This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
GAMES (EDT)
- 12:00 p.m: SK Gaming vs Excel Esports
- 12:50 p.m: Origen vs Vitality
- 1:40 p.m: G2 Esports vs Schalke 04
- 2:30 p.m: Misfits vs Rogue
- 3:20 p.m: Fnatic vs Mad Lions
For detailed player and team stats, check out the
SK vs. xL
Our first match of the slate features a hot SK team that is currently third in the LEC taking on eighth-place xL. SK has looked very good this year, with Crownshot doing the bulk of the heavy lifting at ADC. SK are averaging 15 kills per game this split, which is fairly middle-of-the-pack. With SK being a pretty safe option here, they will make a good play if Crownshot is enabled to do what he does best. ZaZee is also an interesting player for SK because he has the fewest number of kills from the carry positions but the kill participation is the highest on the team, which bodes well for his score in a high-kill game. Jenax is also worth a look because he has the second-highest kills on the team and has a decent kill participation at 64 percent, the third-highest for a top laner. SK will definitely be looking to make a statement being this close to playoffs.
Prediction to Win: SK Gaming
OG vs. Vit
Origen are currently on a two-series win streak from last week and are in a three-way tie for third with Fnatic
GAMES (EDT)
- 12:00 p.m: SK Gaming vs Excel Esports
- 12:50 p.m: Origen vs Vitality
- 1:40 p.m: G2 Esports vs Schalke 04
- 2:30 p.m: Misfits vs Rogue
- 3:20 p.m: Fnatic vs Mad Lions
For detailed player and team stats, check out the
SK vs. xL
Our first match of the slate features a hot SK team that is currently third in the LEC taking on eighth-place xL. SK has looked very good this year, with Crownshot doing the bulk of the heavy lifting at ADC. SK are averaging 15 kills per game this split, which is fairly middle-of-the-pack. With SK being a pretty safe option here, they will make a good play if Crownshot is enabled to do what he does best. ZaZee is also an interesting player for SK because he has the fewest number of kills from the carry positions but the kill participation is the highest on the team, which bodes well for his score in a high-kill game. Jenax is also worth a look because he has the second-highest kills on the team and has a decent kill participation at 64 percent, the third-highest for a top laner. SK will definitely be looking to make a statement being this close to playoffs.
Prediction to Win: SK Gaming
OG vs. Vit
Origen are currently on a two-series win streak from last week and are in a three-way tie for third with Fnatic and SK, so Origen will need to pick up an easy win against Vitality on Friday. Vitality had an 0-2 week and are still trying to figure out the best person to place in the jungle. OG should have an easy road to victory if they get an early gold lead somewhere on the map, whether that is through some kills or just out-framing the lane opponents. Upset is the clear leader in kills (48) and an absolutely crazy kill participation of 81 percent; just for comparison sake, the second-highest kill participation is Alphari at 68 percent. If you choose to stack OG for this slate make sure Upset is in the lineup.
Prediction to Win: Origen
G2 vs. S04
G2 needs to come out strongly and show why they have been the best in the west for the last three seasons, and the resurgence is going to start here against S04. G2 are still the most expensive on the slate, and with good reason, given the matchup. The shares on S04 players will be astronomically low in large field contests, so this is the dog to shoot your shot with if you want some high upside because when G2 lose they give up a lot of kills.
Prediction to Win: G2 Esports
- G2 Players to Target: Everyone on G2
MSF vs. RGE
Rogue come into this match tied for first place in the LEC along with Mad Lions. Misfits have been an up-and-down team all Summer, including taking a game off Mad Lions, though that is their only win against a top team. Rogue, on the other hand, have only dropped two games this split, and they were against top teams of the LEC. Rogue can easily beat the teams below them, and I expect this trend to continue, with Rogue taking a smart approach to the macro game. Larssen leads the team in both kills (58) and kill participation (76 percent), with the former presenting a big gap to second-place Hans sama at 39. This game is a key for Rogue to keep in a tight race with Mad Lions for first place, so Rogue is going to take this one slowly, showing the other teams in the league how to use the map to their advantage.
Prediction to Win: Rogue
FNC vs. MAD
Our last match on the slate is the most interesting because Mad Lions are tied for first in the LEC and can beat any team with how hot they are running but Fnactic have some weird magic, where they come back in games that look lost at the mid-game point. FNC have obviously had troubles this split, watching them with the experimental drafts with Soraka in the carry role bottom to comps that didn't make sense while in draft phase. I won't be surprised if either team wins this match, but I think there are too many red flags for Fnatic. Humanoid in the mid lane leads the team with 48 kills, with Carzzy second at 39. In terms of kill participation, the bot lane takes the lead with over 70 percent.
Prediction to Win: Mad Lions
