This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
The first Major of the Call of Duty League 2022 is set to kick-off Thursday in Arlington, Texas. With a new game, new maps and new rosters, it's time to take a look at a handful of players to target and some players to fade heading into the first critical tournament.
Players to Target
Simp
The reigning Call of Duty League MVP is off to a slow start so far in 2022 as he looks like the third best player on his own team and is statistically significantly worse than at any point in Modern Warfare or Cold War. So why does he fall in this section? Yes the performance slide is noticeable, but Atlanta FaZe is 5-0 heading into the major and should have a comfortably favorable matchup against Boston Breach in the first round. Essentially, the slow start just lowered his price tag and creating a relatively proven (in past CoDs) DFS pivot play with many likely leaning towards his teammates, Cellium and aBeZy. Getting one of the best players n the game at a discount, while he still sits on the best team? Yes, please.
Gismo
Rookies tend to struggle in the Call of Duty League, but not Gismo. Coming out of European Challengers, Gismo has taken the CDL by storm and sits second in overall K/D with a 1.20, just behind Cellium and just ahead of his teammate, Afro. A lackluster finish to the Major 1 qualifiers has knocked down Gismo's fantasy value, but he still has shown nearly unmatched skill and is worth taking a chance on, even if he is a rookie. London open the tournament in the winner's bracket against Los Angeles Guerrillas, a match that London come in to as heavy favorites.
Vivid
Florida Mutineers really wanted to start the first major in the winners bracket and came oh so close to pulling that off. Unfortunately in the end they just couldn't quite sneak into eighth place. The good news for fantasy managers? Vivid is being overlooked yet again. Vivid leads the league in Hardpoint kills per 10 minutes with 29.5. The typically objective slayers also leads the league in Hardpoint Damager per 10 minutes, with 3,394 while using an SMG. Those stats are so wild that it's hard to see how Vivid consistently seems to be a sleeper candidate of sorts.
Players to Fade
Scump
While Scump might be one of the most legendary names in Call of Duty, his role has shifted in recent years, and he's simply not much of a fantasy asset. OpTic Texas are one of the favorites heading into the event, but that's due to the superstar core around Scump, not Scump himself. The SMG slayer has only managed a 0.97 K/D in the first stage, and hasn't put himself into the top half of any categories across the board. Combine that with a first-round clash against the Seattle squad and a looming matchup against the vaunted FaZe Clan should OpTic persevere, it's hard to see Scump getting the chance to pad his stats against weaker opposition.
Pred
Yet another rookie taking the CDL by storm, Pred may be in for a rude awakening in his first CDL Major. The SMG player was absolutely lighting it up in the first stage, and especially excellent in the Kick-Off Classic. Unfortunately his numbers have absolutely tumbled in the final two weeks of Stage 1. Pred was the overall K/D leader to kick off the stage and has now fallen all the way outside of the top five as Seattle's results have crumbled right alongside him. While it's not certain that teams have figured him out, it's hard to trust someone who is averaging well under a 1.00 K/D in his last two matches before the major.
Boston Breach
I cheated a bit by including a whole team, but it's for good reason. Boston has been one of the most notable surprises of the CDL, coming out of nowhere as a Challenger team to eventually sign a deal with Boston as a full four-man unit. That team, despite having limited practice time, then went on to make winners bracket in Major 1. Their reward? Atlanta FaZe in the first round, and if they come up short against the best team in the game, a clash with Florida Mutineers, the best team in the lower bracket. It's hard to say an entire team is doomed, but the bracket couldn't be less favorable for Boston overall.
