Week 12 NFL Survivor Picks

At least for one week, the better teams won. The New York Jets and Tennessee Titans continued their battle for the number one overall pick as they both lost once again. At the risk of being boring or obvious, the expectation is that it will be an ongoing trend for the rest of the season.

We also have been around in these parts long enough to know that nothing is ever as it seems. That means we have to stick with our process and tread carefully. Let’s stick with our process and dig into some options for our Week 12 NFL Survivor Picks.

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Week 12 NFL Survivor Picks

Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Jets – Ravens -13.5

It can’t be this easy, can it?

While switching from Justin Fields to Tyrod Taylor will make the New York Jets offense look a little better, he’s also not a miracle worker. Garrett Wilson is still sidelined, so who will be the number one receiver for the Jets? Is it John Metchie? Adonai Mitchell, who struggles to actually catch the ball? Aiden Smith, who is fast but hasn’t proven anything else?

Ultimately, the hope is that Taylor can involve and take advantage of Breece Hall in the passing game and generate a more consistent workload for Mason Taylor. It hasn’t happened to this point, and it’s not going to be easy. What also won’t be easy for the Jets this week is traveling to Baltimore to take on a hungry and resurgent Ravens team.

Now that Lamar Jackson is back and healthy, the Ravens are in true push mode towards the postseason. At second place in the NFC North, Baltimore is in striking distance so they won’t be in a position where they overlook the Jets. The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak, and as a survivor pick, there’s no reason why they won’t turn it into five.

The Jets aren’t good enough to take advantage of Baltimore’s struggles on defense. There’s also no way that Taylor wins a shootout with Jackson, as the Ravens are 10th with 25.2 points per game compared to a Jets defense ranked 27th with 26.8 points allowed per game.

Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants – Lions -10

Back to the comfort of the dome we go. While the Detroit Lions are 3-3 on the road, they are 3-1 at home on the season. There’s been a clear difference in the performance of Jared Goff, and we’ll reap the benefit of that with our survivor pick this week.

Last week, with Jameis Winston under center, Mike Kafka newly on the sidelines, the Giants did show some fight. It was a tough matchup against the Green Bay Packers, and for most of the day, New York was close. It’s unclear whether it will be Winston or Jaxson Dart under center this week, but I’m not sure that it matters. Dart did return to practice this week, but even with him back, he’s not going to outduel Goff. And that’s especially not going to happen in Detroit.

Quite simply, the Giants defense isn’t going to allow for it to happen. They rank 29th in total yards allowed (390) and are tied for 29th with 27.3 points allowed per game. Facing a Lions team that is scoring 29.2 points per game doesn’t exactly set them up for success. The fact that the Lions are looking to avenge a rough loss in Philadelphia to the Eagles also doesn’t help.

Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans – Seahawks -13.5

In a game where the Seattle Seahawks are favored by two touchdowns and the over/under is just 40.5, it’s very clear what the market thinks of the Tennessee Titans. And, putting it kindly, it’s not much.

What’s also clear is that Sam Darnold isn’t going to throw four interceptions like he did last week. The only reason the Titans are ranked 18th in passing yards allowed (218 per game) is that teams generally are killing the clock against them after building a large lead. It also helps to explain why they rank 26th with 135 rushing yards allowed per game.

Try as Cam Ward might, the Titans also don’t have much going for them offensively. They rank last in many offensive categories, including most importantly scoring just 14 points per game. There’s no way they can compete with a Seattle offense that’s scoring more than double that (29) per game.

Check out all of our Week 12 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers – 49ers -7

With Brock Purdy returning last week, the San Francisco 49ers offense appeared to find it’s groove as they scored 41 points. Christian McCaffrey has been dominate all season as a receiver, but he also found success on the ground last week. George Kittle is also healthy and in the midst of a strong stretch of games.

There has been issues with the San Francisco defense due to injuries, but they have held their own. Despite being 22nd in total yards allowed, the 49ers are 14th in points allowed. The good news, is that this week they won’t really be tested by the Carolina Panthers offense. They are scoring just 19 points per game which is good for 28th in the league.

It is a big game for both teams, but its a Monday night in San Francisco so for our survivor picks, it makes sense to go with the better team. With one game under his belt, Purdy should be even better this week as well.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!