So let's be honest; Are Fanmade Champions just viewed as a "for fun" project by Riot?

It's pretty clear that as much as we love to create and brainstorm new ideas (although sometimes they fall under the realm of trope-centric nomenclature like a "Dark Knight" or "Samurai"), does Riot ever truly consider them for their own ideas? I mean, there was the fabled story from years ago about how Fiddlesticks came to be just simply from a drawing on a napkin about a scarecrow.

There's been no evidence (Unless they're -really- that good at hiding details) that we'll ever see lore characters like Zelos, The Ruined King himself, or Kassadin's daughter. So what exactly -is- Riot's position on fanmade or otherwise fanon champion creations? Fun little pet projects to see how much of the tangy creative juices that your community can muster up or are they ever looked over with genuine sincerity to see what can be done later in the game's life?