This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
Call of Duty League is back for Major 2, with new look rosters for OpTic and London including the shocking benching of the 2022 MVP runner-up, Dashy. Veteran Skrapz also returns to the league for a London team that has struggled throughout. With that in mind here's a look at some players to target and fade heading into the first major of 2023.
Cellium
Cellium has shown no signs of slowing down in the 2023 season, opening with a league-leading 1.26 KD after the opening Major. The flex player has had some questions raised over his fit in the FaZe team, but individually his stats have been stellar. Still FaZe haven't won an event since Cold War and will be looking to change that heading into Major 2. One minor concern with Cellium is the slight role change FaZe attempted during the Major 1 playoffs, pushing Cellium into a faster-paced role with more inherent risk.
HyDra
HyDra was one of the most impressive SMG players in the first Major and he should be coming into Major 2 as one of the most valuable players in the league. The slayer puts up stellar stats consistently and has a team built to help him thrive. HyDra and NYSL will be hard-pressed to replicate their success from Raleigh, but it's impossible to bet against this form. HyDra individually is in possibly the best situation in the league, with his team helping him thrive in all matches.
Scrappy
Scrappy has one hand on the Rookie of the Year trophy already and is putting his name in the running for MVP too. The flex player for Toronto has been on fire throughout the opening stage, with some truly stellar showings on the server and on the stat sheet. Scrappy has a rare mix of speed and ability to take over with slaying from power positions, and Toronto put him in those positions to succeed. Scrappy has the risk and volatile nature that plagues all rookies, but like Pred in 2022, he seems to be as close to a sure thing as possible for a rookie.
Players to Fade
Huke
Huke had an awful start to the season with LAG and was dropped in the end as they decided to go with youth from the academy roster. Huke didn't take long to land back with OpTic alongside long-time teammates iLLeY and Shotzzy. In theory this is an excellent landing spot, but when he was very publicly the backup choice for a team that has had internal issues galore, it's hard to trust OpTic in general. Huke has talent when on form, but he hasn't been on form in multiple years, and gambling on that talent seems like a long shot at best.
Kenny
Kenny was one of the top players to close out the Vanguard season, but he is off to an awful start in 2023. The SMG seemingly failed to convert any of his chances on the map and struggled throughout Major 1 with some awful individual showings. It's easy to trust LAT after their miracle turnaround in Vanguard, but betting on another miracle is tough. Kenny has the talent to be a superstar once more, and could even move into the blue in a weeks time, but for now he's best left firmly out of fantasy rosters.
Bance
Bance and Rokkr were perhaps the biggest disappointments of Major 1, with the SMG in-game leader individually struggling and failing to make a deep run with his star-studded roster. There wasn't any changes in the Minnesota camp, but another poor major could see Bance or another member of this roster on the bench. Bance individually just doesn't offer enough to make him worth targeting even if Rokkr were succeeding and when they falter, he is especially worth avoiding.
Stats courtesy of Breakingpoint.gg
