Origen and this is a game in which he should thrive. I'm building my teams around Zven today and would expect him to put up close to 40 points if the game goes long enough. He's picking up the bulk of Origen's kills this season as the team plays through him in most matchups.
Other Suggestions: Rekkles (FNC vs. ROC, $7,900), Steelback (UoL vs. VIT, $6,600)
ADC Player to Avoid:
FORG1VEN (H2k vs. EL, $8,100): Aside from a couple games, FORG1VEN has been what I expected in fantasy. A farming king, objective focused, but lack of real fantasy impact in most games. Surprisingly, he doesn't pick up a lot of kills in games against weaker competition as H2k has dominated those weaker teams with an emphasis on taking care of the objective game. While that tactic has helped their overall record, it hasn't translated into big fantasy points for FORG1VEN.
Support:
Hylissang (UoL vs. VIT, $4,700): Hylissang actually leads the EULCS in DraftKing's PPG from the support role and is tied for first in assists. He's the best cheap option to use today on a day that there isn't much value across the board.
Other Suggestions: Hybird (G2 vs. SPY, $5,900), Noxiak (FNC vs. ROC, $5,900)
Support Player to Avoid:
Mithy (OG vs. GIA, $6,200): Mithy isn't a bad play, as this is just strictly based on salary. It's hard to find a lot of cap space today and paying up for a support means you have less money to pay for players in carry roles. So while Mithy is a safe bet to have a decent score, his salary is prohibitive to overall roster construction.
Team:
UoL vs. Vitality ($4,100): All of the teams we expect to win today are over $5,000. So why not save a little cash on UoL who have the best chance at an upset today? As I've mentioned a few times there isn't much value across the board today and while using UoL is risky, I would rather pay up for carry roles than a specific team.
