This article is part of our Call of Duty series.
The final week of CDL Stage 2 qualifiers is upon as the stage has flown by in no time. With some of the best matches of the stage on tap, here's some players to target, and fade, for Week 3 of Stage 2.
Players to Target
Simp
Maybe I'm just a Simp fanboy (editor's note, he is), but the two-time CDL MVP and man who quite literally averages first place at events he competes in, is looking like he might just be back, and this would be the week to prove it. He takes on the Florida Mutineers on Friday, before a Sunday rematch of the Stage 1 final, and a preview of the likely Stage 2 final, against OpTic Texas. While those might not be the easiest matches on the calendar, Simp is the best SMG in the game, and this half of the Tiny Terrors has a chip on his shoulder. I think FaZe will pull out the 2-0 week and head into the Stage 2 major with all of the momentum in the world, lead by Simp and his stellar form.
Owakening
Florida is a bad team. Yet, Skyz is good, Vivid is good, Davpadie is good and Owakening is playing at a near-MVP individual level. And still, Florida is a very bad team. Luckily for us, we aren't the GM of Florida Mutineers, we're simple fantasy managers. We like numbers. So let me throw some out there. 1.21 Overall KD. 29.5 HP Kills Per/10. 1.28 HP KD. 3,429 HP Damage Per/10. 20.3 Control Kill per/10. 1.19 Control KD. Is that perhaps Dashy? Cellium? Simp? No. It's Owakening, who has been, for fantasy managers, a top-three asset. Vanguard favors flexes, and on gunskill alone Owakening may be a top three player in Vanguard. Florida will likely get steamrolled by Atlanta and Boston, but Owakening belongs in fantasy rosters.
Methodz
The most lovable player in the CDL is giving his fans plenty of life with the "No Zinni no Winni" jokes, as his comeback to the league has been wildly successful so far. In fact Boston is fourth in the standings, and have been shocking the world. Even in losses this roster has been competitive, and has shown that they will go blow-for-blow with any team in the world. It's impossible to look past Methodz as the key to that success. One of the slower main AR's, nobody would be mistaking him for Arcitys or Dashy, but Methodz has made it work and now has a 1.08 KD overall. He takes on Florida and London, two tough matches, but two that should give Boston plenty of chances to prove their mettle.
Players to Fade
Shotzzy
It's strange to fade Shotzzy, and he won't be the only superstar SMG in this category this week. Simply put it's not a great week for OpTic, they only play one match, and it's against Atlanta FaZe, the only team that has been able to compete at the top of the table with OpTic. Shotzzy's form has also given cause for concern lately, with multiple negative performances, including the most deaths in the match multiple times this stage. Shotzzy may be a front runner for MVP, but he's not the top fantasy play he normally is this week.
aBeZy
Here is the other superstar SMG in the 'to fade' section, as aBeZy once again finds his name written in red, a worrying trend for the SMG slayer who has ended that way on stat sheets of late too. He's been unable to get much going, even in wins, and in all honesty has just looked uncomfortable with Vanguard as a game. That's likely a largely structural issues as he adapts into a more AR-centric role, simply due to the maps making SMG's a less favorable option. Florida and OpTic are two tough fantasy matchups and even though he may be the most talented SMG in the game on his day, this is a week to fade aBeZy.
C6
While C6 may be one of the most lauded, and successful players of all time, this NYSL team has been awful and C6 is right in the middle of it. Until this team can figure itself out, and figure out what type of team it wants to be, it's not worth targeting anyone on the roster. Clayster is on the bench and new man PaulEhx has looked good, but matches against Rokkr and Ultra mean that C6 is best left out of fantasy rosters this week.
Stats courtesy of Breakingpoint.gg
