LoL Rankings: Mid Lane 2017 Spring Split

This article is part of our LoL Rankings series.

Tier 1 (in alphabetical order): Bjergsen, Jensen

The elite North American mid laners take the top-tier spots in my rankings. Jensen was the best player in fantasy last year and the only player to get over 200 kills, finishing with 207. He wasn't just a boost to a fantasy player's kills though, as he also secured over 200 assists and averaged 21.71 points per game in the Summer Split. Cloud9 should be one of the top teams in North America once again, and while there are some new names in the NA LCS this split, the mid laners remain mostly the same, so the competition in lane isn't changing much.

Bjergsen is the second player in this tier after a dominant season with TSM. He is often considered the best Western player, and for good reason. He is remarkably consistent from year to year, plays for one of the best teams, and can play both a supportive and a carry role. With Doublelift sitting the Spring Split out, look for Bjergsen to be the main carry threat for TSM once again.

Tier 2: Febiven, Perkz

Perkz has been a scapegoat for G2's problems at international events, but he remains a dominant player in the EU LCS. A talented, but cocky player, Perkz's failures at Worlds may have humbled him a bit. He plays for the two-time defending EU LCS champions, and they should be one of the best teams in the new season as well. Look for Perkz to enjoy another strong split during the Spring.

Tier 3: Exileh, Pobelter, Sencux

Pobelter is a steady force in the mid lane for Immortals. Often seen as solely a utility and supportive mid laner, he finished second among all LCS mid laners with 173 kills during the Summer Split. Oh, and he just happened to lead the LCS with a whopping 308 assists from the mid lane. Those are elite numbers, but Pobelter finds himself in tier three due to the fact that he is the last member left from the 2016 iteration of Immortals. While the roster Immortals has constructed will still be a playoff team, the dominant regular seasons like 2016 may not repeat, and as such Pobelter's numbers may dip.

Sencux should continue to improve in a talented young Splyce lineup. A strong player, he has long been the carry for Splyce, and helped his team to a Worlds berth in 2016. Competition is always fierce in Europe's mid lanes, but Sencux should be considered a very good mid laner, albeit with a ceiling lower than the mid laners in the first two tiers.

Tier 4: Goldenglue, Huhi, Keane, Nukeduck, Ryu

You'll want to try to grab your starting mid laner from the tiers above, but this tier provides reliable backup mid laners that could be used in a flex role. Goldenglue, Huhi, and Nukeduck are all solid, if unexciting, mid laners who play for teams that should be playoff bound. None have extremely high ceilings, although Nukeduck has been a carry threat in the past. Team Liquid will play around Piglet, but Goldenglue could play a Pobelter-lite role in the new-look team. With Link stepping in to share time however, it's hard to think either will truly be worth owning for long stretches. Huhi is somewhat uninspiring at times, but still finished sixth in kills and fourth in assists during the Summer Split.

Keane and Ryu provide the most upside and the most risk, but both could greatly outproduce this tier if things break right for their respective teams. Keane was fifth in kills and third in assists on an average Apex team in the Summer Split. With Dignitas' new lineup, including an elite top laner, they have a chance to make a playoff push. At the very least, they should be a much improved team. If this happens Keane's numbers could definitely repeat or even improve, and his price won't be as high as other players.

Like Keane, Ryu's move to Phoenix1 was the major key to the team's potential "rebirth" (pun intended). Despite an extremely average KDA line during the Summer Split, Ryu came alive at Worlds to put together his best play of the season. H2K's playstyle may have hindered Ryu's fantasy output, but he could be a top-level mid laner on a P1 team that features an exciting jungler and support, and an AD carry who has been one of the best in the LCK over the past few years.

Tier 5: Caps, Froggen, Hai, Ninja, PowerOfEvil

The rest of the mid laners are a kind of mixed bag. You'd want to try to grab two mid laners before you get here, but if you get stuck needing a second mid laner from the remaining group, try to play the matchups week to week to get a player in a favorable spot. Hai and Froggen represent the old guard, but both play on teams that may be towards the bottom of the NA LCS. Hai is on FlyQuest, formerly C9 Challenger, which was recently purchased by Milwaukee Bucks owner Wesley Edens. His shotcalling is legendary, but there is a reason these guys were all replaced on Cloud9. They're aging and average compared to some of the other players in the league, meaning they are useable in some matchups, but not all.

Froggen is in a similar boat; Echo Fox was the worst team in the NA LCS last split. Froggen is talented, but needs help and received a big boost when his team picked up Looper in the top lane. I'm not positive it'll be enough to help Echo Fox reach the playoffs, but Froggen could be useable in some matchups.

Ninja and PowerOfEvil are similar in the fact that their upside is capped, but could be useable certain weeks. Ninja and Envy got off to a hot start against bottom-level NA LCS teams during the Summer Split. I don't think they'll make the playoffs this year, but they should be better than some bottom-tier teams. PowerOfEvil struggled for Origen and moves to a Misfits team that has an outside shot at the playoffs this year. I find PoE uninspiring, but he still could be worth a shot against bottom-level teams.

That leaves Fnatic newcomer Caps. He is an extremely talented player who has had his documented share of toxicity in solo queue. Sounds a bit like a mid lane Dardoch, a guy who has the talent to be a great player, but could be held back by personal issues. Fnatic do a great job of grooming players, so I wouldn't expect any issues with Caps. He's in this tier as a relative unknown, but if Fnatic bounce back he could move into the third tier of players, but not be an elite-level mid laner in the Spring Split.