Fantasy Love/Hate: Week 9
Just as LCS teams are clawing their way towards the six coveted playoff spots in their regions, Fantasy LCS owners are desperately looking to climb the ladder as the end of the split approaches. While some may be hopelessly out of contention, there is still plenty of opportunity to ruin someone else’s season. Spoilers and potential champions alike face critical roster decisions in Week 9, and for that we turn to Fantasy Love/Hate.
FOR FANTASY WEEK 9, WE LOVE…
Kerp (vs SK, ROC)
Kerp may be the most inconsistent fantasy player in the LCS on a per-game basis. Fortunately for his owners, his inconsistency often plays itself out within the same week. In Week 3, Kerp posted a -1.02 point game followed up by a fantastic 43.27 points. While this roller coaster can make owning Kerp extremely risky, it has actually translated into a very successful fantasy split for the MIllenium Mid laner, particularly in weeks where he does well in both games (57 points in Week 4).
Week 9 could be another high point for Kerp. In his most recent matches with SK Gaming and ROCCAT, he has put up 28.96 and 23.59 points respectively. While Kerp is a relatively safe play in most weeks, his potential ceiling in this matchup makes him a fantastic choice.
Gleeb (vs COL, LMQ)
Despite a slight stumble in Week 8, Gleeb has been performing at a high level for a fantasy Support. Since Week 4, he has only had one week lower than 31 points (22 points in Week 8). Consistency is the mark of a great fantasy player and Gleeb has followed through for most of the season. Owners should be excited about his matchups this week. CompLexity and LMQ give up an average of 16 and 15 points respectively to opposing Supports. While most players desperately hope for a 30 point performance from their Support, Gleeb has a chance to reach that mark with just an average performance.
Shiphtur (vs CRS, EG)
Shiphtur has been arguably the best part of the Dignitas/Coast mashup all season long. He ranks among the top 20 players in overall fantasy points (17th through Week 7). While his team has had an up and down fantasy season, Shiphtur has remained a consistent performer throughout—until last week. Longtime fans of competitive LoL may be quickly benching their Dignitas starters, but Week 9 is not the time to bail out on this new and improved squad.
Historically, Dignitas has been a team that lived and died by momentum. They would win 7 games in a row, only to stumble and spiral through a heavy losing streak. It was rare to see them recover quickly from a loss, but that has not been the case this season. For seven straight weeks, Dignitas had not lost back to back games, including Super Weeks. This new Dignitas is a much more resilient team, and owners who bail now will be kicking themselves when Shiphtur returns to form in Week 9 against two of the weakest teams in the NA LCS.
BUT WE HATE…
MrRalleZ (vs ROC, ALL)
Overall, MrRalleZ has been a perfect matchup play this split. However, this week is against the Supa Hot Crew’s AD Ccarry. Both Alliance and ROCCAT have been difficult matchups for MrRalleZ. In Weeks 3 and 7 against Alliance, MrRalleZ put up a pitiful 4.89 and 6.42 points respectively. Week 4’s match against ROCCAT was not much better, as he posted only 10.38 points. A difficult game against either team could drag MrRalleZ’s point total down too far to be worth the risk. In most weeks, MrRallez is a great choice at the flex position, but this week, owners should look at other options first.
Krepo (vs CLG, DIG)
Despite the struggles this season for the Evil Geniuses, their AD Carry, Altec, has put up impressive point totals week after week. Owners with tough matchups at the Support position may look to Krepo to absorb some of Altec’s success, but the numbers don’t reflect that strategy. Despite earning assists off of many of Altec’s killing sprees, Krepo is unable to find the same kind of extra points in EG’s multitude of losses (~8.0 pts/loss).
The low points for EG are even worse for their veteran Support. Through 18 games, Krepo ended 10 of them with fewer than ten points, with two of those games falling below even a single fantasy point. In a week where he faces two of the top teams in the NA LCS, Krepo is a poor choice for any owner.
