A tie is a loss. Well, at least for Survivor purposes, that’s the case. The Green Bay Packers, for the second straight week, sent some entries straight to the trash. Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants also took care of the Los Angeles Chargers in what was a relatively quiet week otherwise. So now, onto the next we go. Let’s jump into our Week 5 NFL Survivor Picks.
More Week 5 Fantasy Football Fun!: | Sneaky Starts | Fantasy Football Waiver Wire | Weekly Sleepers & Streamers | Starts & Sits | Skrip’s Week Winners | NFL DFS | NFL Player Props | IDP Analysis | Bold Predictions | Survivor Picks | NFL Injury Report | Dynasty Trade Targets | Weekly Rankings | Dynasty Risers and Fallers
Week 5 NFL Survivor Picks
1. Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers – Rams -8.5
How much higher will the point spread on this game go? What started out as close to a pick’em is seeing the gap rise as the week go on. It shouldn’t be that surprising, though, given the situation the San Francisco 49ers are in.
Brock Purdy is out once again with a toe injury, which means the 49ers have to turn back to Mac Jones. The latter is still not fully healthy, but he’s better off than Purdy, which puts him on the field this week. George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk are already on the Injured List, and things have gotten even worse for San Francisco. Both Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings will join their teammates on the sidelines this week, which means Demarcus Robinson is the number one receiver.
We all know that responsibility will likely fall on Christian McCaffrey, but there’s only so much he can do. The fact that he’s struggling on the ground and only averaging 3.26 yards per carry doesn’t help. Facing a Rams defense that ranks 10th with 99 rushing yards allowed per game will also make things tough for McCaffrey. Los Angeles has a tough defense, which they supplement with an offense ranked fourth in the league with 399 yards per game.
Matthew Stafford is rolling, and Puka Nacua is nine yards shy of four straight games of at least 100 yards. We can’t discount Kyren Williams and Davante Adams in what should be an explosive offensive performance. Divisional matchups are tough, but the Rams are in a much better situation on a short week.
2. Detroit Lions at Cincinnati Bengals – Lions -10.5
This comes down to Jared Goff against Jake Browning. Which quarterback are you willing to get behind?
Of course, this matchup goes much deeper than that, but everything should be driven from the quarterback position. Browning has just three touchdowns compared to five interceptions since stepping into action. The Bengals have the league’s worst offense with just 224 yards per game and rank 30th in scoring with only 15 points per game.
How does that line up with the Lions, who are first with 34 points per game? Cincinnati also ranks 29th with 408 yards per game while allowing 30 points per game. That’s not going to allow them to compete with the only pause being that they’re on the road. Otherwise, is this really a fair matchup?
Check out all of our Week 5 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings
3. Arizona Cardinals vs. Tennessee Titans – Cardinals -7.5
It’s been an uneven start to the season for the Arizona Cardinals, but the Tennessee Titans are in a far worse situation. For as much as we are looking at Kyler Murray to perform at a higher level, and some of that hinges on Marvin Harrison, he’s still in a lot better situation than Cam Ward and the Titans.
The Cardinals came close to a comeback victory against Seattle last week as they dropped to 2-2. It’s fair to have some questions here as Arizona is on its third running back entering Week 5. James Conner is out for the season, and Trey Benson is also going to be sidelined due to injury. That leaves Michael Carter and Emari Demercado in the backfield, but it still should be enough. Tennessee ranks 28th in the league with 142 rushing yards allowed per game, so Arizona should have success on the ground. Facing a defense that allows 30 points per game should awaken Murray.
On the flip side, the Titans are scoring just 12 points per game. That’s not going to cut it and will especially be the case when the Cardinals have the sixth-best scoring defense.
4. Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots – Bills -7.5
Divisional matchups are tough from a survivor perspective. It’s also interesting that the point spread isn’t larger, given the implied disparity between the two teams. Another reason why Buffalo is fourth here is that you’ll likely find a better week in which to utilize them.
The Bills are 4-0 to begin the season, which puts them in first place. It’s going to be a tough matchup for New England as they have to travel to Buffalo. But at some point, the Bills are going to lose, and perhaps this is a letdown moment for them. I don’t think it’s the case, but Drake Maye does have seven touchdown passes and 988 passing yards through the first four weeks.
Josh Allen and the league’s second-best offense (413 yards and 33 points per game) shouldn’t face much resistance. However, if the Patriots stop them on the ground, perhaps things get interesting. It’s a battle of strengths as the best rushing offense (164 yards per game) faces the second-best rushing defense (78 yards per game.
Buffalo’s number one passing defense, just 126 yards per game, then has the upper hand on Maye. And that could take care of everything.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
