DraftKings LoL: Thursday LPL/LCK Breakdown

Games (EDT)

• 4:00 a.m. Afreeca Freecs vs. Hanwha Life Esports
• 5:00 a.m. Top Esports vs. Suning
• 6:50 a.m. Team WE vs. Victory 5
• 7:00 a.m. DragonX vs. DAMWON Gaming

AF vs. HLE

Our first series Thursday features an Afreeca team who needs a win to secure a safer advantage in the playoff race over KT Rolster. Hanwha Life, on the other hand, is second-to-last in the standings so this game is not relevant for them. AF will come out here and make this a quick victory over HLE, who has only won one series this split against the last place team in the LCK. Mystic at the ADC position leads the team in kills by a large margin with 99 this split and the next closest is Kiin in the top lane. Both of these players can provide value in your lineup Thursday even though all of AF are viable to use.

Prediction to Win:  AF 2-0

AF Players to Target: Everyone on AF

TES vs. SN

Our first LPL matches kick off with Top Esports in third place while Suning Gaming are currently fourth in the standings. Both teams have something to play for here since their goal is to get into the top two positions so they can be granted a bye week in playoffs. TES is coming off a 2-0 series loss to Invictus Gaming while SN is on an eight-win streak. We have two very talented teams here and it's a very close matchup that I can see both sides winning. I do think TES have the better players, forcing me to lean towards a 2-1 series win. It's the Knight and JackeyLove show when TES plays, as Knight sits with 169 kills and a 76 percent kill participation while JackeyLove in the bot lane has 131 kills and a 69 percent kill participation. If this series turns bloody, Knight and JackeyLove are core players to have.    

Prediction to Win: TES 2-1

TES Players to Target: Knight ($7,800) JackeyLove (8,200) Karsa ($7,200)

SN Players to Target: Huanfeng ($7,000) Bin ($5,400) Angel ($6,600)

WE vs. V5

Our second LPL series on the slate also includes two teams who are right next to each other in the standings with both teams sitting on 8-4 records this split. Victory 5 is the favorite in the betting market, but this also looks like coin flip of a game where cases for both teams can be made. Looking at recent form, V5 is on a two-series losing streak, whereas WE were able to pick up a win with their last series. I do think V5 have the better lane matchups and think they will take the series 2-1 when all is said and done. SamD leads the team with 122 kills this split while also holding a kill participation over 70 percent. When looking at the team as a whole, three of the five team members, SamD , Weiwei and ppgod all have a kill participation over 70 percent, which can make a good core if you lean the way of V5.  

Prediction to Win: V5 2-1

Players to Target: SamD ($7,600), Weiwei ($6,800), ppgod ($5,400)

DRX vs. DWG

This is the match of the morning for any fan of the LCK since we have the top two teams squaring off once again in DragonX vs. DAMWON Gaming. In their first meeting, DRX was able to get the victory in the series despite going three games, and I see this happening again with these two competitive teams. During the three games, the first one was a low-scoring affair, but in the last two games the kill total went up, making this series a good spot to target. Much like the last two series I discussed, I see this as a coin flip where you have to take a stand on one team or take both sides in multiple lineups. Chovy with 110 kills and Deft at 103 kills are essentially your primary damage dealers for DRX, holding a large lead over third place (Doran). When looking at kill participation, Keria and Pyosik register over 70 percent each in the statistic while having over 200 assists on the split.   

 Prediction to Win: DRX 2-1

DRX Players to Target: Deft ($6,800), Chovy ($6,400), Pyosik ($6,200), Keria ($4,800)