What a split this has been for the LEC. Most analysts are getting ready to announce the older teams in Fnatic and G2 Esports dead in the water and the rest of the world begin to take notice in the powerhouses in MAD Lions and Rogue look to be racing to the airport to get to China for the World Championships. Teams like Origen continue to refine their rosters and are finding success while teams like Team Vitality and Schalke 04 seem to just be happy being her, since they cannot seem to find any sort of success.

Game #1: SK Gaming versus Excel Esports

Cann’s Pick: SK Gaming

Game #2: Team Vitality versus Origen

Cann’s Pick and lock of the week: Origen

Game #3: G2 Esports versus Schalke 04

Cann’s Pick: G2 Esports

Game #4: Misfits versus Rogue

Cann’s Pick: Rogue

Game #5: Fnatic versus MAD Lions

Cann’s Pick: MAD Lions

Fantasy Value Breakdown

Cann’s Starting Lineup for 7/24

$49,900 out of the $50,000 salary cap

Captain (x1.5 Points): Larssen (Rogue) 

Top: Orome (MAD Lions) 

Jungle:  Inspired (Rogue)

Mid: ZaZee (SK Gaming) 

ADC:  Upset (Origen)

Support: Jactroll (Origen)

Team: Rogue

Captain (1.5x Points)

Tier 1: Caps (G2 Esports/$12,300): I think the G2 players are still a little overpriced for the performances they have been putting on. With that being said, Caps and G2 are facing off against the league’s worst team in Schalke 04. G2 is looking to bounce back from an 0-2 weekend and they could find some traction in their matchup against Schalke 04 and Caps should gain some real points against their mid laner, Abbadagge. Caps may be a long way from the highest rated mid laner this split, he is most definitely going up against the worst rated mid laner which bodes well for your captain points.  

 Value Pick: ZaZee (SK Gaming/$10,500): Zazee is quietly having a solid split. I think the inconsistencies of the team makes it difficult to appreciate what ZaZee has done. He currently (through 7/18) has a KDA (Kill/Death/Assist ratio) of 5.2 and has been responsible for 25% of his team’s total damage. If SK can get ZaZee a comfort pick that will allow him to contribute in team fights, ZaZee can pick up serious points at a heavily discounted rate.

Top

Tier 1: Alphari (Origen/$6,600): There are two current kings of the top lane in Europe and one of them is Alphari. Currently sitting at a 5+ KDA (Kill/Death/Assist ratio) and Origen picks around him over 60% of the time. He has selected 7 different champions and has participated in 69% of his team’s kills. If Origen win, it is because Alphari has gotten a monstrous lead in the top lane most times.

Value Pick: Finn (Rogue/$5,800): For a player on one of the top teams in the league and averaging over 20 FPPG to be this cheap is borderline criminal. This is something that may calling DraftKings and having to speak with their manager. Finn is a solid top laner who favors consistency over flashy plays. He has the 3rd highest KDA at a 3.2 and focuses on teamfights being involved with 62% of his team’s kills. Look for a HUGE game out of Finn over Dan Dan.

Jungle

Tier 1: Shad0w (MAD Lions/$7,200): Shad0w is definitely in the conversation for best jungler not only in Europe, but in the world. He put on an absolute clinic last weekend, especially on his Lee Sin against G2 Esports. Shad0w has the second highest KDA with a 5.5 and is into Selfmade and Fnatic who are currently in an absolute freefall this split.

Value Pick: Inspired (Rogue/$6,200): Please see my previous complaints about undervaluing players from Rogue. Inspired has the highest KDA in the league (9.2) amongst junglers and third highest overall amongst all players. I love his control of objectives and how he sets up team fights and will have a strong performance over Misfits with the benefit of a cheaper price!

Mid

Tier 1: Humanoid (MAD Lions/$7,400): I love MAD Lions. I love Humanoid. This team is wild and exciting and Humanoid is the glue holding it all together. He plays with wild confidence and I fully expect for him to run over Nemesis and Fnatic. Nemesis is averaging 19.5 FPPG while Humanoid is almost 10 more than him at 28.7. The solo lanes (Orome in the top and Humanoid in the mid) should have huge leads over Fnatic and that should lead to a pretty decisive win.  

Value Pick: ZaZee (SK Gaming/$7,000): For the same reasons I outlined for ZaZee to be a value pick for Captain, it pertains to mid lane here. I think if SK wins the draft and gets ZaZee onto a comfortable champion, he will be a solid source of points (FPPG-24.3). Now this does come with some risk, if they do not get him onto Azir, Orianna, or Corki; he has shown some glaring weaknesses.

