This is more like it. That’s not to say there wasn’t any stress involved in the Week 13 action, but we got the results we came for. We have come too far to relax or rest on our laurels as the excitement is building. With a new week upon us, let’s keep the success going. With no more time to waste, let’s jump right into our Week 14 NFL Survivor Picks.
How Did We Do in Week 13?
We are in the results business. How we get there is irrelevant as long as our picks are victorious. So what if things get stressful or hairy? In the end, we just want that victory. The good news is that in Week 13, we were perfect across the board with our selections.
Divisional matchups are always difficult. The Chicago Bears are an interesting team to watch at the moment, but Caleb Williams struggled and there was a change at offensive coordinator. Chicago made things interesting on Thanksgiving, and in fact, they should have emerged victorious. Instead, there was gross clock mismanagement which led to a coaching change and the Lions escaped with the victory.
Next was what seemed like a no-doubt matchup. The Kansas City Chiefs have just one loss on the season, and once again, they are steamrolling toward the postseason. On the other hand, the Las Vegas Raiders are heading in the complete opposite direction. There was a reason why the Chiefs were favored by almost two touchdowns, but instead, they escaped with a two-point victory.
After a terrible start to the season, I wouldn’t exactly say that the Carolina Panthers are a good team. However, with Bryce Young back under center and Chubba Hubbard carrying the ball, things have at least become more competitive. That was on full display this week as the Panthers took Tampa Bay to overtime. Ultimately, the Buccaneers escaped with a victory, but this was closer than anyone would have liked.
The good news, is that Sunday came to a close with as little stress as possible. San Francisco is simply not the same team they were last year, and losing Christian McCaffrey to injury once again didn’t help. Buffalo blew the 49ers out and clinched another division title in the process.
Week 14 NFL Survivor Picks
After a full slate of games last week spread across four days, we are taking a step back for Week 14. It’s a rough week out there with six teams on bye. That means we have three fewer games at our disposal along with the, up to, 13 teams that have presumably been selected. There are also some strong options resting this week as the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and Washington Commanders are on bye.
Each week, we’ll continue to pick four games to target. Based on the available options, all games are truly on the table. Some are clearly more desirable, but there is no big favorite that I’m looking to fade. 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. Things are also becoming more difficult as some of our options have already been utilized. That means our first choice might not be necessarily available.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns – Steelers -6.5
I know I say this all the time, but divisional games are tough. However, at Week 14, can we really afford to be that particular in picks. With that being said, we still want to advance and the Steelers do give us one of the better options of doing so.
The Steelers got back on track last week with a wild victory against the Bengals. Russell Wilson’s full passing production was on display as he threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns. He continues to perform at a high level, and in Week 13, he proved he can keep up in an explosive offensive matchup.
That was also the case for Jameis Winston and the Browns last week. The problem though is that Winston was unable to lead Cleveland to victory. Winston did throw for 497 yards and four touchdowns, but the issue is that it came with three interceptions. Cleveland’s defense also was unable to keep up with Bo Nix and Denver’s offense.
With 21 rushing yards last week, Nick Chubb has failed to truly get going which has limited the Cleveland offense. Overall, the Browns rank 29th in the league in points per game and things will be difficult for them this week. Pittsburgh is allowing 18.7 points per game and will make things difficult for Winston. When these teams played a few weeks ago, snow was certainly in play, but the Browns won 24-19 at home. I would expect the Steelers to return the favor this week.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers – Eagles -13
For as good as the Panthers have been as of late, or maybe we should say competitive, they are going up in weight class this week. The Eagles are one of the best teams in the league, and Philadelphia is also one of the most difficult places to play. That is especially the case for a young quarterback like Bryce Young.
Things will be quite difficult for Young on Sunday as the Eagles defense is allowing the third-fewest yards per game this season at just 305. With just 178 passing yards allowed per game, Young will have issues moving the ball and at 18.2 points allowed per game, Carolina will have issues reaching the end zone.
Saquon Barkley is going to be busy in Week 14, and that could be the deciding factor in the game. It’s strength against weakness as the Eagles are first in the league with 189 rushing yards per game. Considering the Panthers are allowing a league-worst 167 rushing yards per game, this likely isn’t going to end well for Carolina.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Las Vegas Raiders – Buccaneers -6.5
Even though the Raiders gave the Chiefs a tough matchup last week, we are going to target them once again. Las Vegas in the midst of an eight game losing streak while Tampa Bay is working toward the top of the NFC South.
Brock Bowers continues to emerge as an offensive threat, but the Raiders are light on weapons otherwise. That has translated to a sixth worse scoring offense of just 18.6 points per game. It will be difficult for Las Vegas to keep up with Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense as they are averaging 28 points per game.
Neither team’s defense is especially strong, but the Raiders are worse. The visitors are allowing about three points more per game than their counterparts and that’s another sign pointing to the home team emerging victorious.
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets – Dolphins -6
Yes, this is a divisional matchup. The Jets also have their share of talent along with a future Hall of Fame quarterback. The problem though, is that Aaron Rodgers is playing like anything but this season.
At this point, the Jets have made it truly impossible to trust them. They are completely undisciplined and appear to be doing anything possible to lose a game. New York has just three victories on the season while the Dolphins look to salvage their campaign. Getting Tua Tagovailoa on the field has helped to Miami’s offense back on track. The Dolphins are better on both sides of the ball right now and trusting the Jets is impossible.
Line 1
Washington/Atlanta/Los Angeles Rams/Kansas City/Philadelphia/Baltimore/Detroit/Houston/Tampa Bay/Miami
Line 2
Houston/Washington/Baltimore/Kansas City/Buffalo/Minnesota/Denver/Detroit/Tampa Bay
Line 3
Tampa Bay/Cincinnati/Denver/Baltimore/Kansas City/Houston/Detroit/Buffalo/Philadelphia
Line 4
Kansas City/Pittsburgh
Make sure to check out all of our Week 14 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!