This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL LCS: Thursday Cheat Sheet
After a week off due to IEM Katowice, the LCS returns as we inch closer to the Spring Split playoffs. Today's games include heavy favorites such as Fnatic and H2K, two toss up games in UoL vs. OG and EL vs. SPY, and the game of the day between Vitality and G2. Vitality picked up the win over G2 in their first game by controlling the tempo in what was a bad game in terms of fantasy output. It could be a slow objective focused game again, but G2 members are priced extremely low for the upside they possess. As I've discussed before, most of H2K are not even going to get a look from me as they win without fighting. I do understand that their matchup today is highly favorable, but only Jankos and Odoamne really intrigue me.
Remember that GIANTS! Gaming have made some roster changes (not that you want to use them this week) and FORG1VEN will be playing after receiving a temporary deferment of military service from Greece.
Daily Player Recommendations:
Top Lane:
Vizicsacsi (UoL vs. OG, $6,200): Origen won the reverse fixture earlier in the season and Csacsi had a poor game playing Shen. Despite that fact, I think his upside here is good as UoL will look to make a push to secure a top four playoff spot. If he plays a more carry oriented split pusher in the top lane he could take advantage of sOAZ's inability to put together a consistent game and outproduce his cheap salary.
Other Suggestions: Odoamne (H2k vs. ROC, $7,400), Cabochard (VIT vs. G2, $6,400)
Top Lane Player to Avoid:
sOAZ (OG vs. UoL, $6,300): sOAZ has had one dominant performance this split, which he promptly followed up by feeding the next day. On the same champion. I just don't trust him at all as he's really fallen from grace this split compared to where he finished last season. I'd rather use Csacsi for $100 less or Cabochard for $100 more.
Jungle:
Trick (G2 vs. VIT, $5,900): Trick at this salary just feels too good to pass up. I know I mentioned that this game could be slower paced and maybe not the best for fantasy purposes. But what if G2 could dominate team fights against Vitality the way they have against most of the league this season? It's certainly not a given that this scenario will happen, but if it does Trick greatly out produces his under $6,000 salary. He's been one of the top junglers all split and although it's not the best matchup I wouldn't be too afraid to use him in tournaments.
Other Suggestions: Jankos (H2K vs. ROC, $7,200), Spirit (FNC vs. GIA, $7,400)
Jungle Player to Avoid:
Loulex (UoL vs. OG, $6,000): Although this game should be a close one, with the edge going to UoL, I don't see a big game from Loulex incoming. He played well in his first week back on the LCS stage and has had another week to mesh with his teammates, but his upside is limited. The salary is cheap enough to take a shot if you strongly believe in him, but when Trick is $100 cheaper, the decision is easy for me.
Middle Lane:
Febiven (FNC vs. GIA, $8,500): After picking up kills against Faker at IEM last week, do you think this guy will be intimated by a GIANTS! lineup featuring a cast of new members? Of course not. Febiven is the most expensive mid laner today, but is also one of the most reliable and he should finish the day as one of the top players overall. If you want to go cheap at mid then Perkz is the easy choice as he's way under his normal salary today and if G2 wins he should greatly outpace his price.
Other Suggestions: Fox (UoL vs. OG, $7,600), Perkz (G2 vs. VIT, $6,900)
Mid Laner to Avoid:
Ryu (H2k vs. ROC, $8,300): Until he has a big fantasy game, I really cannot recommend using him. He's the second most expensive player on the slate, but what has he done to deserve that? I know the matchup is good, but he's failed to consistently put up fantasy numbers that would ever make me want to pay that price for him.
ADC:
Zven (OG vs. UoL, $7,200): Zven hard carried Origen to a win in the last matchup, going 8/0/3 on Kalista. I wouldn't expect UoL, or any team for that matter, to leave the champion unbanned for Zven this time around. Even so, he presents good upside in a game that should be tight. His salary makes him useable with the potential to be the top ADC on the day.
Other Suggestions: Rekkles (FNC vs. GIA, $8,500), Emperor (G2 vs. VIT, $7,100)
ADC Player to Avoid:
FORG1VEN (H2k vs. ROC, $8,300): I'm happy for FORG1VEN's sake that he's able to finish out the split with H2k. It would've been cruel to have a legitimate shot at winning the LCS taken away from him. That being said, I still won't use him in my lineups Thursday. As my colleague James Bates wrote, H2K play a style that has them winning without conflict, making them Hard 2 Kill (H2K). At least at this price point, I'll stay away from FORG1VEN at this point.
Support:
sprattel (EL vs. SPY, $5,100): The first time these two teams met, sprattel dominated on Alistar setting up multiple kills. He played so well that teams have banned the champion from him in the recent weeks. This game could end up being pretty sloppy from both sides, with the opportunity for 10+ assists coming from both sprattel and Nisbeth. I give the edge to Elements in this game, meaning sprattel should get the nod as my cheap support option.
Other Suggestions: Vander (H2k vs. ROC, $6,300), Hybrid (G2 vs. VIT, $5,000)
Support Player to Avoid:
Klaj (FNC vs. GIA, $6,500): Basically this comes down to price, as it's just too much money for me to pay today. Klaj will involved in arguably the most fantasy-friendly matchup of the day and he has a great shot to get to 10+ assists. He's also played sloppy in games recently, giving away easy kills which could reduce his score. Klaj has been a safe option at times, but I'm not paying up for him Thursday.
Team:
G2 vs. VIT ($4,500): G2 are a good bet to score a decent amount of points whether they win or lose. They certainly have a good chance to win this game and if they do, they should greatly out produce their given salary. I'm not afraid to stack G2 in GPP's today as the members and the team are vastly underpriced for their potential on Thursday.
