This article is part of our DraftKings Call of Duty series.
Games (EDT)
- 4:00 p.m. Atlanta Faze Clan vs. London Royal Ravens
- 5:30 p.m. Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Seattle Surge
- 7:00 p.m. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles vs. Dallas Empire
- 8:30 p.m. New York Subliners vs. Chicago Huntsmen
ATL (8-1) vs. LON (4-4)
What a way to open up Call of Duty on DraftKings. Faze vs. the Royal Ravens features the top three players in terms of KD (Wuskin, Simp and Cellium) in what should be a relatively close bloodbath between the two units, at least relative to the other games on Friday's slate.
It's a bit odd to see Wuskin as the lowest of the group, as he sports an absurd 1.41 KD this season, but it's worth noting the European isn't much of a factor when it comes to Hardpoint, registering just the third-highest hill time on the team. The same could be said for Simp and Cellium, however, as the FaZe Clan members are near the bottom of the league overall in terms of hill time despite their winning record. The trio's ability to slay out is the reason why none of them have much time in the Hardpoint, as their role is to open up avenues for their teammates. Still, it's something to consider before you automatically try and throw all three into your lineup.
The rest of the Royal Ravens are getting priced as if they are sure underdogs, and while the record might indicate that, I'm not ready to buy an Atlanta
Games (EDT)
- 4:00 p.m. Atlanta Faze Clan vs. London Royal Ravens
- 5:30 p.m. Los Angeles Guerrillas vs. Seattle Surge
- 7:00 p.m. OpTic Gaming Los Angeles vs. Dallas Empire
- 8:30 p.m. New York Subliners vs. Chicago Huntsmen
ATL (8-1) vs. LON (4-4)
What a way to open up Call of Duty on DraftKings. Faze vs. the Royal Ravens features the top three players in terms of KD (Wuskin, Simp and Cellium) in what should be a relatively close bloodbath between the two units, at least relative to the other games on Friday's slate.
It's a bit odd to see Wuskin as the lowest of the group, as he sports an absurd 1.41 KD this season, but it's worth noting the European isn't much of a factor when it comes to Hardpoint, registering just the third-highest hill time on the team. The same could be said for Simp and Cellium, however, as the FaZe Clan members are near the bottom of the league overall in terms of hill time despite their winning record. The trio's ability to slay out is the reason why none of them have much time in the Hardpoint, as their role is to open up avenues for their teammates. Still, it's something to consider before you automatically try and throw all three into your lineup.
The rest of the Royal Ravens are getting priced as if they are sure underdogs, and while the record might indicate that, I'm not ready to buy an Atlanta sweep that easily. This might be a bit too aggressive of a thought process, but if this series does go to five games, a second Search and Destroy would be a boon for Jurd, who is tied for the third-most plants in the league. Considering only eight players have at least 10 plants, Jurd's 19 should be more than enough indication of his role in the game mode. With +3 points awarded per plant, it's an intriguing option for the 10th-lowest priced player on the slate.
Prediction: ATL 3-1
ATL Players to Target: Simp ($10,400), Priestahh ($9,400)
LON Players to Target: Wuskin ($10,000), Jurd ($6,400)
LAG (1-7) vs. SEA (2-8)
I don't think Seattle is as bad as their record might indicate, but unlike the game above, even if it goes to five games I have a hard time believing a ton of slaying will occur.
Octane is rightfully the top-priced player in this matchup, and frankly feels like a better captain choice than anyone mentioned in ATL/LON, if only because he needs to do everything in order for Seattle to win. I expect the rest of the roster to round into form eventually – they have too many world champions in the starting lineup to perform this miserably – whereas Los Angeles is still trying to figure out who they are.
I'm of the opinion the Surge is just better than the Guerrillas – something that matters a lot when looking at Apathy's high number of engages compared to the rest of his team. He should be able to finish with a higher K/D than normal just based on his opposition, but I'm not sure it's worth paying up compared to a handful of $10,000+ players already available in Friday's four-game slate.
Aqua figures to be the biggest stand out for LAA if the team can push the series to a fourth (or especially fifth) map, as he's the main slayer and most defined Search and Destroy presence on the roster. I'm not sure what that really means in the context of this quagmire of a match, but I like him more based on his price ($8,200) than Apathy ($8,800).
Prediction: SEA 3-0
LAG Players to Target: Aqua ($8,200)
SEA Players to Target: Octane ($10,000)
OGLA (2-5) vs. DAL (9-6)
I'm going to be very interested to see the ownership rates of player's on both OpTic Gaming Los Angeles, as well as the Chicago Huntsmen. OpTic Gaming is the most recognizable name in Call of Duty – arguably in all of esports. They are to CoD what the Bulls were to the NBA in the 90's (yes, I've been watching The Last Dance, why do you ask?).
But what made OpTic what they were, is well, no longer there. Make no mistake, it's still a star-studded roster, built with a number of former world champions, tournament MVPs and CWL Pro League All-Stars. I don't think we really know what type of team OGLA will give us – after all, they've played the fewest tournament series to date – but I wouldn't be surprised if they are among the most rostered in tournaments. All four of the key members of OpTic are drastically under-priced given their skill levels, but under this environment with online matches and a team still trying to put things together, a true recommendation feels more like Russian roulette.
On the contrast, we know exactly who the Empire is: a smart, aggressive roster that will never stop putting on the pressure. Clayster is one of the most recognizable names in all of esports, Huke has somehow oscillated between underrated and overrated his whole career despite being a "pro" for just two seasons, and the young duo of iLLey and Shotzzy have shown a lot of promise. Multi-time world champion Crimsix has gone on record saying the Empire have been put at a disadvantage when it comes to their online connection compared to the rest of the league. It's something worth monitoring, but I'm not 100 percent sure how actionable that is in DFS. After all, a more "even" series likely benefits DFS players even more. I think we'll know way more about both these teams come Saturday.
Prediction: DAL 3-2
OGLA Players to Target: Dashy ($9,400), SlasheR ($8,600), Kuavo ($8,000), TJHaly ($7,600)
DAL Players to Target: Huke ($8,800), Shotzzy ($7,600)
NYS (1-6) vs. CHI (10-2)
Much of OpTic Gaming before franchising is now the Chicago Huntsmen, so much like the previous paragraph, I'll be curious what type of ownership rates we'll see with them. Everyone and their cousin knows who Scump is, but in reality it's Arcitys and Envoy who are the real stars of the show. I don't see how this series goes more than three games, so it's probably a moot point, but if you were to go with one of these players, Envoy's Hardpoint hill time is comfortably higher than that of Arcitys'.
The Subliners have won the fewest matches of anyone in the CDL, so there's not a lot of additional information that needs to be said. I was initially intrigued by Accuracy's fourth-highest hill-time-per-game in the CWL (70.5), but at his price ($7,800), there'd need to be a fourth game of the series to really make it actionable. The former FaZe Clan duo of Attach and ZooMaa are menaces in their own right, but unless you're really trying to save some money, there just isn't much of a reason to put them in your lineup.
Prediction: CHI 3-0
NYS Players to Target: None
