LoL Grind Down: EU - Week 5, Day 1
Welcome to the RotoGrinders League of Legends Grind Down. In this all-encompassing preview of the upcoming LCS action, every game will be broken down statistically, with several key elements highlighted in our charts.
We provide Defense versus Position data for each team, along with the RotoGrinders original stat, Pace. Every game is also broken down, providing an overview of the game and a selection of players to consider from each match.
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ROCCAT vs. Giants
| ROCCAT | Giants | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +208 |  | Vegas Sprd | +284 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 10.7 | Avg. Pts. | 9.7 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 16.9 | Avg. Pts./W | 18.2 | |||||||||
| FB% | 45% | FB% | 54% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Parang | Airwaks | Betsy | Raise | Steelback | Players | SmittyJ | Maxlore | NighT | Hustlin | SONSTAR | |
| Opp. Season | -0.35% | 3.87% | 2.54% | 0.42% | -4.46% | Opp. Season | -19.88% | -9.46% | -6.10% | -10.41% | -16.39% | |
At different points in time this season I have had higher expectations than most for both of these teams but in the end it’s pretty safe to say that things have been pretty rough for both Roccat and Giants. Roccat has the more skilled roster on paper but things have yet to really come together and Giants are just starting to really gel as a unit, but the caliber of players they offer does not provide much hope for the future. The mid lane matchup between Betsy and NighT is the headliner in this one. NighT is one of the most underrated players in the league and Betsy has failed to build upon his strong spring, but the talent is still there. Since both teams can’t seem to find an identity, this could be the sloppiest set of the day with fantasy points flying around for us to snatch but it’s tough to pinpoint which direction they will be coming from. Steeelback will probably be the best player on the rift and I’ll advocate him to be a risky flex play but nothing more. The primary issue for Roccat seems to be at the jungle spot where Airwaks can’t get out of his own way, or his teams way. Jungle and top are just too ugly for me to touch in this one. It’s likely one of those players will have a strong performance but it’s a total crapshoot as to which one. If forced to pick one, go with SmittyJ as he has shown some level of competence and success on current meta champs. The Giants have upset potential but investing heavily in either side could really burn you so there aren’t a ton of great cash plays here.
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ROCCAT
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Steeelback (DK $7,200, AD $7,400) – This is going to be restricted to GPP flex for me and probably more enticing on AlphaDraft overall. Steeelback has as much upside potential as anyone considering how much gold share the team devotes to him (1st among ADC’s) but his floor is low enough to scare me away in cash games.
Giants
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-NighT (DK $6,800, AD $7,500) – I consistently have listed NighT as a sleeper candidate but he’s still not providing enough value for me to target him for every lineup. He’s a very talented player with a ton of upside but his team drags his value down and I don’t know how far he can take you. The mid lane position is of such importance in DFS that you can’t risk a huge gamble so he is more suitable as a flex option or GPP with Steeelback and hoping this series gets bloody.
Splyce vs. Unicorns of Love
| Splyce | Unicorns of Love | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +136 |  | Vegas Sprd | +445 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 9.9 | Avg. Pts. | 10.7 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 17.4 | Avg. Pts./W | 18.8 | |||||||||
| FB% | 44% | FB% | 38% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Wunderwear | Trashy | Sencux | Mikyx | Kobbe | Players | Vizicasacsi | Move | Exileh | Hylissang | Veritas | |
| Opp. Season | -20.11% | -25.55% | -12.47% | -15.16% | -17.29% | Opp. Season | -8.03% | -7.05% | 0.32% | -0.36% | 2.07% | |
In the world of a crazy unpredictable EU LCS summer, Splyce has been a surprising constant when it comes to their results. They are basically at an even .500 with a 2W-4T-2L record which is no coincidence why they sit right at the middle of the tables in 5th place. A true measure of consistency is your results against different levels of opponents. Splyce has been consistent in that regard as well with losses to the top squads in FNC and G2 and wins against even or inferior teams like Schalke and Giants. The reason why this is important to me is that I think we can safely view Splyce as a legitimate favorite unlike many other supposed “favorites” on this slate. Teams like H2K, Fnatic and G2 have all had their blunders against weaker opponents leaving daily fantasy players scratching their heads. Splyce is a team that you should get what you pay for making them more enticing on this slate considering the matchup. UOL is the worst team on paper in the region despite being able to play above that level, often times they look like they don’t belong. It’s tough to trust any of their players even as a punt play and with some really interesting players at lower salaries on this slate for other teams, I’ll steer clear from the Unicorns who often fail to provide much even as punt options.
