This article is part of our VALORANT series.
VCT is back in North America and Europe, with the best teams in the world competing to try and take over the top spots in the wildly volatile VALORANT ecosystem. Here's a look at some players to target and fade in Week 2.
Players to Target
Alfajer
Talk about a perfect debut. alfajer joined Fnatic and in his first match, taking on the reigning European Champions, FunPlus Phoenix, he absolutely took over and carried the match. the superstar has looked like a perfect fit since joining Fnatic and is sitting on a 1.17 rating in the past three months. It's impossible to know if this excellent form will continue further into his time with Fnatic or if this is simply a honeymoon phase, but for right now it's impossible to do anything but target Alfajer in all formats.
nukkye
nukkye struggled when he first made the jump to VALORANT and G2 Esports. Those struggles seem like nothing but a bad dream at this point as nukkye has established himself firmly as one of the top players in the world. Over the past three months nukkye boasts a 1.19 rating and 251 ACS. Those numbers on their own should put nukkye into fantasy contention, but considering he takes on FunPlus Phoenix who are in poor form, nukkye should be a top fantasy play in all formats.
babybay
baybay has had a mixed bag in VALORANT. Many hoped he would be a superstar immediately, but his first few rosters with FaZe Clan never seemed to come to fruition. This roster seems to be working, and it's babybay leading the team. Over the past three months on the path to qualifying for VCT North America babybay has a 1.36 rating and 292 ACS. Those are numbers that wouldn't look out of place next to ScreaM or Derke. baybay might not be quite at that level yet, but against a poor Luminosity Gaming team, babybay is poised to absolutely take over Week 2.
Players to Fade
Mistic
Mistic is a frustrating player for fantasy managers. Against weak opposition he can step up and produce numbers similar to Derke or Alfajer, yet against top opponents it's not unlikely to see him stuck with single-digit kills. Mistic is taking on OG LDN UTD in his first match of Week 2, a match Fnatic should take 2-0. With that in mind Mistic still finds himself in the 'Players to Fade' section simply due to the firepower Enzo and Alfajer have shown. With those two on the roster there will be far fewer kills available for Boaster and Mistic, the supports of Fnatic.
Reformed
Evil Geniuses are an absolute mess right now. This team doesn't have the firepower to take on the best teams in North America, but doesn't have the team play to out maneuver them either. This is a roster lacking any sort of tangible win condition, and Reformed sits right at the middle of that. Over the last three months he has managed only a 0.89 KD and 0.64 kills per round, sticking him with a 0.97 rating on the whole. Taking on Sentinels who now have Kanpeki and TenZ leading the charge means that Reformed is firmly in the players to fade category.
AYRIN
AYRIN was never intended to be the firepower on XSET, that job quite clearly falls to zekken and Cryo. 177 ACS is simply not enough to make that a question, or to give fantasy managers any sort of hope in AYRIN. His 0.94 KD isn't absolutely awful, but on a team that wins or loses through zekken and Cryo, targeting anyone else on the team is immediately a recipe for disaster. AYRIN and co. take on NRG Esports in Week 2, a team with a new roster led by Ethan, who has looked like an immediate fit, making NRG a tough opponent in any match. XSET opened the second stage with a quick 2-0 of Ghost Gaming, and will hope to build on that against NRG, who opened with a win of their own, against TSM.
Stats Courtesy of TheSpike.gg