ADC

Tier 1:Upset (Origen/$8,000): Apparently the answer was Jactroll the entire time. In his matches last weekend, Upset put on an absolute clinic in how to play ADC. He went 5-0-7 on Senna and 6-0-7 on Aphelios and currently is averaging 29.3 FPPG. He has such a knack for being in the right place at the right time in teamfights which is seen by the fact that he is averaging 36% of his team’s damage and he participates in a staggering 81% of his team’s kills. I am so excited to see where Upset and Origen end up at the end of this split, and I think it could be with an invitation to the World Championships.    

Value Pick: Neon (Schalke 04/$6,200): This is a wild pick. If you are a scratch gambler, turn your eyes away. Now let me explain my reasoning. Most ADC’s are priced heavily and Neon is one of the few that are sub $6,500. On top of that G2 Esports had a crushing 0-2 week this past weekend in which their owner came out to Twitter saying he talked to the team and told them he doesn’t care about winning, but having fun. That is terrible. You don’t want to hear that at all. There is only 2 KDA difference between Neon (1.3) and Perkz (3.4) which means there isn’t much separating them. Both have had good games and really rough games, and I think for G2, tomorrow will be a rough game.

SUP

Tier 1: Kaiser (MAD Lions/$6,000): Kaiser is one of the only supports I have seen get legitimately discussed as the MVP of a league. Kaiser has an 8.8 KDA and roams the map the entire game. He works closely with Shad0w (jungle) to get the solo lanes ahead and he dictates which targets should be focused in teamfights. He is a leader on the team and it shows in his play. He is into Fnatic and their support (Hylissang) who cannot stop dying which bodes well for Kaiser picking up some solid points here. 

Value Pick: Jactroll (Origen/$5,600): Jactroll has had absolute moments of brilliance throughout his career. Most famously for his time on Splyce and the run they had at the World Championships. This season he has severely struggled until last weekend when he started for Origen. He and Upset looked like they had been playing for years together as Origen ran through their opposition. While Origen does find new and creative ways to lose against teams they shouldn’t, I think Team Vitality just does not have the firepower to keep up.

TEAM

Tier 1: G2 Esports ($6,000): G2 need to bounce back and they need to bounce back quickly. The split is nearing a close quickly and they are running out of time to make a push to playoffs. I think the turnaround has to begin against the 10th overall team in Schalke 04. G2 is ranked 3rd in the league with kills (131) and second overall in jungle control (52.9%). Look for Jankos (G2 jungler) to force fights and skirmishes across the map and G2 to capitalize on the weak lanes of Schalke 04.

Value Pick: SK Gaming ($5,000): I think there is something to be said about what feels like a resurgence of SK’s opponents this week in Excel Esports. That being said, the mid and top lane differences are going to be too much. SK Gaming love to fight, especially in the late game where Excel play slowly and usually will get choked out of a game pretty early on. SK Gaming have a KD of 1.09 and Excel are at a lowly 0.77. The pressure that SK will make in late game team fights will be more than enough to put away the more timid playstyle of Excell.   

Value Combos:

*Upset and Jactroll (ADC and Support/Origen/$13,600): The cheap cost of Jacktroll offsets the price of Upset here and I think that means all the more to combo these two together today. Upset didn’t die at all in the opening weekend of these two playing together and I think that bodes very well for the point return on this pickup. Team Vitality’s botlane is not anything to be afraid of and I think these two could single handedly make this game get out of control quickly. 

*Orome and Shad0w (Top and Jungle/MAD Lions/$13,400): This is a pretty expensive duo for these two lanes but it can definitely be worth it. In a lot of games the jungler will work with the top laner to get them ahead of their lane opponent. This will allow the team to transition into a stronger mid game and better odds in teamfights in the midgame. This is what MAD Lions like to do with Orome and Shad0w, and I expect it to happen against Fnatic and Bwipo. Bwipo has a tendency of dying over and over again in lane and having to claw his way back into a game. I don’t see that happening against the European powerhouse of MAD LIons.

Top Picks: Caps, Humanoid, Upset, Hans Sama, Larssen

These picks are tried and true. Their teams are heavily favored in their matchups and they consistently pull in huge points every game. Spend extra money here and you will not be disappointed.

Top Value: ZaZee, Jactroll, SK Gaming, Finn

These picks are a risk. You will spend less on them but have the opportunity for a big payout. If you are in a pinch on cash and want to spend more on some bigger names, look out for these high value picks to help round out your lineup.