Everyone needs to continue to do what they were doing. There will be no jinxes here. This not something to be taken lightly. After the carnage that was the early part of the season, we are getting a nice reprieve. We had another clean and easy week, even if it came some stress, as the favorites in Week 7 did what they were supposed to do. I wish that means we can relax, but we must continue with our process while not taking anything for granted. With that being said, let’s jump into our targets for Week 8 NFL Survivor Picks.
How Did We Do?
While I teased the victory lap above, hey it’s all about accountability in both good times and bad, let’s jump into it. Each week, the intention is that we learn more about the NFL and the teams we pick both for and against.
While the Jacksonville Jaguars have taken to playing in England, that wasn’t the case two weeks ago. After seeing them get demolished by the Bears, while also struggling to start the season, it was difficult to have faith. That was the logic in expecting the Patriots to emerge victorious last week. Drake Maye got off to a good start, but then the Jaguars did take over and our fade selection didn’t go according to plan.
The good news is that each of our four survivor picks last week was correct.
Cincinnati is now performing as we expected although they did benefit from Deshaun Watson exiting due to injury. Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense did what they were supposed to and secured a divisional victory on the road.
Despite a late field goal by the Raiders, the Rams did hold on for the victory against Las Vegas. In what was a common theme, the Raiders finished out the game without their starting quarterback as Aiden O’Connell likely broke his thumb.
In Buffalo, the Bills faced a backup quarterback as Mason Rudolph was under center for the Tennessee Titans. Following what was briefly a slow start, the outcome of the game was never in doubt in a blowout victory.
Jayden Daniels continues to have a standout rookie season, but he was forced out last week with a rib injury. Ultimately it didn’t matter as Washington continued their strong start to the season. Quite simply, the Carolina Panthers never had a chance.
Week 8 NFL Survivor Picks
Our objective this week is clear. Let’s keep the success going and the good times rolling. With no teams on bye this week, we have all 16 games at our disposal for survivor picks.
Each week, we’ll continue to pick four games to target along with one that we are fading. They will be ranked in order of our preference along with the lines that we hope to see building off each other each week. Let’s jump right into those survivor picks.
Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers – Broncos -9
At the beginning of the season, would anyone really have looked at this as a game to target? This is the perfect example of why the NFL is an ever-changing organism and nothing is static. We simply cannot take anything for granted.
Don’t look now, but the Broncos are currently 4-3 and sitting in second place in the AFC West. While Bo Nix is still getting acclimated to professional football and adjusting to the NFL, he is doing enough to guide Denver to victory. Last week, the Broncos went into New Orleans and easily beat the Saints by a score of 33-10. Javonte Williams scored two touchdowns as the run game was also back on track for Denver.
Carolina has struggled to do much of anything on offense this year. Aside from one game, Andy Dalton has struggled for the Panthers and he is nursing an injury heading into Week 8. So far, the Panthers rank 29th in total yards and 28th in total points as they are doing little to help their defense. However, with a league-worst defense, the offense is actually the strength of the team.
At this point, there isn’t much the Panthers are doing right and the Broncos are learning how to win. This week, they can do so at home with a few extra days off.
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Ravens -9
It’s another divisional game at home for the Browns this week, and once again, it’s hard to feel confident in Cleveland. We know that Watson is now out for the season, but it might be addition by subtraction for the home squad. Dorian Thompson-Robinson initially replaced Watson, but he also left with an injury. That led to Jameis Winston coming in to lead a touchdown drive, and indications are that he will be under center again this week.
The Browns traded Amari Cooper, but they did get Nick Chubb back last week. While he did find the end zone, 22 yards on 11 carries isn’t going to cut it. Any improvement we see from Cleveland’s offense will be notable as they are gaining the second fewest yards so far this year. Baltimore’s defense is ranked 25th in points allowed, but some of that has come in garbage time.
There are too many issues in Cleveland to expect things to be solved with Watson sidelined and Chubb working his way back. This survivor pick is all about the Ravens’ offense. With 211 rushing yards per game, and 470 total yards, this survivor pick is all about the Baltimore offense. They have translated that scoring 31 points per game and it will be too much for the Browns to handle.
Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders – Chiefs -10
While the Raiders only lost by five last week, it’s not they really showed any clear signs of success. A late, and meaningless, field goal brought the deficit to five, but Las Vegas struggled to move the ball. That shouldn’t have come as a shock and now they are back to Gardner Minshew under center. With Davante Adams now in New York, aside from tight end Brock Bowers, offensive weapons for the Raiders aren’t exactly plentiful.
The Chiefs are the last unbeaten team left in the league, and there is nothing to suggest their success will come to a close this week. While Kansas City hasn’t been completely dominant, it’s difficult to argue with the results. They have worked their way through some injuries, and their defense allowing the fifth-fewest points in the league certainly has played a large role. Ultimately though, they do have Patrick Mahomes and that is always going to be enough to give them a legit chance at victory.
Detroit Lions vs. Tennessee Titans – Lions -11
It’s unclear whether Will Levis or Mason Rudolph will be starting under center this week, but I’m not sure it will matter. The Titans rank last in the league with just 280 yards per game, and that is not nearly enough to keep up with the Lions and their offense.
Detroit is coming off a tough victory in Minnesota while the Titans showed nothing in a blowout loss to the Bills. With two touchdowns Jahmyr Gibbs had his best game of the season last week. Between Gibbs and David Montgomery, the Lions can easily control the tempo of the game. The suspension of Jameson Williams will hurt, but the Lions aren’t lacking offensive weapons. We have yet to see Jared Goff truly unleashed this season, and that is because he hasn’t had to. This week will likely bring more of the same.
Week 8 NFL Survivor Fade
New York Jets at New England Patriots – Jets -7
This might be personal, but it’s hard to feel confident in the Jets these days. Trading for Davante Adams and changing the coach simply didn’t matter. Aaron Rodgers led the Jets on a few strong drives last week, but the overall body of work was bad. The problem is that their defense did even worse.
Home games between divisional rivals are always tough and anything can happen. Drake Maye got off to a strong start last week against the Jaguars, and he hasn’t looked bad, at least statistically, to begin his career. After throwing for 243 yards and three touchdowns in his debut, Maye had 276 yards and two touchdowns last week. He was efficient, completing 26 of 37 passes, but also didn’t throw an interception.
Confidence is waning for the Jets and the Patriots are at home and motivated. The conditions are ripe for an upset.
Line 1
Houston/Kansas City/Philadelphia/Buffalo/Detroit
Line 2
Washington/Atlanta/Los Angeles Rams/Kansas City
Line 3
Houston/Washington/Baltimore
Line 4
Tampa Bay/Cincinnati/Denver
Make sure to check out all of our Week 8 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!