Fantasy Love / Hate: Spring 2016 Week 5

Real talk: This is a tough week to find Fantasy LCS studs in either region. Most teams have one really bad matchup this week that we'd normally try to avoid in our starting rosters.

So I'm going to dig a little deeper than usual to highlight some players that still have some risk, but are also probably available for pick up in your league right now. If you're in a tough spot and need a one-week filler, hopefully this week's list helps you out!

For Fantasy Week 5, We Love...

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ROC's Tabzz (vs. EL, GIA)

I really wanted to put someone for Team Liquid or NRG here, but CLG and C9 are mucking up their schedules with their stupid tendency for low-kill games. So I've resorted to scavenging.

Now that we're halfway through the season and have a good feeling for teams' power levels, it's usually a really bad idea to start players on the lower-ranked teams. Winning teams score more fantasy points overall and you want to ride that gravy train.

But when two lower-ranked teams fight against each other, something magical often happens: a drawn-out bloodbath where neither team is really sure how to close out the game quickly.

The winless GIA have given up 15 deaths per game on average, and EL have given up 13 -- despite winning 3 of their games! I like ROC's chance to win at least one of these, and I wouldn't be surprised if Tabzz can score solid points playing cleanup in both.

As a nice perk, Tabzz (22 points last week) and the rest of ROC are probably available for pickup in your league right now, if you need a quick fix!

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TIP's Feng (vs. TSM, DIG)

I admit, this pick makes me a bit nervous. TIP struggled last week -- but so did TSM and DIG. Of those three teams, I have the most faith in TSM to make a rebound, but their win over REN was messy (they gave up 18 deaths!) and Flaresz made Hauntzer looked vulnerable. Feng didn't look particularly convincing on his own, but he had a high kill participation for a top laner (76%) and pulled down 22.3 points in their 0-2 week, thanks to all the kills they got against NRG.

I'm only comfortable risking the TSM matchup because I believe that TIP has a very solid chance of beating DIG. If you don't agree, steer clear! But very few teams have two easy matchups this week, and TIP has shown repeatedly that their fight-heavy playstyle can bring home huge fantasy points when they win. That upside keeps me interested.

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UOL's Vizicsacsi (vs. H2K, FNC)

Despite playing with 3 different junglers in as many weeks, UOL continues to look near-perfect in their coordination. Their one-sided wins boosted many players on their roster to the top of the EU LCS Fantasy scoreboard last week, but the big standout to me was Vizicsacsi. His 49-point weekend put him above all other top laners, nearly as high as the primary carries on his team, and equal with the likes of WildTurtle (49 points) and Emperor (53 points)!

Even better, both of UOL's opponents this week looked vulnerable on Sunday, giving up a combined 39 deaths in their two wins (17 on FNC, 22 on H2K) against ROC and EL. UOL is at least as strong as ROC and EL. If H2K or FNC stumbles at all this week, UOL will milk them for fantasy points too.

But We Hate...

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SPY's Trashy (vs. OG, GIA)

You probably haven't been starting many SPY players in your roster anyways, but desperate owners are going to be eyeballing their schedule jealously this week. Facing GIA has become our go-to litmus test for whether or not you want to start a player on any given week (they give out massive piles of Fantasy points fairly consistently). OG has also shown some weakness lately, even against GIA on Sunday.

But here's the catch: if you want to bet on SPY players this week, aim for Sencux or Kobbe. They have significantly higher fantasy stats than anyone else on the team (13.9 points/game average and 11.5 points/game average respectively), and are the ones to really step up and carry hard in games (50-point week high and 32-point week high respectively).

The jungler, Trashy, on the other hand, is sitting at the bottom of SPY's fantasy rankings, with a measly 7.8 points per game. Until SPY find a strategy that works for them, their players carry too much risk, so at least stick with the most reliable carries on the team if you venture into these waters.

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C9's Balls (vs. IMT, TL)

C9 looked awesome yesterday, and they shut down their opponents so hard (4 deaths all weekend!) that I'm terrified to start anyone playing against them this week. But this schedule is brutal. TL, IMT, and C9 are among the best teams in NA right now, which makes this double-header super exciting as fans and super scary as Fantasy owners.

If you want to bet on C9, go with Jensen (44.5 points last week) or Sneaky (50.86 points). Balls was a very noticeable low-scorer in Fantasy last week despite the wins, only grabbing 18.8 points for himself. You can do better.

Josh Augustine's favorite champion is Anivia, he's never enjoyed a Darius, and he will always go for the kill, even when he knows he shouldn't. He currently works as a game designer at Daybreak Games. He’d love to talk with you on Twitter.