The final week of the LCS is here, and with it, the last chance to improve your Fantasy LCS position. Many teams are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, and there will inevitably be many exciting games. Here is a look at which players may exceed expectations, as well as those that will probably disappoint.
Start:
Vincent “Biofrost” Wang – Support for Counter Logic Gaming
Opponents: OpTic and Team SoloMid
Biofrost’s fantasy value has gone up and down along with Counter Logic Gaming’s success this year, and going into Week 9, that is a very good thing for his fantasy owners. Winning the last four games straight, Biofrost has had two 50+ point weeks in a row. This week they are facing a struggling OpTic Gaming, and long-time rivals TSM. CLG will have to pull off two big wins for even a shot at the playoffs this year, and their Bot Lane duo is likely to lead the way.
Kim “Fenix” Jae-hun – Mid Lane for Echo Fox
Opponents: FlyQuest and 100 Thieves
Despite being on first place Echo Fox and the second highest scoring Mid Laner in the LCS, Fenix is still only being started in 57% of fantasy leagues. Although last week was not their best, they will be fighting hard to secure first place in the last week of the Split. On a team that tends to focus on their Mid and Top lanes, and up against two of the weaker Mid Laners in the league, Fenix is primed to produce a lot of fantasy points.
Cody “Cody Sun” Sun – ADC for 100 Thieves
Opponents: Clutch Gaming and Echo Fox
Cody Sun has had an exceptional season. He is currently tied for the most kills in the NA LCS with 70, and is second only behind Altec in ADC fantasy points. Though they have already secured a playoff spot, their game against Clutch Gaming will be one to watch. The two teams are currently tied for third, and the winner of this game will likely have an advantage in the postseason. On Sunday they face Echo Fox, who tends to struggle in the Bot Lane, despite what the fantasy points show. Unless something happens to completely throw off Cody Sun, he should have a strong showing this week.
Mads “Broxah” Brock-Pedersen – Jungle for Fnatic
Opponents: Giants Gaming and FC Schalke 04
Last week, Fnatic secured their first place spot in the EU LCS, and Broxah played a large role. On a team full of experience and talent, he has consistently given his teammates what they need to succeed. While not yet a Jungle legend, he has been a solid fantasy performer. His 14+ average points per game should earn him a starting spot in more than the current 63% of leagues.
Eric “Licorice” Ritchie – Top Lane for Cloud9
Opponents: Team Liquid and FlyQuest
On a team full of veterans, rookie Top Laner Licorice has more than held his own. Second only behind Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon in the NA LCS, his fantasy performance this split has been equal to his success on the rift. Playing high damage Champions has helped him earn a position-high 49 kills, and doesn’t hesitate to go head-to-head with some of the most experienced players in the league. Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong and Lee “Flame” Ho-jong are both on the bottom half of the table in terms of fantasy points this season, and Licorice can be expected to take advantage of them this week.
Sit:
Michael “MikeYeung” Yeung – Jungle for Team SoloMid
Opponents: Golden Guardians and Counter Logic Gaming
Joining the LCS halfway through the 2017 season, MikeYeung made a name for himself as a breakout star with Pheonix1. Understandably, many people picked him up for their fantasy team this season expecting big things. While he’s not at the bottom of the Jungler ladder, he’s also far from the top. The Golden Guardians are no longer the easy matchup they were early in the season. On top of that, CLG is on a rampage in their push to make playoffs, making it unlikely that MikeYeung will find fantasy success this week.
Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu – Top Lane for Splyce
Opponents: Vitality and Giants Gaming
Odoamne is an an experienced player on a team that has done quite well in the second half of the split, which is the only explanation for him being started in 40% of fantasy leagues. He is a prime example of good plays and teamwork not always translating to fantasy scores, especially for Top Laners. He is currently 14th in terms of total fantasy points for his position, and facing Kim “Ruin” Hyeong-min and Lucas “Cabochard ” Simon-Meslet in the final week of the split is unlikely to improve his standing.
Eugene “Pobelter” Park – Mid for Team Liquid
Opponents: Cloud9 and OpTic Gaming
Although a bit up and down, Pobelter has had a decent season so far. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, the past two weeks have been some of his lowest, and this week is not shaping up to be much better. Team Liquid’s first match is against the number one Mid Laner Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen, who is on the first place team in the NA LCS. Next on the schedule is the struggling OpTic, but Tristan “PowerOfEvil” Schrage rarely makes things easy for his opponents. Pobelter will have to be in top form to put up even average fantasy scores in Week 9.
Jason “WildTurtle” Tran – ADC for FlyQuest.
Opponents: Echo Fox and Cloud9
WildTurtle had a huge week last week with 50 points, but that is unlikely to repeat. FlyQuest is ending their difficult Spring Split by facing the two teams that are tied for first place. While the Echo Fox Bot Lane has shown some flaws, they are still such a strong team overall that it is unlikely to pan out well for WildTurtle. After this tough game, they will have to turn around and face Cloud9. Zachary “Sneaky” Scuderi and Andy “Smoothie” Ta have been impressive all season, and are unlikely to give up many fantasy points to WildTurtle.
Kim “Olleh” Joo-sung – Support for Team Liquid
Opponents: Cloud9 and OpTic Gaming
Leading Immortals to the NA LCS finals last split, Olleh was being talked about for possible MVP honors a few months ago. This year has been a much different story. While enough people have held onto last seasons performance to have him starting in 72% of fantasy leagues, their faith has not paid off. Olleh is currently the fourth worst support in the LCS in terms of average points per game, and aside from a couple decent weeks early in the Split, he and Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng have seemed very out of sync. If they can figure out how to be on the same page, they could be a powerhouse in the Summer Split, but chances are that won’t happen before Saturday.
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Featured image courtesy of LOL Esports