Here is my list of players I like at each position as well as some players to avoid. These are all based on the full slate (4 games) on DraftKings.
Value Plays: Quarterfinals
Flash Wolves vs Origen – Thursday, October 15th
SK Telecom vs Ahq E-Sports – Friday, October 16th
Fnatic vs Edward Gaming – Saturday, October 17th
KT Rolster vs KOO Tigers – Sunday, October 18th
Top Lane
High End Stud: MaRin – SKT – $7,700 – The obvious play in cash games, MaRin will probably be the highest own % top laner. This is not without warrant, I believe he will likely be the highest scoring top laner of the quarterfinals even if he only plays 3 games. He could honestly be worth more if he plays 4 games because he will only get 20 points for the unplayed ones. The only question is, what will has value be at that price. Picking him up will definitely restrict the rest of your roster but if you lock him in, you can count on him to be a DFS stud.
Secondary option: Ssumday – KT Rolster – $6,900 – MaRin has been obvious best top laner at worlds so far right? Not so fast my friend. Ssumday leads all players in his position in KDA (10.7), Avg Kills (6.2), and avg deaths (1.2) making him the highest upside play of this round. He has a tough matchup against Smeb and he performed with moderate success versus him in the past but KT as a team is playing at their best right now. He has yet to have a game under 22 fantasy points and I expect this trend to continue.
Other value plays I like: Koro1, Huni.
Love our content? Check out the GoingFor2 Live Podcast Network!
Avoid: SoaZ – Origen – $6,900 – He is a good player but the price tag will not be worth the return. In the groups stage he never had more than 25 points in a game and he lacks the other high upside that other players around his price range provide.
Jungle
High End Stud: Clearlove – EDG – $6,100 – I see a lot of value in Clearlove. For one, the series will probably go a little long and that tends to benefit junglers and support players the most. Clearlove is also the best jungler remaining at Worlds and his calculated playmaking style could give Fnatic some trouble especially in the early to mid game. The moderate price allows you to extract maximum value as well.
Secondary Option: Karsa – Flash Wolves – $5,100 – Karsa has been the catalyst for FW and fantasy teams alike. He has put up at least 33 points in his last 3 games and he has the 2nd highest kill participation % among junglers left at Worlds. Of all the junglers in the lower tiers, he definitely stands out as a bargain value player.
Other players I like: bengi, Hojin
Avoid: Amazing – Origen – $6,400 – Again, I really like Amazing just not for the price. I think OG will win the series but I am not entirely convinced it will be because of Amazing. He is a good early game jungler but in 4 of his 6 games during groups stage, he never eclipsed 16 points. There are better value options out there.
Mid
High End Stud: Febiven – Fnatic – $6,700 – Regardless of whether Fnatic wins or loses, Febiven has been a consistent DFS fantasy option. In the two losses in the first stage, he still managed to get over 35 points in each game. Pawn has not been at the top of his game and it could be an exploitable matchup for Feb. His salary also permits you flexibility with the rest of your roster. Buy on Febiven even if you’re not sold on Fnatic’s chances.
Secondary Option: Kuro – KOO – $6,300 – I love this value. This is a rematch of the semifinals of the LCK Summer playoffs and despite KOO losing, Kuro still outscored Nagne by 20 fantasy points. KOO has some weaknesses in the early game but if they make it to late game, Kuro should be able to put up some great DFS numbers. His 8.7 KDA leads all mid laners at Worlds.
Other players I like: Maple
Avoid: Faker – SKT – $8,300 – I promise you I’m not crazy. Yes, Faker is the best in his position (also the most expensive) but there is one giant question mark surrounding him in this stage. Will he play? There have been conflicting reports whether Easyhoon or Faker will be playing against AHQ and I’m not willing to risk paying that much for a guy who may not play. Proceed with extreme caution and even if he is confirmed to play game 1, there is no guarantee he plays in the 2nd and 3rd games.
AD Carry
High End Stud: Bang – SKT – $8,700 – His opponent AN has been one of the surprises of the tournament and he has continued to improve each game. The problem is that he is fairly one dimensional (most of his success has come on one champion: Jinx.) Bang and SKT will look to exploit that and it will likely mean big numbers for Bang. He currently has a ridiculous KDA of 71.0 (only 1 death so far.) Don’t expect it to be that good going forward, but AHQ doesn’t pose as much of a threat as a lot of other teams left in the tournament.
Secondary Option: Rekkles – Fnatic – $7,000 – Definitely a more budget friendly choice. If you go all in on SKT at other positions you made need to dig a little deeper at ADC and I think Rekkles is the safest play. He has yet to have a game under 25 fantasy points and if he continues that trend in a 5 game series, he may end up being the highest scoring ADC when all things are said and done in the Quarterfinals.
Other players I like: Arrow, Niels
Avoid: Deft – EDG – $7,700 – Of all ADC’s priced over $7,000 only Deft has had 2 games under 20 fantasy points. I think he will improve against Fnatic and he has proven he can put up good numbers but he presents the highest risk of that group. There are better value options across the board so I would pass on Deft.
Support
High End Stud: Mithy – Origen – $6,300 – Support is the position I try to go cheap on and get maximum value. This strategy can pay huge dividends when it works but when supports have bad games, they look really bad on the DFS scoreline. I think Mithy is a good, safe, moderate option that doesn’t incur that much risk, and also doesn’t hurt in the salary department either. His matchup against FW should be very winnable and will likely be easier than any bot lane he faced in groups.
Secondary Option: Piccaboo – KT Rolster – $6,300 – Arguably the best support at Worlds, Piccaboo has all the tools to be the highest scoring support of this slate. I expect KT vs KOO to be more than 3 games and that will potentially hurt his value but it has potential upside as well. He has over 25 points in each of his last 3 games and he has eclipsed the 10+ Assist/Kill bonus in each of those as well. His 14 assists per game are the highest among all players at Worlds.
Other players I like: Yellowstar, Wolf
Avoid: N/A – Realistically I believe there are no clear cut “avoidable” players at support. There is even value on the lowest tier even if it they have sub-par numbers, the value they create by salary freedom allows you to put together a really awesome lineup across the board. I would still prefer staying above the $5,000 line players, but if you feel confident about Albis or Swordart, they should be viable at least.
Teams
High End: SKT – $5,300 – Almost a lock to be the highest scoring team
Secondary Option: EDG – $4,500 – High risk/reward at a reasonable price
Avoid: AHQ – $2,800 – Anyone but AHQ is probably viable for decent points.
[wysija_form id=”1″]
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
The GoingFor2 Live Podcast
