This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
DraftKings LoL LCS: Saturday Cheat Sheet
Looks like a good day of NALCS action with a particularly appealing set of matchups including C9 vs. TL and CLG vs. NRG. Immortals are considered the heaviest favorites Saturday (go figure) and TSM also find themselves in a favorable matchup. Renegades vs. Echo Fox seems like it could be a coin flip with Echo Fox returning KFO, Froggen, Keith, and Big after visa issues kept the unit out of the starting lineup since the beginning of the season. That game has the potential to be sloppy, with big fantasy upside if it breaks the right way. How much do you trust players from either team though? I'm skeptical at best.
Daily Player Recommendations:
Top Lane:
Darshan (CLG vs. NRG, $6,500): NRG have been up and down this split, but I like CLG in today's game. Impact is a pretty steady top laner, but he's fallen susceptible to losing lane against a carry top laner. As such, I think Darshan could play on a carry champ and look to win the top lane for CLG. His upside is strong.
Other Suggestions: Huni (IMT vs. DIG, $7,700), Lourlo (TL vs. C9, $6,000)
Top Lane Player to Avoid:
Balls (C9 vs. TL, $6,600): Balls just isn't a good fantasy option at the moment, as he's often neglected and left to farm until team fights. His high salary coupled with his limited upside make him a fade option for me today.
Jungle:
Dardoch (TL vs. C9, $5,600): Dardoch is the leading PPG jungler role on DraftKings due in large part to the fact that Team Liquid have been playing longer games. Longer games generally equate to more fantasy points in most instances and for Dardoch's cheap price I like him as a play in a game Team Liquid could certainly win.
Other Suggestions: Reignover (IMT vs. DIG, $7,400), Xmithie (CLG vs. NRG, $6,200)
Jungle Player to Avoid:
Hard (FOX vs. REN, $6,100): Hard is the fifth highest salary amongst junglers today, but I just don't see the upside. Echo Fox will have all of their starters back, but even so I wouldn't expect this game to be a gimme. While that could mean a long game with a plethora of team fights I'm not convinced that scenario will happen, making Hard a risky play for me Saturday.
Middle Lane:
Bjergsen (TSM vs. TIP, $7,800): He's been the main carry for TSM so far and is in a good spot to have a big game today. I'm paying up for him, as I think TSM can take advantage of TIP and Bjergsen should be the main reason why.
Other Suggestions: Pobelter (IMT vs. DIG, $8,500), Fenix (TL vs. C9, $6,600)
Mid Laner to Avoid:
Froggen (FOX vs. REN, $7,200): Froggen is back and it's good news for fans of Echo Fox, but I'm not sure he's worth this high salary today. I doubt he has any rust as he's been playing throughout his visa issue, but this is a game that Renegades have a good shot to win. Froggen might end up a good play, but it's a risky one.
ADC:
Piglet (TL vs. C9, $6,800): Piglet is the best cheap ADC on the day. Team Liquid as a whole are priced cheaply today against Cloud 9. The game should be a really good one for us to watch, but don't let this match up scare you off of Liquid players today. Piglet is second in PPG from the ADC role and is a good bet to outproduce this salary.
Other Suggestions: WildTurtle (IMT vs. DIG, $8,500), Stixxay (CLG vs. NRG, $7,300)
ADC Player to Avoid:
Altec (NRG vs. CLG, $6,900): Not loving the match up for NRG, as I'm predicting CLG will win. That said Altec wouldn't be a great bet in a loss today. His salary is cheap and he's performed pretty well for NRG this split, but in a loss I don't think he has much upside.
Support:
Matt (TL vs. C9, $4,800): Another cheap Team Liquid player to talk about. I like the potential of Matt to reach the 10+ assist bonus in a win or a loss today. It's risky, as Cloud 9 doesn't give up a lot of kills in most games as they have a safe style. But at this low price combined with Matt's upside, I think he's a solid play.
Other Suggestions: Aphromoo (CLG vs. NRG, $5,400), Hai (C9 vs. TL, $5,500)
Support Player to Avoid:
Adrian (IMT vs. DIG, $6,500): He's the safest support by far to be honest, but it's all about that high price. $6,500 makes it hard to pay up for carries and although Adrian has been worth high salaries, I'd rather spend cheap and grab some Immortals carries instead.
Team:
CLG vs. NRG ($4,900): As I've said before, I like CLG to win this game and they're priced in a good spot to outproduce their salary. In a win they should have no trouble securing objectives and pushing for a 20+ point game.