This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL LCS: Saturday Cheat Sheet
Saturday's matchups look a lot like Friday's games in Europe. On paper there are four heavy favorites who should win in C9, IMT, TSM, and NRG while TL vs. DIG is the closest game of the day. I think both TL and DIG are solid options in this game as it could go either way, but DIG provide the better value when constructing your roster. IMT are actually reasonably priced today reflecting the fact that CLG should give them a good game. IMT have been so good though their players are appealing even in closer matchups.
My players to avoid mostly end up coming from C9. Nothing personal towards their team as they should certainly win this game against Renegades, but the issue comes from the fact that even in their wins, their players just aren't that fantasy relevant. For their prices, I don't think they'll be worth what you have to pay for them.
The following players are out this week:
KFO (FOX) replaced by Solo due to a visa issue
Froggen (FOX) replaced by Goldenglue due to visa issue
Remi (REN) stepped down from team and replaced by Hakuho
Probable: LOD (FOX), Stunt (FOX)
Daily Player Recommendations:
Top Lane:
Huni (IMT vs. CLG, $6,600): Immortals players in general are priced down today based on their matchup against CLG. Although this game could be closer for Immortals, they still are the favorites and I wouldn't shy away from their players. Huni leads the LCS in kills and is second in assists from the top lane. His below $7,000 salary is a nice spot to be in for production that could greatly outproduce his price.
Other Suggestions: Hauntzer (TSM vs. FOX, $7,100), Lourlo (TL vs. DIG, $6,600)
Top Lane Player to Avoid:
Balls (C9 vs. REN, $6,800): Balls will probably never be a premier fantasy performer despite being a solid top laner in real life. His price is not worth his limited upside on DraftKing's today.
Jungle:
Kirei (DIG vs. TL, $5,200): Did you know that Kirei is top five in the NALCS for both kills and assists in the jungle role? Well if you didn't, you do now. Kirei is cheap today and if you've been watching the NALCS you know that Team Liquid has played some longer games this split. That makes both DIG and TL players pretty relevant today and my favorite jungle bargain is Kirei whose aggressive style has translated into good fantasy production in most games this season.
Other Suggestions: Reignover (IMT vs. CLG, $6,000), Dardoch (TL vs. DIG, $6,000)
Jungle Player to Avoid:
Rush (C9 vs. REN, $6,100): As stated above, I just don't believe any of the Cloud9 players represent much value on the day as the team should crush Renegades on Saturday.
Middle Lane:
Pobleter (IMT vs. CLG, $7,500): Pobelter is second in both kills and assists in the NALCS this year and even though Huhi has played well for CLG, I think Pobelter could end up with a nice day here. Bjergsen is probably a bit safer and Shiphtur might present more upside at a cheaper price, but Pobelter has one thing going for him they don't -- the revenge factor. Look for Pobelter to have a big game against his former team and show them what a mistake it was to let him go.
Other Suggestions: Bjergsen (TSM vs. FOX, $8,000), Shiphtur (DIG vs. TL, $6,600)
Mid Laner to Avoid:
Jensen (C9 vs. REN, $7,700): While Cloud9 should win this game, the fact remains that they present limited fantasy upside even in wins. Jensen's high salary today plus the fact he hasn't been playing well makes him a fade for me.
ADC:
Doublelift (TSM vs. FOX, $8,600): Doublelift is actually having a pretty modest split compared to last summer, as he's only posted 23/18/19 KDA thus far. However, this game should be a stomp in favor of TSM and the potential upside Doublelift has to dominate this game remains high. This could just be the breakout game he's been looking for.
Other Suggestions: WildTurtle (IMT vs. CLG, $8,000), Piglet (TL vs. DIG, $8,000)
ADC Player to Avoid:
Sneaky (C9 vs. REN, $8,300): Like the rest of C9 there just isn't much fantasy upside for Sneaky at the moment despite being a good player in real life. His high salary combined with that fact makes me cautious of him today.
Support:
Kiwikid (DIG vs. TL, $4,900): My favorite cheap support today is Kiwikid in a game that should extend quite long and is also a bit of a toss up. Team Liquid will be favored, but Kiwikid is playing well this split (he's third in the NALCS assist column) and has the potential to put up solid fantasy stats even in a loss.
Other Suggestions: Aphromoo (CLG vs. IMT, $4,900), Adrian (IMT vs. CLG, $5,900)
Support Player to Avoid:
Yellowstar (TSM vs. FOX, $6,500): Despite this game most likely resulting in an easy win for TSM, I'm not going near Yellowstar due to his salary. You know by now that I don't like paying up for a support and Yellowstar is only $100 less than a top lane carry like Huni. It's just too much money for a support.
Team:
Immortals vs. CLG ($4,600): Yes this game could be more of a challenge for Immortals. Yes CLG should make it interesting. But the fact is that the potential remains for a sub-30 minute game, thus resulting in bonus points from your team role. This is one of the rare opportunities to use Immortals as their price isn't prohibitive to overall roster construction, and for the upside I like this pick.
