LoL Rankings: Top Lane 2017 Spring Split

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Updated on January 10, 2017 2:29PM EST

Top lane was in a good place during the beginning of 2016, and while there are still a ton of good players and some elite-level imports coming into the new LCS season, I fear for the position a little bit. It seems likely that top lane will return to an isolated state on the map, as teams played around bottom lane in the second half of the season. While that's OK, it means top laners should probably not be taken before at least the fourth round in drafts; the upside simply isn't there compared to elite mid laners and AD carries. While I feel there are a distinct top three, I'd be happy selecting from later tiers if I could secure elite-level players in other roles. Let people overpay for top laners while you snatch up high-performing mid laners and marksmen for your team first.

Tier 1 (in alphabetical order): Hauntzer, Odoamne, Ssumday

Player	Team	Points Per Game*	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Hauntzer	Team SoloMid	16.8	122	89	252
Odoamne	H2K	14.99	73	75	215
Ssumday	Team Dignitas	N/A*	143	94	281

* Ssumday's stats are taken from the LCK Summer Split.

With Huni gone, a new top tier of players ascends. Hauntzer had an excellent split for a dominant TSM team in the Summer of 2016, finishing fourth in both kills and assists among top laners. While I think TSM will regress from an impressive Summer Split, they are still the most complete team in the NA LCS, and while Hauntzer will face stiffer competition this split, his reliability should be a boost in fantasy lineups. Remember, I'm not taking a top laner in the first three rounds anyway, so if someone overpays for him, so be it.

Odoamne is coming off his best career performance at Worlds 2016, where he earned praise from players like Impact and Smeb for being their toughest lane opponent. Odoamne is not a true carry top laner, and his inclusion in the top tier may seem strange to some because of that. While he won't pile up kills, his assist total should be near the top of the charts, and his low death total keeps him from giving away points. With an extremely talented lineup around him, I'd expect Odoamne to finish as one of the best top laners in fantasy and as the most reliable in terms of week-to-week points.

Our final member of Tier 1 is new to the LCS this split. Ssumday moves over from KT Rolster in the LCK to join Team Dignitas. I rate Ssumday as a top-three top laner in the world, a true carry who can snowball games from the top lane. He is a better version of Huni, and his 143 kills would've ranked third among top laners if he'd played in the LCS. While Ssumday's upside and ceiling are the highest of all LCS top laners, the fact that Dignitas may only be a mid-level team works against him. If DIG can be a top-three or -four team in North America, then Ssumday should finish as the highest-scoring top laner in the LCS.

Tier 2: Cabochard, Expect, Flame, Impact, Vizicsacsi

Player	Team	Points Per Game*	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Cabochard	Vitality	14.45	94	82	163
Expect	G2 eSports	18.42	90	62	194
Flame	Immortals	N/A*	N/A	N/A	N/A
Impact	Cloud9	16.76	102	98	285
Vizicsacsi	Unicorns of Love	13.70	104	100	149

*Flame did not play during the 2016 Summer Split.

This tier is composed primarily of players from Europe. All four European players lack a bit of consistency week to week, but have the potential to carry at times as well.

Cabochard has played a carry role in the past for Vitality, but only finished ninth in the LCS in kills last split. Vizicsacsi is probably the most consistent player in this tier and could take a huge step up if UoL maintain their current run of form which saw them win IEM Oakland. Expect plays for the two-time defending EU LCS Champions, and while I rate him a bit lower as an overall player, the fact that he's on what should be one of the best teams should keep him near the top of the scoring charts. He led the LCS in average points per game last season with a rating of 18.42. That number may drop, but not far enough to avoid him entirely in drafts.

Flame looked solid with Immortals at IEM GyeongGi, but those expecting "Huni-like" returns will be left disappointed. Immortals are likely to take a step back from last year's success, and while they should still be a playoff team, Flame will probably not reprise the same type of numbers Huni did. That being said, he can carry games, and I think he will be the strength of Immortals' team along with Dardoch. Basically, don't expect "Huni-type" results unless you are a glutton for punishment.

The other NA representative in Tier 2 is Impact. Many probably think he deserves to belong in Tier 1, but I disagree. While his end to 2016 was extremely impressive, I think a bit of regression is in order during the Spring Split. Even with his excellent end to the year, Impact only finished eighth in kills, so while it seemed like he was solo killing people left and right, it didn't add up to a lofty total. Another thing working against Impact is that the level of competition in NA will be much higher this year with the addition of players like Ssumday, Flame, and Looper. While I wouldn't knock Impact too far down the ladder, his price is likely going to be too high for me to draft.

Tier 3: Darshan, Looper, Wunder

Player	Team	Points Per Game*	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Darshan	Counter Logic Gaming	12.62	132	132	174
Looper	Echo Fox	N/A*	118	102	277
Wunder	Splyce	16.11	114	103	198

*Looper's stats are taken from the LPL Summer Split

I like the potential upside of every player in this tier, but have some concerns as well. Darshan is a dominant laner and split-pusher, finishing with the third-highest kill total in the LCS last split. His assist total took a hit, however, ending only 15th in the category. CLG's struggles during the Summer Split had a bit to do with that, but the team is pretty consistent and always should be one of the better teams in NA. Darshan's upside isn't as high as those listed above him, but he could boost himself into the third or even second tier depending on how CLG performs. Wunder made a gigantic leap forward during the Summer Split, finishing fifth in kills amongst top laners. Splyce should continue to get better, as they retained their entire starting lineup of promising young players.

An excellent player who is extremely adept at using Teleport to help win teamfights, Looper, on talent alone, deserves to be higher on this list,. The worry for Looper is that I am not sure what Echo Fox is going to be. They were the worst team in the league last split, and while they've made a few significant upgrades, I'm not sure how high they can climb. Looper is worth a flier, as if Echo Fox make significant strides this year, he is sure to be a big reason why.

Tier 4: Balls, Lourlo, sOAZ, zig

Player	Team	Points Per Game*	Kills	Deaths	Assists
Balls	FlyQuest	N/A*	26	25	61
Lourlo	Team Liquid	13.75	109	91	-
zig	Phoenix1	11.83	63	101	182

Of the final tier, Lourlo is the player with the most upside. He finished a respectable sixth in both kills and assists during last year's Summer Split. Team Liquid have made improvements in some spots and have been slightly weakened in others, but should remain a playoff-caliber team. While Lourlo isn't a straight-up dominant carry, he is a reliable player and one I'd grab late in drafts and be fine with starting most weeks.

Balls and sOAZ are the old guard of this tier, and I'm not real high on either. Balls has never been a dominant laner, and sOAZ is coming off of a terrible split. sOAZ has the higher upside, as he's been a dominant top laner as early as last year and joins a Fnatic team that are likely to improve on their past season.

Zig interests me as a late-round flier. I think Phoenix1 have an excellent chance to be the surprise team in the NA LCS after some solid signings such as Arrow and Adrian. Their good form to end the year also points to a much better season. In a competitive region like NA, they may not make a playoff spot, but should finish safe of relegation as well.