CS:GO Daily Fantasy Helper: ESL Pro League, Road to Rio, Friday 5/8/20

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, the CIS region, 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

broky, FaZe Clan ($11,800)

FaZe Clan, mousesports, Natus Vincere, and Virtus.Pro are all very large favorites on this slate, which should push ownership towards those players. You might have to eat some chalk, but going with broky should be one of the highest floor and highest ceiling players on the slate.

He comes in averaging 20.5 kills per map over the 12 maps FaZe have played in the group stage, along with leading the entire event with a kill or an assist (KAST) in 80.3% of his rounds. He has posted 15 kills or more on 11 of the 12 maps he has played, with a high of 34 kills. His consistency is always there, and with FaZe being large favorites, another 2-0 sweep is likely -- granting him a nice ceiling to reach for.

degster, Espada ($11,500)

degster and Espada are 1-2 to start off their group stage and in a coin flip match against pro100 today. This could mean all three maps and that would provide a massive ceiling for degster, who is averaging 22 kills per map and has a positive kill-to-death ratio of +52.

Given the fact we have s1mple, broky, coldzera, and NiKo in the top-tier of players, there is a chance degster comes in with the lowest ownership, and that is always intriguing for tournaments. He also the least likely to have a 2-0 sweep, which could also push DFS players away.

Players

woxic, mousesports ($9,900)

mousesports are heavy favorites in their matchup versus GODSENT -- 80% implied win probability -- but mousesports haven't looked amazing in the group stage. They come in as the fourth-ranked team in the entire world, yet they are in seventh place in their group and on the edge of being eliminated from advancing. A strong team underperforming is always tough to trust, and that's especially the case with a volatile player like woxic.

Over the 12 maps he has played in the group stage, he has a low of just 8 kills but a high of 32. His consistency is nonexistent, and that is a tough thing for DFS players to lock into your lineups -- I get that. But embracing that variance can lead to upside, and that pushes your lineups up the leaderboards.

flamie, Natus Vincere ($9,400)

flamie is the second-cheapest player on Natus Vincere and only $400 above the minimum salary. To say Na'Vi are a heavy favorite in their match against Syman Gaming would be an understatement. Na'Vi have an implied win probability of 95.2%. This is the most lopsided matchup on the entire slate, and it should be a 2-0 sweep.

The bonus points for a sweep -- 15 FanDuel points -- can bring value to players who aren't picking up a ton of kills. That is the case with flamie, who has posted everywhere from 10 kills to 31 kills in the group stage. He has a low floor of kills, but that can be mitigated with the bonus points. He has a great salary today and can help fit in some of the top stars.

Team

Virtus.pro ($6,400)

It's been a long time since they were Virtus.Plow, but the retooled lineup now sits as the 20th-ranked team in the world. They are holding a 2-1 record through their first three matches and come in as the favorite versus Hard Legion Esports today. Virtus.pro are the cheapest among the four teams who are favorites today, giving you an easy choice at the team position.

You need to have a winning team on your roster for maximum points, and if you are spending up for the top-tier players, having Na'Vi or FaZe Clan in your lineups is tough to accomplish. That is where VP come into play and offers point-per-dollar value.