LoL Fantasy Grind Down: Saturday, March 19th
Welcome to the RotoGrinders LoL Grind Down! These articles will cover everything you need to know for playing League of Legends fantasy including defense vs position, projections, vegas odds, and detailed analysis.
Also included is the RotoGrinders original statistic pace — a higher pace means bloodier games, so when two teams with high pace play, expect a bloodbath!
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Team Impulse vs. Renegades
| Team Impulse | Renegades | |||||||||||
 | Record | 5-9 |  | Record | 2-12 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | +127 | Vegas Sprd | -155 | |||||||||
| Avg. KP | 67.3 | Avg. KP | 69.4 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 0.82 | Team Pace | 0.76 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Feng | Procxin | Pirean | Gate | Mash | Players | Seraph | Crumbzz | Alex Ich | Hakuho | Freeze | |
| Opp. Season | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Opp. Season | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | |
The last week of regular season play in North America kicks off with a game between the current worst roster versus the former worst roster in the region. Renegades made a few changes last week and it was met with decent success compared to weeks past. They put up a strong fight against Cloud 9 and managed to pull off the upset to beat TSM. These came on the backs of strong performances from carries like Seraph, Ninja and Freeze who all provided solid fantasy value as well. Team Impulse may show up with a decent performance like the one they had against C9 where players like Procxin and Mash had a mediocre game but the floor on TiP is so low that I’m staying away. A small Renegades stack is actually something I like in cash games and they aren’t a bad option for the team slot at a decent price as well.
Team Impulse
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Renegades
Elite Plays
-Seraph (DK $6,400, AD $7,400) – The value on DK is more favorable than AD but I’ll be considering him on both sites. He has been a massive upgrade over RF Legendary for REN and he has been a very good fantasy contributor. Though the sample size is small, Seraph only trails Huni in damage % and he has at least 3 kills and 6 assists in each of his past 3 matches.
Secondary Plays
-Freeze (DK $7,200, AD $7,700) – I’m generally willing to pay up for an ADC and while I like a few high salary ADC’s for this slate, Freeze has pretty high upside at this value. The new lineup has helped as last week Freeze had 11 kills and 7 assists against formidable opponents C9 and TSM. Similar results can be expected in this game and if the team keeps funneling resources his way, he could be in for an even bigger game.
CLG vs. NRG eSports
| CLG | NRG eSports | |||||||||||
 | Record | 10-4 |  | Record | 6-7 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -185 | Vegas Sprd | +151 | |||||||||
| Avg. KP | 65.6 | Avg. KP | 74.6 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 0.93 | Team Pace | 0.81 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Darshan | Xmithie | Huhi | Aphromoo | Stixxay | Players | Impact | Moon | GBM | KonKwon | LOD | |
| Opp. Season | 8 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7 | Opp. Season | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
The NRG team we thought we would see all season finally showed up last week and it may put a scare in the faithful CLG fans. On the back of GBM, NRG took down Team Liquid in dominant fashion and they held their own for a while against Immortals. I still think CLG will be reliant on their splitpush strategy with Darshan which negates some of the fantasy value for CLG players who will be making more map plays than large teamfights. NRG’s win condition will be more aggression from Moon and GBM which is why I actually think NRG is the play for this slate. I don’t trust Moon too much for cash games but he’s not a bad contrarian GPP jungler. Overall, I like GBM but that’s about it. His upside versus his salary makes him a strong play for cash games but if you are looking to stack, this isn’t the game I’d advise doing so with.
CLG
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
NRG eSports
Elite Plays
-GBM (DK $6,600, AD $7,800) – GBM’s play has been stellar the past couple of weeks. Some people may say this is just a hype train but I think it’s a legit trend and his play has steadily improved as he becomes more comfortable in NA. GBM’s wide champ pool is scary considering he will get the red side counter pick against a struggling Huhi so I’m buying GBM, especially on DraftKings.
