This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL LCS: Saturday Cheat Sheet
The semifinals are next for the LCS this weekend. Saturday involves two exciting matchups including H2K vs. Origen and Team Liquid taking on Counter Logic Gaming. H2K and CLG come in as the favorites in terms of seeding and are priced accordingly on DraftKings. But what about the underdogs? Team Liquid have been rolling the last few weeks and made quick work of NRG in the quarterfinal round last week. Every member on their roster is one of the highest scoring players on average and their salaries make them very affordable on Saturday. Origen had an up-and-down regular season, but looked to be back in form last week against UoL. I'm not positive they'll be able to find a similar result against H2K, but we're still talking about a team that made it to the semifinals of Worlds last year, so they certainly have the talent.
When constructing your roster today I think it's probably better to focus in on the North American series. By now you know how H2K like to play, objective focused with as little fighting as possible. While this usually pays off for them in real life, it rarely pays off for their fantasy owners. I'm not saying to avoid using H2K, but I wouldn't stack more than three members in your lineup today. Team Liquid will be heavily owned, so you you need to take that into consideration and find other players to differentiate yourself in tournaments.
Daily Player Recommendations:
Top Lane: Odoamne (H2K vs. OG, $6,600), Lourlo (TL vs. CLG, $6,000), Darshan (CLG vs. TL, $6,600), SoaZ (OG vs. H2K, $5,700)
Despite SoaZ's rough split, all four of these top laners are pretty good players. Odoamne tops my rankings based on his steadiness as a player. He is usually in the thick of any of H2K's action and usually ends games with high assist totals. The same can be said about Lourlo as Team Liquid have been dominating team fights in recent weeks. This allows their top laner to rack up high assist totals, and at a discounted price Saturday, he should be someone to consider in a flex position. Darshan is a true carry top laner who probably possesses the most upside in this group if he gets assigned to split pushers. I like Liquid in this series, however, so that will limit Darshan's upside. I still don't fully trust SoaZ, but he did play well last weekend and is the cheapest top laner on the day.
Jungle: Jankos (H2K vs. OG, $6,600), Dardoch (TL vs. CLG, $5,700), Amazing (OG vs. H2K, $5,400), Xmithie (CLG vs. TL, $6,300)
Jankos had an excellent split and is one of the few H2K players I often use in DFS. His ability to pick up first bloods and his excellent pathing have paid off all season. I think Dardoch is a must use today based on his price. He's under $6,000 and has been playing some excellent League of Legends lately. If you need proof of what he can do, check out his full AD Lee Sin from last weekend --- he's an easy choice for your jungler or even a flex role Saturday. I'm personally staying away from Amazing and Xmithie, but if forced to choose either player, I would take the OG jungler who possesses higher upside at a much cheaper price.
Middle Lane: FeniX (TL vs. CLG, $6,600), Huhi (CLG vs. TL, $7,200), Ryu (H2K vs. OG, $7,500), xPeke/PowerOfEvil (OG vs. H2K, $6,400/$6,300)
Team Liquid's surge late in the season has been Fenix's gain. As one of the main carries on the team, he is my "must use" mid laner on Saturday. Huhi comes in second, namely becauseI don't want to use Ryu, and using either xPeke or PowerOfEvil runs the risk of losing points due to substitution. Ryu is probably a fine pick as I would pick H2K to win this series, but he hasn't had as many standout performances as Fenix this split. I'll be focusing on using only one mid laner in my lineups Saturday.
ADC:Piglet (TL vs. CLG, $6,700), FORG1VEN (H2K vs. OG, $7,600), Zven (OG vs. H2K, $6,500), Stixxay (CLG vs. TL, $7,300
Much like the rest of Team Liquid, Piglet is severely underpriced Saturday. This was his best split overall and he helped Liquid dominate NRG last week. He's an easy pick based on his price and upside. FORG1VEN comes in at my number two spot and I know what you're thinking but I would much prefer to use him in a best of series over one game. He will have to fight eventually in a best-of-five and he should be in a good position to help carry team fights. Zven is in a tough matchup, but is still one of the best ADC's in the West. The question is how much of an opportunity will he get to carry against H2K? Stixxay is a fade for me based on his price. He didn't play bad this split after replacing Doublelift, but based on the other names in the ADC role I think his upside is limited especially when Piglet and Zven are cheaper.
Support: Matt (TL vs. CLG, $4,900), Vander (H2K vs. OG, $5,800), Mithy (OG vs. H2K, $4,700), Aphromoo (CLG vs. TL, $5,500)
In what is today's common theme, another Team Liquid member is underpriced. Matt enjoyed a great rookie split and is partnered with Piglet in the Liquid bot lane. He's proved he can make plays and set up kills, ranking as the seventh highest scoring support in the regular season. Vander found himself above Matt, firmly planting himself at the third highest scoring support during the regular season, but his high price has me looking elsewhere to fill the roll. Mithy is in a tough series, but looked good last week and Origen still have the potential to win against H2K. Aphromoo ranks last here based mainly on his high price. If you want to pay up for a support, Vander is much safer option. Aphro is a good player, but I'm not sure he'll be worth such a high salary Saturday.
Team: Team Liquid ($4,300), H2K ($5,200), CLG ($4,900), Origen ($4,000)
Surprise! Liquid are underpriced! I think they'll win this series and as a result, they make the most sense if you are feeling fiscal. H2K are always a good pick for this role as their objective focus really helps their fantasy score as a team. If you have money left over they're probably the safe choice. Counter Logic Gaming are a good team and had a good split, but they run into a red hot Team Liquid. They could win this series, but I think based on their high price I'd look elsewhere. Origen are dirt cheap, but have the toughest matchup of the day against an H2K team that should thrive in the best-of series.
