FanDuel is offering League of Legends daily fantasy, and look, if you don't know what that is, it's okay.
I have you covered with a detailed but straightforward primer to get you all set up, whether you're a DFS player looking to dig into the new sport, or a League of Legends fan ready to take your action over to FanDuel.
The LPL Summer Split is officially here, and we have League of Legends DFS action! The LPL is considered to be one of the two best regions in the world, which should bring us high-quality League of Legends on a daily basis. If you want a quick overview of the teams and their rankings, check here. Let's break down the LPL slate for Friday, June 12th, and see who stands out. (Just a heads up, the slate locks at 5:00 a.m. EST). Here are the starting lineups.
| Team | Implied Win Probability | Match Record | Map Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| LNG Esports | 23.5% | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Royal Never Give Up | 84.8% | 2-0 | 4-0 |
| Bilibili Gaming | 23.5% | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| FunPlus Phoenix | 84.8% | 0-1 | 1-2 |
It's a slate with two matches, and both have very heavy favorites. As you could assume, those two teams are the most expensive options on the slate. This should see ownership centered around those two teams -- RNG and FunPlus -- opening up the chance for some leverage.
Star - 1.5x Points
Betty, Royal Never Give Up ($10,100) comes in as the second-most expensive player on the slate but is truly worth paying up for. He is off to a hot start in the Summer Split, picking up 19 kills, 29 assists, and only 3 deaths in the first two series -- both of which were sweeps for RNG. He is scoring plenty of fantasy points on his own, and by putting him in the Star spot, the 1.5x boost will raise his ceiling even higher. Not to mention RNG could easily pick up another 2-0 sweep, leading to even more fantasy points.
Top
Khan, FunPlus Phoenix ($8,500) is a player you can trust in the top lane and is just a few hundred dollars cheaper than New ($8,700). I said this the other day about New when he was only $7.8K, "If he can continue this level of production, his salary won't stay this low." In their first match, Khan was very average -- but they lost that series, so that is to be expected. He had 10 deaths over the three maps, with 11 assists and 9 kills. FunPlus should be able to come away with the win, and that would directly lead to Khan having more fantasy points overall.
Jungle
Xx, LNG Esports ($7,800) looked good in their series win against FunPlus the other day, and if they want to have a chance against RNG, Xx is going to need to step up. Junglers are often tasked with being a playmaker for a team -- especially if they are behind -- which makes him as a viable DFS option. He also brings a bit of salary relief, and that is needed when the two best teams are so expensive. In LNG's most recent win, Xx posted 44 assists, 6 kills, and 8 deaths in the three map series.
Mid
Xiaohu, Royal Never Give Up ($8,700) is still on the cheaper side of Mid-Laners, and with RNG being the favorite, he makes for an easy pick. The first match was considerably better for Xiaohu compared to their last one -- despite the fact they were both wins for RNG. In the first series, he had 35 combined kills and assists, while in the second series, it was only 17 combined kills and assists. That's a wider range of outcomes than what is ideal, but he still worth trusting in this matchup.
ADC
Lwx, FunPlus Phoenix ($10,300) finished the Spring Split as one of the best ADCs in the LPL, and we should look to him to be right back there for the Summer Split. He had a modest performance in their first series, which was a loss, but this matchup against Bilibili Gaming should result in a win. He is the most expensive player on the slate and on a heavy favorite -- expect plenty of ownership on him.
Support
Ming, Royal Never Give Up ($7,800) is consistent and is on a heavy favorite, but he doesn't carry a high ceiling since he is a support player. That is the truth for nearly every support in every region around the world. You should always be looking to add them onto a stack you already have since they derive most of their fantasy points via assists, not kills.
Team
Royal Never Give Up ($7,700) has started the season 2-0, and both wins have come via the sweep. They are looking good in all aspects of their game and carried a +11 tower differential in their first series with a +15 tower differential in the second series. They are dominating the macro game and will continue that versus LNG.