This article is part of our CS:GO series.
ESL Pro League is back for the 15th season, and it's shaping up to be one of the best, with four groups of six teams all competing for a prize pool of $823,000. With such a large group of teams there's some players to target and some to fade, especially with COVID-19 forcing some lastminute roster changes.
Players to Target
G2 Esports
I know, I know taking the easy route and naming a whole team in the first spot, why's that? Well, G2 Esports have a very favorable group in general with really only Mouz looking like competitors for the top spot. Add to that the fact that Fnatic are without superstar riflers Krimz and Brollan, and it looks like it could be an easy 10-0 group stage for G2. Every single player on the team has the potential to take over a match, though it's hard not to put some extra priority on m0NESY, huNter- and NiKo, who all could very well be among the five best players in the world, and are top plays in any slate.
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ropz
ropz is finally free from mousesports! Maybe that's too harsh, but ropz was mousesports, and alongside Frozen he took the team to levels they haven't come close to reaching since his departure. That said, it's hard to ignore that in his first event since leaving mousesports, ropz earned a tournament win. This FaZe roster is in immaculate form and ropz is the leading man once more, making him one of the strongest options in ESL Pro League. While the matches with Vitality will prove to be challenging, Sprout, ENCE and Outsiders should prove light work for ropz and FaZe Clan.
Frozen
Frozen is the leading rifler for MOUZ with ropz out the door, and this new roster is purely built around his strong suits. While that hasn't created any sort of championship promise for MOUZ, it has made Frozen a stable, and top-tier fantasy play. The rifler looks to be one of the best in the world and without ropz to overshadow him he has truly come into his own as a superstar. Some favorable matches against Entropiq and Fnatic, who are playing two academy players, should give Frozen some chances for major performances in the first week of ESL Pro League.
Players to Fade
Banjo
Banjo wasn't even supposed to play with Fnatic, and he wasn't even the first choice called up from the Academy roster. When Brollan and Smooya were benched, Peppzor and Regali were called up from Fnatic.Rising as the first two substitutes for the team. Now Krimz has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing Fnatic to insert their third choice for a substitute from the academy roster, and in all likelihood, Banjo will be utterly outclassed in ESL Pro League. He may be the cheapest player on the slate, but he isn't worth targeting in any formats.
Liki
Liki, one member of arguably the biggest underdogs in this tournament -- Lookin For Org -- comes in as likely the weakest member of the team. The Oceanic in-game leader struggles even in regional play, meaning that he is likely to be a complete liability in ESL Pro League. LFO and Liki are both best left out of fantasy lineups unless they show some entirely unexpected level and manage to challenge the top European teams. LFO will be happy to take a map, let alone a match, in ESL Pro League, with the experience gained being the most important boon for this team.
raalz
raalz is the in-game leader for Sprout, and while he has done incredibly well to bring his side into ESL Pro League, his 0.95 rating over the last three months scuttles any chance of fantasy value. Sprout is a good team and raalz is crucial to that, but his individual level is absolutely not worth targeting in any formats. The final nail in the coffin for raalz is the fact that he opens ESL Pro League against Vitality, FURIA and FaZe, perhaps the three strongest teams in Group B.
