LCS Semifinals DFS Preview: Day 1

Check out the preview for all the games coming up this Saturday. This article will cover slates on both AlphaDraft and DraftKings.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and AlphaDraft promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

For live game tracking and other eSports news RotoGrinders recommends Instant Esports. Get the app for iOS or Android.

LCS Semifinals DFS Preview: Day 1

H2K (-107) vs Splyce (-113)

When people look at this series, I expect the recent memory of H2K destroying Fnatic to be fresh on their minds. The momentum after a pressure packed series like that is certainly a psychological factor that H2K carries with them into this series and it’s easy to forget just how strong Splyce was during the regular season. Despite H2K finding success on the most recent major patch change, Splyce has shown proficiency across several different patches and they are the number two team in Europe for a reason. I expect this series to be a close one and it’s honestly too close for me to feel totally comfortable slotting either team in the team slot but I will give a slight edge to H2K based on their recent play and the arrival of Forg1ven who looks like he never left the professional scene at all. Would I be shocked if Splyce wins the series? Absolutely not. But it’s not something I’d be willing to put too much stock in. H2K also offers a variety of strong fantasy options but I would proceed with caution if you are looking to stack heavily on this game. The NA series should be the series to stack just due to the nature of how those two teams play. I’m also not too keen on Odoamne or Ryu despite their recent success against Fnatic. They were two of the more inconsistent players across the summer season and their opponents at their respective positions have been the strong points of the Splyce team. Either way this one goes, it will be an interesting barometer for us to gauge if anyone has what it takes to stand up to EU giant, G2.

H2K

Elite Plays

-Forg1ven (DK $6,800, AD $7,500) – In the 8 games since re-joining the H2K lineup at the end of the summer split, Forg1ven has 32 kills and 62 assists countered by only 5 deaths. The team has yet to drop a game with him in the lineup and it’s obvious that he is still the ultimate ADC threat that can carry a team on his back despite his numerous flaws in regards to team synergy. With all this considered, Forg1ven has quite a solid floor and a ceiling as high as anyone in this series and even the entire slate. His moderate price tag gives him great value in cash games and you can even try to pair him with another ADC in the flex role. If you want a carry in this series, Forg1ven should be your top target.

Secondary Plays

-Jankos (DK $5,800, AD $7,200) – I will admit, I’m still a little scared off by the history of playoff failures we have seen from Jankos in the past. League of Legends is such a mental game and if the team gets behind in the series, I have really big questions about Jankos being able to keep composure and perform well enough. Having said that, the price is right on him. He’s got a high ceiling in the jungle compared to the likes of Trashy and Meteos but he has the lowest floor especially based on his last series against this team where he had only 1 kill and 9 assists across two games. Since that time he has bounced back nicely and we know he is a very capable player just don’t expect his results to be quite as good as what we saw against a struggling Fnatic team last week. The salary and upside makes him worth considering for your lineup.

Splyce

Elite Plays

- None

Secondary Plays

-Sencux (DK $7,200, AD $8,400) – I may not be incredibly high on Splyce from a fantasy perspective, but I do think they have a good shot at winning this series which means they still will hold some value. It may be spread more evenly than some teams but the primary carry for Splyce is definitely Sencux. In 5 of his last 8 games, Sencux had at least 7 kills and he has shown a tendency to favor hard carry champions that can really rack up kills once he gets ahead. That sort of ceiling is why you can be willing to pay up a bit to get him and feel comfortable doing so. He won’t have the name value or ownership of Ryu or Jensen, but he’s got major upside and there is a chance that he ends up being the best performing mid laner of the entire slate. Anytime you can say that about someone on the same slate as a player like Jensen means it’s pretty high praise. It’s probably going to be your one Splyce play, but it’s a nice one to have.