Splyce
Elite Plays
-Kobbe (DK $7,500, AD $7,800) – Though there are other ADC’s I really like on this slate, Kobbe is the safest play. He is averaging 5.8 kills per game against teams lower than Splyce in the standings (and only 3.5 against higher ranked teams) so against UOL he should be in line for a very productive outing.
Secondary Plays
-Trashy (DK $6,300, AD $7,500) – Trashy may not be the name value you look for at this salary but like Kobbe, he has been very productive against inferior opponents and he will look to feast on UOL in this matchup. He is also the leader in kill participation (82%) and assists per game (8.1%) among EU junglers.
Unicorns of Love
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Vitality vs. FC Schalke 04
| Vitality | FC Schalke 04 | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +197 |  | Vegas Sprd | +301 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 12.9 | Avg. Pts. | 12.2 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 18.6 | Avg. Pts./W | 17.8 | |||||||||
| FB% | 64% | FB% | 60% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Cabochard | MightBear | Nukeduck | KaSing | Police | Players | Steve | Gilius | Fox | sprattel | MrRalleZ | |
| Opp. Season | -6.20% | -8.00% | -12.04% | -13.08% | -2.16% | Opp. Season | -18.66% | -19.55% | -19.46% | -12.58% | -22.65% | |
One has to wonder if Vitality can ever return to form and they seem to be asking the same questions internally considering the sudden removal of MightyBear from the starting lineup in exchange for former jungler Shook. Personally, I love this move for the solo laners of VIT but I question how long it will take to get things straightened out. Their opponent Schalke is yet another middle of the pack team in Europe with hit and miss performances across the board. They showed some signs of life last week against G2 and Giants to end their slide and they come into this matchup as the favorites. With that being the case, they move out of the salary range I’m willing to devote to S04 players generally and I’ll be hitting up VIT more than likely but this isn’t the game to stack. In fact, I expect this 2 game set to provide the least fantasy value of all 5 matchups. Neither Schalke 04 nor Vitality are prone to giving up an abundance of kills and Shook in the lineup gives a more stable, veteran presence in the jungle for VIT. This probably ends in a tie but at this point I’ve given up on trying to figure out what’s going to happen with EU LCS game results.
Vitality
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Cabochard (DK $6,000, AD $7,400) – If you keep saying something will happen, and it eventually happens after repeated failures, does that make it a good prediction? I’m just going to tell myself yes at this point. Cabo is always a favorite play in the top lane for his upside and reasonable salary. He should be the player most affected by the return of Shook and I’m banking on that change to yield some positive results.
FC Schalke 04
Elite Plays
- None – I like Schalke to have a decent showing here, but I’m not paying top dollar with the Fnatic/G2 game on the table. Fox is probably the best option on S04 for what it’s worth.
Secondary Plays
- None
H2K vs. Origen
| H2K | Origen | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +128 |  | Vegas Sprd | +471 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 14.0 | Avg. Pts. | 13.6 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 16.8 | Avg. Pts./W | 19.6 | |||||||||
| FB% | 53% | FB% | 53% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Odoamne | Jankos | Ryu | VandeR | Freeze | Players | sOAZ | Amazing | PowerOfEvil | Hybrid | FORG1VEN | |
| Opp. Season | 6.12% | 2.80% | -3.70% | 1.03% | 4.75% | Opp. Season | 23.38% | 27.53% | 23.84% | 15.47% | 33.83% | |
I think these teams are in a fierce competition to prove who can be the biggest disappointment and last week H2K made a strong push for the crown after losing a set against UOL which was just puzzling in so many ways. I can’t figure this team out for the life of me. Sure H2K has the talent but I don’t understand why they can’t back it up. Jankos and Ryu were off to such a hot start and they have cooled off massively. Meanwhile Origen has looked better than the terrible form we saw earlier this summer but the signs aren’t too encouraging and it’s debatable how far they can go with xPeke at ADC. Should you pay up for H2K on DraftKings? I’d probably advise against going heavily for H2K and I really do think that value is just minimal for this matchup overall. These teams have just been more volatile than most of the European teams and neither team has been putting up big value for most of the split anyways. The H2K bottom lane is the most interesting option for me but it’s hard to see myself paying up that much to grab a support and decent ADC. Other than that I’ll avoid the rest of the lanes and look to stack the next game.
