This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
Call of Duty League is back, and there's an old king on the throne. Scump and OpTic Texas surprised many by claiming a Stage 1 Major win and head into Stage 2 as the champions. With Atlanta FaZe right on their heels and every team gunning for the crown here are some players to target and fade in the first week of Stage 2 of the CDL.
Players to Target
Zer0
Zer0 is back in the Call of Duty League and it doesn't look like he missed a beat. The veteran presence of London wasn't brought into the team to be any sort of superstar, but he's put himself right in the conversation for MVP favorite following the Stage 1 major. With Week 1 matches against NYSL and LAT he should have plenty of chances to put up huge numbers, especially against NYSL, who possibly look like the worst team in the league.
Owakening
There aren't many players who finish dead last in the most recent major and find themselves in the "Players to Target" category the following week, yet here we are. The superstar flex of the Florida Mutineers put up some mind-bending stats in the first stage and despite the poor result last weekend looks like one of the most talented flex's in the league. With matches against LAG and NYSL, two teams who both finished right at the bottom of the Major alongside Florida, Owakening should be in line for a huge Week 1. Currently Owakening has the second highest K/D in the CDL, with a 1.19, ahead of Dashy and just behind Cellium.
Cellium
Cellium and Atlanta FaZe came up just short in the first major, but they are still a top-2 team at absolute worst, and Cellium still looks like the frontrunner for Vanguard MVP. The flex player only has one match in the opening week, against Seattle, who had perhaps the most disappointing showing of any team in the first major. Cellium looks set to feast against the struggling Surge, and his individual numbers have simply been next level throughout the first Stage of the CDL.
Players to Fade
GRVTY
Everyone loves an underdog story, and GRVTY joining Paris Legion and immediately leading them to a match win was a huge feel-good story. He's still not worth taking in your fantasy rosters though. While GRVTY has shown plenty of potential and certainly deserves his spot in the league, many would argue that Paris is still the bottom of the barrel in the CDL, and matches against LAG and Minnesota Rokkr could prove to be stumbling blocks for the Legion. If GRVTY can produce some strong performances throughout Stage 2 then maybe he can come onto fantasy radars. At the very least it's wait-and-see for Paris' newest player.
Octane
Octane may be the human turret, but he's been shooting blanks for the last two weeks, and his performance at the Stage 1 Major was nothing short of embarrassing for the veteran. Add to that the toughest opening week schedule of anyone, taking on London, who finished third at the major, and OpTic Texas, who won the major, and it's a week to look past Octane. The talent and gun skill is there, and there's every chance that Octane will be back among the best AR's in the league in no time, but for right now, he's best avoided.
Clayster
What a disaster the season has been for New York Subliners so far considering they came into the newest campaign with one of the most hyped up rosters. It's been a shocking fall. No one has felt this more than Clayster and with rumors regarding internal struggle among the Subliners, it's uncertain if Clayster will even be on the server Friday. With a tough Week 1 schedule against London and Florida, it's likely that NYSL will be off to yet another 0-2 start in Stage 2.
*Stats courtesy of breakpoint.gg