Secondary Plays
- None
Immortals vs. Team SoloMid
| Immortals | Team SoloMid | |||||||||||
 | Record | 13-1 |  | Record | 8-6 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -421 | Vegas Sprd | +317 | |||||||||
| Avg. KP | 67.5 | Avg. KP | 64.6 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 1.12 | Team Pace | 0.95 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Huni | Reignover | Pobelter | Adrian | WildTurtle | Players | Hauntzer | Svenskeren | Bjergsen | YellOwStaR | Doublelift | |
| Opp. Season | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | Opp. Season | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
The super team on paper gets their second shot at the super team on the rift and the undisputed #1 seed in NA. While Immortals have essentially nothing to play for in the standings, I don’t think they will take their foot off the gas for the last week of the season. TSM has a ton to play for since they surely want to avoid a tiebreaker game. That being said, I’m not a huge believer in storylines having in game impact but I do think TSM can unseat the champs and win this one. It won’t be easy, and IMT is still my prediction but TSM has a few potential advantages. I think IF (big if) Bjergsen can play aggressive onto Poebelter, that is the key to making this a close game moving into the mid/late stages. On DraftKings, TSM players are all crazy cheap so I’m in favor of putting a few carries in my lineup. Bjergsen and Doublelift are certainly in play and it’s worth noting that Svenskeren as a decent punt play for jungle. Immortals have been surrendering more kills than they were early on in the season and it’s a worrying trend for the team as they seem to be running out of viable strategies to crush their opponents like we saw in the first 4 weeks. Both teams are in the top 3 when it comes to combined kills + assists so this one could be bloody and I like the fantasy potential in this matchup more than the first 2 games.
Immortals
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Huni (DK $7,300, AD $7,900) – It’s tough to go with Immortals on this slate because of the high salary so I’ll probably be fading on the majority of their players even with the upside they offer. One player that stands out is Huni. In cash games, locking up as many studs as possible is one of my strategies and since I can get several strong players at cheap salaries, I don’t mind paying up big for a fairly thin position. TSM allows the most kills to opposing top laners while Huni leads the position in damage % and total kills. Hauntzer isn’t a bad player by any means but leaving him on an island with Huni would be a big mistake and it’s one that TSM often makes.
Team SoloMid
Elite Plays
-Doublelift (DK only $6,000) – There is no way I’m paying $8,000 on AD for Doublelift but grabbing him for this cheap on DK seems like a no-brainer. Despite the team’s lack of success and clear lack of synergy, Doublelift has been doing everything he can to carry. No ADC is outputting more of their team’s damage than Doublelift and from a talent perspective, I still think the bottom lane matchup is even.
Secondary Plays
-Bjergsen (DK $5,900, AD $7,800) – Like Doublelift, I strongly prefer this play in DK but I’m not as bullish on Bjergsen for that matter. While the highs for Bjergsen haven’t been up to the potential we had hoped for, he’s been a pretty strong performer as one of the most dominant laners in the early game. The fact that you can slot him easily into your flex is what makes this play so attractive in cash or tournament play. Still holds a level of risk but the reward potential is high and the floor is relatively high for that salary.
Dignitas vs. Team Liquid
| Dignitas | Team Liquid | |||||||||||
 | Record | 4-10 |  | Record | 7-7 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | +178 | Vegas Sprd | -220 | |||||||||
| Avg. KP | 63.5 | Avg. KP | 73.7 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 0.79 | Team Pace | 0.84 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | BillyBoss | Kirei | Shiphtur | KiWiKiD | Apollo | Players | Lourlo | Dardoch | FeniX | Matt | Piglet | |
| Opp. Season | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Opp. Season | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | |
I can’t even go into what we saw from Dignitas last week. It was like watching a team get beat via the Cal/Stanford play in 2 consecutive games. That analogy is as deep as I want to dive into the details of those games. The good news for us is that both of these teams have proven to provide fantasy value for opponents and I will be working to stack a few Team Liquid players in my lineup. While paying up for a carry is an option, I like some of the secondary positions for this stack. Lourlo, Dardoch, KiWiKid, Matt are all viable options for me. Lourlo is particularly interesting as he has 9+ assists in 5 of his last 10 games and zero deaths in 4 of his last 10 as well. Mid laner Shiphtur also has 2 games with 10+ kills in his last 4 along with a solid 74% kill participation. I don’t like him quite as much primarily due to the fact that other cheap mid laners are more favorable in my opinion but I could certainly see him in a GPP lineup of mine.
