The Overwatch League could be back this weekend. The wait for some teams was only a few weeks, but for others like the Dallas Fuel, it’s the first time they’ve played in months or at all.

With that being said, OWL will have a different look. There won’t be live audiences or stages. Players will play on their own setups.

Here are five Fuel/league storylines to watch this week:

Are the matches going to be played?

This is the big question, and Overwatch League fans may feel uneasy because of the Los Angeles matches planned for this past weekend were canceled. California was put under a lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), prohibiting big meet ups, and that threw a wrench in the gears for OWL production.

Nothing official -- or unofficial -- has come down from the league, but all signs point toward the 16 matches slated for Saturday and Sunday still happening. A Fuel representative said the team was also confident matches will be played this weekend, though acknowledged the schedule may be adjusted. As far as California was concerned, OWL may have just needed time to get its ducks in a row. The OWL twitter spread some confidence for its fans Monday afternoon, and the Dallas Fuel shared the sentiment.

2 days. 16 games. Welcome back everybody 💪#OWL2020 returns in epic fashion this weekend 🙌



📺 https://t.co/tbTGBrUfiE pic.twitter.com/HrG8t3a8qB — Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) March 23, 2020

Some teams may want to play as a group in the same room, the way they are used to practicing and competing. If that’s not possible, they would have to play remotely.

The Fuel have both options at their disposal, as Envy Gaming owner Mike Rufail had a router installed at the Envy headquarters in Dallas.

Just bought the guys a new router for the HQ pic.twitter.com/ftoiVA7etd — Mike Rufail (@hastr0) March 12, 2020

If playing together is too risky -- or in violation of Dallas County’s shelter-in-place order -- Fuel players can perform safely from their homes.

Match integrity

The tough part about having a highly-competitive, professional league perform online is that conditions can change based on matchup. OWL accounted for possible performance issues with connection to games when it rewrote the schedule such that teams only play other groups within their own region.

The four teams in China play each other, and the Pacific and Atlantic divisions split up for the most part. It may mean the Fuel play both LA teams more than twice in the same regular season, but having a west coast team play the Shock would possibly be more problematic.

What OWL really has going for it is that it’s Contenders league is naturally online, so the resources and experience to make online work were already available.

It may not end up perfect, but online play is the best esports can offer, and the only real professional competition that can happen right now. OWL even proved over the weekend that they can make the production work, executing two exhibitions with San Francisco playing Seoul and the Valiant playing the Gladiators.

The matches even managed to introduce Overwatch’s new hero, Echo.

AIR REIN ENGAGED pic.twitter.com/80nwPoSXEv — Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) March 22, 2020

Can online make a difference for certain teams?

This certainly could have been the case if the league didn’t change the schedule. There isn’t an answer for this and may not be until the first week or two of online play runs its course. Not every team will have the same resources.

Fuel tank star Ash “Trill” Powell suggested that the only change may be in setting, and that the in-game difference wasn’t existent. It some ways that made it easier.

“Players can play better because there isn’t as much pressure," Trill said. "You aren’t sitting in front of big crowds and it’s not as stressful as playing in the comfort of your own home or your office. Some teams feed off the energy and some are worse.”

Technical difficulties are frustrating for viewers, but this could be a process that requires trial and error. The league already had to cancel matches because of the lockdown in California. If another state or team has a change in plans shortly before scheduled matches there could be more postponements.

Players may struggle to connect at times and something like internet cycling or power going out remains a factor, but that’s a small deal compared to risking illness during a global pandemic.

Who is starting for the Fuel?

A consistent starting six remains unknown, Fuel damage player Zachary “ZachaREEE” Lombardo told The Dallas Morning News in a phone interview Saturday. The Fuel hardly had any time to see what worked as their season came to a halt after their two matches at the team’s home stand on Feb. 8 and 9.

This is a meaningful talking point because the Fuel has options at every role. The implementing of hero pools into the game made depth that much stronger in OWL play. The Shock could still be the best team in the league, and they rode their 2019 success to a Grand Finals title because they had two lineups worth of stars.

Whether the Fuel have that kind of depth is debatable, but they cover every hero now. ZachaREEE fits the mold for aggressive heroes like Genji and Tracer. If he doesn’t make the lineup one week, he could be the x-factor the following week when hero pools reset.

Even if the Fuel don’t have a starting lineup, limiting themselves to six players could be harmful anyways. Depth is king.

At long last, everyone will play

There are eight days until the start of April and five OWL teams still haven’t played. The reintroduction of those teams into league play will almost certainly shake up the standings. Considering five more teams, including the Fuel and the Shock, have only played two matches or less, a lot can be learned in the coming weeks as teams finally get to show their strengths and weaknesses.

Some teams have already played 6 or 7 matches zzzz



Really want to get the team back on stage soon.. D: — Aaron Atkins (@Aero_OW) March 8, 2020

The Fuel continue to be in an interesting spot, as they’ve weathered through essentially another offseason after two matches in February. How some teams show improvement, or don’t this coming weekend could represent how meaningful playing actual matches is.

Online play shouldn’t change too much about how the game is played, ZachaREEE said. There may be minor details with ping and connection, but ultimately the better teams will prevail as normal. The good news for OWL fans is, finally, all the teams will have played.

Find more Fuel stories from The Dallas Morning News here.