CS:GO Daily Fantasy Helper: ESL Pro League, Road to Rio, Wednesday 4/22/20

With traditional sports on hold for now, esports has taken the front seat in DFS, and we now have Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to play on FanDuel. Affectionately known as CS:GO, two teams of five players compete on each map until one team reaches 16 rounds. Most series are played as a best-of-three and will feature teams from the ESL Pro League in North American, South America and Europe.

If you are new to esports DFS or CS:GO DFS, take a look at the introduction piece with a rundown of format and scoring. All matches are a best-of-three and players will receive a bonus for completing a 2-0 sweep.

MVP Considerations

ZywOo, Team Vitality ($11,800)

ZywOo is arguably the best player in the world alongside s1mple, but the latter is not on this slate -- giving us a very clear option for the MVP spot. ZywOo and Vitality are coming off a lackluster 7th-9th place finish in the European ESL Pro League, but this is the start of qualifying for the ESL One Rio Major. This is where we expect an elite player to have a massive impact and where we can find plenty of fantasy points.

Despite Team Vitality falling short in the EU Pro League, ZywOo was able to post consistent numbers across the 16 maps he played during that event. ZywOo was able to pile up 16 kills or more on 14 of the 16 maps he played. He ended with a 1.20 kill to death ratio (K/D), along with a headshot percent sitting at 30.6% -- as a reminder, players receive 0.2 bonus points per headshot (HS).

Over these last 16 maps, he averaged 19 kills per game, had a high of 29 and should be in for a full three maps considering the level of teams we have. Team Vitality are the 10th-ranked team in the world, while their opponent -- Ninjas in Pyjamas -- are 13th.

Players

Gratisfaction, 100 Thieves ($9,600)

Gratisfaction had a strong showing during the ESL North American Pro league, and he should be able to build on that during this set of qualifiers. Over the 13 maps he played during that event, he posted a total of 240 kills -- good for an average of 18 per map. If a player can sit around 20 kills on average per map, they are in discussion for being a star -- or the star on their team -- and can be trusted on a daily basis.

Over those 13 maps, Gratisfaction had a kill or an assist (KAST) in 69.4% of the rounds they played, making him a high-impact player. We should also be looking at Gratisfaction as a player who could receive the Game not Played bonus points. 100 Thieves are the 9th-ranked team in the world, while their opponent -- Gen.G Esports -- are 22nd. A 2-0 is on the table for this matchup, and you want to grab those extra fantasy points.

tarik, Evil Geniuses ($9,200)

tarik is the cheapest player on Evil Geniuses, who are in a great spot for a quick 2-0 against team Orgless. He should be able to pay off his salary -- somewhat easily -- even if he doesn't have the best series due to the potential bonus points. tarik has been known to be a player with higher variance, which can also help him pay off his salary quickly. If we look back to the 20 maps he played in the ESL North American Pro League, we see that he had four maps with 11 kills or fewer but also posted 27 and 31 kills on two separate maps.

Evil Geniuses are an elite team -- 7th in the world -- and a quick 2-0 is something we should all be expecting against the 34th-ranked team. Adding a few players from Evil Geniuses could be a good stacking idea.

Sonic, Cloud9 ($9,300)

Cloud9 are coming off a strong 4th place finish at Flashpoint Season 1, where Sonic was able to average 18 kills over 27 maps. He had a modest HS% sitting at 38.6% for this event, with a 70.9% KAST and a 1.00 K/D. Strong numbers across the board, a modest salary, and a favorable matchup against Triumph -- the 42nd team in the world. Cloud9 has only played Triumph one time, which resulted in a 2-0 victory.

Not to get too ahead of things, but Cloud9 are the most expensive option when it comes to the 'Team' spot, as they are heavy favorites to win the series. It makes sense to follow the odds and add players from the teams who are expected to win -- thus, roster Sonic with full confidence.

Team

100 Thieves ($8,200)

As noted above, 100 Thieves should be in line for a 2-0 victory today, making them a strong candidate for the team spot. Surprisingly, they come in as the fifth-cheapest team on the slate out of 12. A good amount of savings on the team spot can bring them some point-per-dollar upside. Their opponent -- Gen.G -- are coming off a lackluster Flashpoint Season 1, including getting swept in two of their last four matches. Grab a favorite at a lower salary and trust in 100 Thieves today.