Dignitas
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-KiWiKiD (DK $4,600, AD $6,900) – It feels weird to ever consider rostering KiWiKiD but I like him in this slate for a couple reasons. For one, DIG tends to play these crazy long, high kill/death games. He also has 3 straight games with 10+ assists. I don’t want to pay up too much for support which makes him an attractive punt at this position.
Team Liquid
Elite Plays
-Dardoch (DK $6,600, AD $7,600) – It was quite difficult to choose who is my favorite play for an inevitable TL stack but I think Dardoch is unique because he can carry out of the jungle. Dardoch, Rush and Reignover are in their own class of jungler so I’m taking the cheapest one in Dardoch because his upside is as high as any of those previously mentioned. He has at least 7 assists in 4 straight games with 13 total kills over that span.
Secondary Plays
-Lourlo (DK $6,800, AD $7,300) – Lourlo, like Dardoch, has been on a tear lately despite the team’s up and down season. Now he gets to face BillyBoss who is currently sporting an ugly 2.0 KDA while leading all top laners in deaths per game. Lourlo also has the 2nd most assists at the position, trailing only Huni. Despite his low damage %, he has been doing enough to get big numbers for fantasy and I expect more of the same in this one.
Cloud 9 vs. Echo Fox
| Cloud 9 | Echo Fox | |||||||||||
 | Record | 9-5 |  | Record | 5-8 | |||||||
| Vegas Sprd | -272 | Vegas Sprd | +216 | |||||||||
| Avg. KP | 66.2 | Avg. KP | 74.6 | |||||||||
| Team Pace | 1.06 | Team Pace | 0.71 | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Balls | Rush | Jensen | Hai | Sneaky | Players | kfo | Hard | Froggen | BIG | KEITH | |
| Opp. Season | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | Opp. Season | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
There will be blood. This is the tagline of every movie featuring C9 based on the way they have been playing lately. They fight a ton and winning these fights more often has made fantasy studs like Jensen and Sneaky very attractive daily options. Rush has been one of the catalysts for this team and the improved play of Balls makes them a threat entering playoffs. Echo Fox will be fighting for their playoff lives and Froggen, as always, warrants a look at the mid lane position so I think this game will be a very popular stack in cash games possibly on both sides but I’m a huge fan of the Cloud 9 bottom lane for this match. Cloud 9 now has the best early game rating of any team in NA and they have the most combined kills + assists per minute making them a pretty safe play for daily to hit on value. I’d shy away from a player like KFO even if you want to punt in the top lane. His opponent Balls now has 5+ assists in 6 straight games and he has dies 2 times or less in half of those. That may not be overly impressive, but Balls isn’t a target matchup for opposing top laners the way he was early in the season. I also don’t love picking up the C9 team for this slate because they are unlikely to get the sub 30 minute victory and Echo Fox can’t be counted out in this one.
Cloud 9
Elite Plays
-Sneaky (DK $7,800, AD $8,300) – It’s a huge slate for ADC’s so while Sneaky isn’t a sure-fire lock to be the best, I favor him the most. He’s averaging 6.5 kills per game over his last 10 and his damage per minute is among the top 3 at his position. He’s a stud, one of the best ADC’s in the region so at a priority position, it’s tough to find a better option.
Secondary Plays
-Hai (DK $5,900, AD $7,500) – I know I always say I’m not a huge believer in paying up for a support but I think pairing these two is a very strong play for this slate. With so much flexibility at other positions you can afford a player like Hai now more than ever.
Echo Fox
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Froggen (DK $6,200, AD $7,500) – After getting off to such a hot start, Froggen has cooled off lately but he’s still the primary carry on a decent team so that in itself gives him some value. Froggen likely won’t have elite production against C9 but they are a team that allows the opponent to hang around so it’s likely that Froggen can rack up some kills/assists before this one ends. I think he’s a slightly safer play than Bjergsen on both sites.
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