This article is part of our DraftKings League of Legends series.
FlyQuest (3-4) vs. Cloud9 (6-1)
Vegas Win Odds: C9 75%
Cloud 9 destroyed Team Liquid on Saturday, but FlyQuest are also coming off a big win over 100 Thieves. While that upset was impressive, Cloud9 are on a different level than both FlyQuest and 100 Thieves and I expect them to win this game pretty handily. Jensen remains the best play on the team, with the best floor and ceiling on the team. It may also be time to stop ignoring Licorice as his 23 kills are actually two more than Jensen for the team high. There are some concerns due to his top 10 death total, but in a matchup I expect C9 to win pretty easily, I'm not overly concerned. Sneaky remains a fade for me as he's been very assist reliant and his low kill participation scares me away.
Prediction: C9 one sided win
FLY Players to consider: None
C9 Players to consider: Licorice ($7,100), Jensen ($7,900)
Golden Guardians (0-7) vs. 100 Thieves (4-3)
Vegas Win Odds:100 81%
Although 100 Thieves have cooled off after a hot start, they come into the day as the biggest favorites both in Vegas and pricewise on Draftkings. I have my doubts about them living up their salaries, but they seem to be a safe bet to win this game against a Golden Guardians team that are still seeking their first win on the year. Given their prices, I'd rather use a more explosive C9 side at a discount than pay up for 100 Thieves, so a fade is certainly an option due to their lofty salaries. If you want the safety of using 100 Thieves members, I'd go with one or two at maximum as I expect C9 and the winner of Echo Fox vs. Team Liquid to outscore 100 Thieves on Sunday.
Prediction: 100 Thieves win, but don't pay off their salaries
GGs Players to consider: None
100 Players to consider: None, overpriced despite being safe options
Team SoloMid (3-4) vs. Counter Logic Gaming (3-4)
Vegas Win Odds: TSM 63%
I found myself fading this game in my lineups, as I think it's a tough one to predict. Just when TSM start looking better they drop a game against Clutch yesterday and show off their struggles to close out games. CLG mirror TSM with the fact that they finally got back to .500 before falling to OpTic on Saturday. Both teams have problems, and with my inability to come to a real decision I won't be using players from either side. It's fairly close to a pick'em so if you want to play this game, pick a side and back whoever you think will win. For TSM the safest bet is Bjergsen, but CLG's bot lane has struggled this year so Zven and Mithy possess some upside. CLG have been led by Huhi and Darshan, but Huhi would be a fade for me if I was playing this game due to a difficult matchup against Bjergsen.
Prediction: TSM close win
TSM Players to consider: Bjergsen ($7,400)
CLG Players to consider: Darshan ($6,000)
Team Liquid (5-2) vs. Echo Fox (6-1)
Vegas Win Odds: Pick'em
Picking this game correctly is probably essential to doing well on Sunday as you have two of the best teams in the league priced down due to being in a difficult game. Team Liquid were smashed by C9 yesterday, but that doesn't dictate too much as on their day C9 can make any team in the league look awful. Team Liquid have the players to keep Echo Fox's explosive lineup in check and they definitely have the ability to win this game. For me this game came down to liking my lineups a lot more by using Echo Fox at a slight discount to Team Liquid. We talk about their upside all the time so it's a tough fade for me at underdog prices. I expect Echo Fox players to be the highest owned on the day, so a fade in big entry tournaments is probably a good way to go in case they end up losing.
Prediction: Echo Fox close win
TL Players to consider: Xmithie ($6,000), Pobelter ($7,100), Doublelift ($7,200), TL team ($4,700)
FOX Players to consider: Dardoch ($5,900), Fenix ($7,000), Altec ($7,100), Adrian ($5,100), FOX team ($4,600)
OpTic Gaming (2-5) vs. Clutch Gaming (3-4)
Vegas Win Odds: CG 63%
I'm going with the upset here. Despite Clutch beating TSM yesterday, they struggled out of the gate in the game and only ended up winning due to a big Baron steal and TSM's inability to close out the game. I said yesterday that OpTic were playing better than their record suggested and I think they can finish their first undefeated week by taking down their opponents on Sunday. Arrow has a top 10 kill total in the league and is the OpTic player I'm targeting in my lineup, but PowerOfEvil is also in consideration at a cheap salary. Febiven is the main carry for Clutch and could be an option if you go with them to win, but I like the chances of an OpTic upset.
Prediction: Optic upset win
OPT Players to consider: Arrow ($6,600), PowerOfEvil ($6,500), OPT team ($4,000)
CG Players to consider: Febiven ($7,600)