H2K
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
-Vander (DK $5,600, AD $7,500) – Personally I’m not huge on paying up for the support position but it does have some merit depending on the slate. In victories, Vander has had some huge games and in 6 of the team’s 10 wins he has had 10 or more assists. Origen’s bottom lane is their weak point right now and I think H2K will try to exploit that. If you think H2K wins this big, Vander is your play. I’m still a little shaky on that belief but I have very little faith in Origen so it’s certainly possible.
Origen
Elite Plays
- None
Secondary Plays
- None
Fnatic vs. G2 Esports
| Fnatic | G2 Esports | |||||||||||
 | Vegas Sprd | +199 |  | Vegas Sprd | +298 | |||||||
| Avg. Pts. | 14.1 | Avg. Pts. | 16.5 | |||||||||
| Avg. Pts./W | 18.3 | Avg. Pts./W | 18.3 | |||||||||
| FB% | 45% | FB% | 44% | |||||||||
| Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | Matchup – Opponent DvP Ranks | |||||||||||
| DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | DvP Rks | Top | Jng | Mid | Supp | ADC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Gamsu | Spirit | Febiven | YellOwStaR | Rekkles | Players | Kikis | Trick | PerkZ | Mithy | Zven | |
| Opp. Season | 15.23% | 14.42% | 13.68% | 21.51% | 21.64% | Opp. Season | 28.50% | 20.98% | 13.40% | 13.16% | 0.66% | |
No match has been more highly anticipated than this one and for good reason. Fnatic and G2 seemed to have separated themselves from the mayhem that is the EU LCS at least for the moment. This isn’t quite the same as TSM in North America because the level of dominance just hasn’t been there for either team. In this particular matchup, I favor G2 with a slight edge which is something I may not have said a few weeks ago. Fnatic does seem to be hitting their stride with wins in 7 of their last 8 games. G2 is coming in with a less impressive clip of 5 wins in the same span but they match up pretty well against Fnatic which is why I think they have a better shot at the 2-0. Ultimately this will probably be a 1-1 split with both sides presenting pretty strong value. You have to like the value of G2 players on DraftKings and that will likely be the play with heavy ownership in cash games. I’ll be looking at the solo laners for G2 but the bottom lane could have some value depending on the way the game plays out. Rekkles and Yellowstar are just very safe and controlled so they don’t often fall behind. The Perkz and Febiven matchup is great because I like both guys to perform well. I think Perkz will be perceived to have slightly better value potential just because of the salary but Febiven has been a less volatile player and provides a safer play with a similar upside as well. I will be all over this game. Even Gamsu and Expect will be on the table as options for me though I won’t be highlighting that matchup below, I think there is potential with Expect on a carry champion against the likes of Gamsu who has been surprisingly solid of late.
Fnatic
Elite Plays
-Febiven (DK $7,200, AD $8,400) – As I stated before, Febiven is just such a safe play in any matchup that it’s usually worth paying up a bit to get him. The inconsistency in the EU LCS gives him even more value and I think he will be a must-have on DraftKings for this slate at the very least. He is coming off of a monster series with 21 kills and 22 assists and he seemed to be meta proof with his champion pool.
-Yellowstar (DK $5,400, AD $7,600) – It’s tough not to like Yellowstar on any given slate. He’s been one of the best at racking up big assist totals and he is near the top in kill participation as well. I really like him and he’s probably my favorite support on this slate.
Secondary Plays
- None
G2 Esports
Elite Plays
-Trick (DK $5,700, AD $7,700) – Trick is the best jungler in the region and his play, though at time has it’s lapses, has potential to carry the team to victory. He also matches up very well against Spirit because he is simply a more controlled version of Spirit. He hasn’t had a huge game in the past couple of weeks but I think this series will have enough fireworks for him to provide a lot of value.
Secondary Plays
-Perkz (DK $6,700, AD $7,800) – This has to be the game where Perkz steps up to perform big and I think he is up to the task. It really isn’t about him versus Febiven but it’s more about the teamfight which will likely be on the shoulders of Perkz and Zven. Perkz is dead last among mid laners in kill participation but he’s towards the top in kills. It’s something to be concerned about but it doesn’t drive his value down enough for me to not consider him.
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