This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL: Friday Cheat Sheet
It's the beginning of a new season and there's always a bit of risk when we come into a new year. With new teams, new rosters, and a new format in both Europe and North America, a lot has changed since last year. I believe having best-of-one series and 10 teams playing each day will give contests a lot more diversity than last year.
Touching on a bit of per-day analysis before breaking down individual games: Europe feels very top heavy coming into the season. You have top teams in Fnatic, Misfits, G2 eSports, and to a certain extent Splyce while on the flip side, the bottom tier teams like Giants and ROCCAT look pretty bad. With so much uncertainty at the start of the new season, I want to focus on the known commodities during this first week of play.
G2 eSports vs. Misfits
A lot has changed on both sides, and given hardly any information is available about either team, it's basically a pick'em match in terms of betting odds and DraftKings' pricing. Personally I give Misfits the slightest of edges in the top lane and bottom lane, while G2 have slight edges in the jungle and mid lane. It's a very even matchup and you'll probably rarely see these teams priced so low. My advice is to pick a side and roll with a player or two, but don't go for a full out stack on either side. If Jankos and Perkz have had enough time to synergize, I think they can lead G2 to a win, making them a nice leverage play at low ownership as many people will probably favor Misfits after their excellent run at Worlds.
Prediction: G2 narrow victory
G2 Players to consider: Jankos ($6,000), Perkz ($7,100), G2 Team ($4,700)
MSF Players to consider: Alphari ($6,200), Hans sama ($7,100), Mikyx ($5,100)
Vitality vs. H2k
Vitality are slight favorites, but this game feels like a crap shoot to me. Both teams have a ton of new players to the LCS, and until I see them play I really don't want to use them. I'm likely not using anyone from this game, but I'd lean towards H2k players if you need salary breaks. This game has definite clown fiesta potential, which could make it a decent target for GPPs, but good luck figuring out which players to take.
Prediction: H2k upset win
VIT Players to consider: None, overpriced
H2k Players to consider: H2k Team ($4,300)
Unicorns of Love vs. Giants Gaming
UoL come in tied with Fnatic for biggest favorites on the day as they face off against a Giants Gaming team that will likely finish among the bottom two teams at the end of the split. UoL players are the most expensive on the day, but should be able to make value in what figures to be a fairly one sided affair. Any UoL player is a viable pick, but I'd lean toward going with the carries if possible.
Prediction: UoL easy win
UoL Players to consider: Exileh ($7,800), Samux ($7,900)
GIA Players to consider: None
ROCCAT vs. Schalke 04
Schalke are priced as the third most expensive team despite being slight betting favorites. I'm not convinced that Schalke are worth their salaries at this price. Many predict ROCCAT to be a bottom two team, but they have some decent players in comparison to a team like Giants. Schalke should win this game, but it'll be closer than expected. ROCCAT could make for decent GPP leverage plays, but stay away from them in cash games.
Prediction: Schalke 04 win, but not one sided
S04 Players to consider: Vizicsacsi ($6,700), Upset ($7,600), Vander ($5,500)
ROC Players to consider: Blanc ($6,600)
Fnatic vs. Splyce
Fnatic made only one change during the offseason and that was an upgrade at support by bringing in Hylissang from UoL. While I'm not sure Fnatic deserve to be tied for the biggest favorites on the slate against Splyce, I definitely think they win this game. I'd rather use UoL players if you can pay up for them, but if you need the slight savings Fnatic are a fairly safe bet on Friday. The fact that they made only one change should give Fnatic a significant advantage over other teams at least for the first few weeks of the split. Any Fnatic player is viable, but again I'd target the carries first.
Prediction: Fnatic clean win
FNC Players to consider: Caps ($7,700), Rekkles ($7,700), Hylissang ($5,800)
SPY Players to consider: None