Immortals (-320) vs Cloud 9 (+250)

You couldn’t have written a better script for either series in the NA LCS Playoffs this weekend. With the classic matchup of TSM vs CLG coming up on Sunday, we get to enjoy a potential barn-burner when Cloud 9 takes on the number two seed Immortals. These two teams have very different strengths and weaknesses and the invaluable veteran experience for Cloud 9 will be up against the raw power of Immortals. The key matchup in this series has to be in the jungle and it really is up to Meteos to somehow slow down the juggernaut that is Reignover. I still expect Meteos to be on the back foot a bit which means I love the duo of Huni and Reignover. Meteos will likely be looking to swing the very even bottom lane matchup and the series may even hinge more on that than whatever Reignover does in the solo lanes. Speaking of solo lanes, if you want a stud in the mid lane slot, look no further than C9’s Jensen. He had a massive weekend last during the quarterfinals and with Poebelter being the weakest link on Immortals, Jensen has a lot of weight on his shoulders to carry. I still think Immortals has the edge here but this one could certainly go the distance and you can never count out Cloud 9 especially after seeing Immortals falter during the spring playoffs.

Immortals

Elite Plays

-Huni (DK $6,800, AD $7,400) – Huni is such a polarizing character in both League of Legends as well as DFS. His death total was the highest among all top laners in North America during the regular season which would normally signal a number of red flags but he also finished at the top in total kills and 2nd in assists along with a top 4 kill participation percentage. The tradeoff is worth paying up for especially on a slate where he is the clear top player at his position. Cloud 9 does very little to play around the top lane while Reignover and Huni have synergy that is hard to match for any duo. This series should provide enough carnage to offset the death numbers for Huni while he racks up fantasy points through kills and assists.

-Reignover (DK $6,600, AD $7,600) – The meta of standard lanes is a scary one for the opponents of Immortals. With Reignover being unleashed to impact any lane he so chooses, opposing teams have to be on high alert. I’m expecting him to eclipse the 10 assist mark in the games that Immortals wins in this series and that makes a good case for him being the top jungler on this slate. If this series starts to tilt heavily in favor of one team, it will more likely be on the side of Immortals which makes him a safe play as well and I’m willing to pay up for a major stud like Reignover.

Secondary Plays

-WildTurtle (DK $7,600, AD $8,100) – I’m not as high on WildTurtle as some people but I still see him as a strong play. It’s a lot to pay up for him compared to the likes of Sneaky who I think will also put together a strong performance but I like what he brings to the table as far as security due to the volume we expect in this series. Even if a few games go sour for Immortals the potential for kills and assists is still there and it’s why I favor players in this series over the EU series.

Cloud 9

Elite Plays

-Jensen (DK $6,300, AD $7,800) – After a record-setting quarterfinals, Jensen will surely be on everyone’s radar coming into this slate. The unprecedented numbers he put up likely won’t be repeated but it is still a great sign for daily fantasy owners as we didn’t really know how this Cloud 9 team would function with the most recent major patch. He passed the test in a big way and no player in the LCS has been putting up better numbers over the past few weeks than Jensen. He’s had 8 or more kills in 7 of his last 10 games which is just ridiculous and if this series goes the way we expect, he should be in line to post similar numbers even if they don’t reach the climax that they did last week. Tack on his great salary point and you have the formula for extremely high ownership in cash games and it makes him basically a must-play in cash lineups.

-Smoothie (DK $4,700, AD $6,600) – Paying up for a support can end up being fool’s gold in many slates and this slate is no different. We are looking for volume at this position and no series will produce more kills/assists this weekend than the C9 vs IMT matchup. Smoothie is working with a strong 72.8% kill participation and with the volume we expect, that should put him in line for a strong fantasy performance without paying up at the support position.

Secondary Plays

-Sneaky (DK $6,500, AD $7,700) – Pairing Sneaky and Smoothie on this slate is a risky proposition but I still think the risk/reward makes it an enticing option. One thing to really like about Sneaky is the way the team plays compositions around him and devotes a large portion of their gold to him in the mid game. He also has a kill participation of 75% which is 10% higher than WildTurtle. Again this pick isn’t without risk considering how poor Sneaky’s results were against Immortals in their last meeting where he failed to secure even a single kill. Things have changed a lot since then but it’s still something to keep in mind. Jensen is definitely the safer carry option but Sneaky has a good bit of potential.

About the Author

Airbudgoldenrec
Airbudgoldenrec

Robert “AirBud” Marshall has been following the League of Legends competitve scene for over 3 years across all 4 major regions. He started his website “DFS League of Legends” during Worlds 2015 with the introduction of Esports on DraftKings. Prior to that, Robert was an avid fantasy football, baseball, and basketball player in both season long and daily formats. Follow him on Twitter: @Airbudgoldenrec