This is never easy, is it. What appears to be true on the surface sometimes couldn’t be further from the truth. Targeting a New England Patriots team that was supposed to be terrible seemed like the obvious play. A soft landing spot to begin the season by going after the biggest favorite of the slate appeared to be the play. What could go wrong? By this point, we know that the Bengals played terribly while the Patriots began the Jerod Mayo era with a victory. Assuming you are still with us, multiple entries are the way to go, let’s not waste anymore time in reviewing our Week 2 NFL Survivor Picks.
How Did We Do?
Transparency is key here. We know that the Bengals let us down, but the good news is that our other three picks did not. While things were hairy at times, the Lions, Bears, and Seahawks all were victorious. Chicago did so without a productive Caleb Williams for much of the game and instead relied on their defense and special teams. There was some stress involved in Detroit, but once Seattle got going, things were relatively straightforward there.
From a game theory perspective, fading Buffalo has its benefits, but Josh Allen did lead the Bills to a comeback victory. In hindsight, perhaps the Saints should have warranted more attention in a home matchup against the Panthers. New Orleans should have been a survivor pick as they looked unstoppable against Carolina. At the same time though, the Panthers and Bryce Young simply didn’t look good. From a Saints perspective, until we see more, we do have to be careful in overvaluing their Week 1 success.
Week 2 NFL Survivor Picks
Just like last week, and for the next 16 weeks, I’ll go through four picks that I like and one that I’m staying away from. They’ll be ranked in order leading up to the most desirable option along with our lines that we hope to see continue throughout the season.
Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears – Texans -6
Each team was victorious last week, but the Texans had the more impressive victory. They went into Indianapolis and managed to hold off Anthony Richardson and the Colts. C.J. Stroud threw for an efficient 232 yards last week while picking up where he left off from his rookie year. The additions of both Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon both proved to prudent as Houston will have one of the best offenses in the league.
Despite the poor track record of first overall picks, Caleb Williams did emerge victorious on Sunday. However, it was based more on what the Titans couldn’t do offensively than what Williams did. The rookie completed just 14 of 29 passes for only 93 yards as he failed to make much of an impact. Ultimately, it was defensive and special teams touchdowns that won the game for the Bears.
Chicago will face a tougher challenge this week in Houston’s home opener. The edge Stroud has against Williams is enough to sway my survivor picks.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons – Eagles -6.5
Monday night in Philadelphia for the Eagles’ home opener. We all know what that environment will be like and it will be far from the comforts of Atlanta’s dome. The Falcons didn’t have a great showing there to begin the season in losing to Pittsburgh. Kirk Cousins did not look fully healthy after tearing his Achilles last year nor did he look comfortable in the offense.
Overall, Atlanta’s offense underperformed. They finished 28th overall in yards gained (244) while Cousins threw two interceptions. In short, there didn’t appear too much of a difference in the Falcons offense compared to last year. Their defense was able to keep the Justin Fields led Pittsburgh offense out of the end zone, but they did allow 18 points. Facing Jalen Hurts this week though will be a significant step up.
Last week, the Eagles scored 34 points while gaining 422 yards. It was a shootout against the Packers, but I’d expect their defense to tighten up this week against a much easier opponent.
The fact that the NFC East doesn’t look incredibly strong is what would cause me to hold off on the Eagles this week. With that being said, they are a strong survivor pick.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Chiefs -5
You could make the argument that the Bengals are not as bad as they showed on Sunday, but do we really believe that? Joe Burrow did complete 21 of 29 passes, but it only went for 164 yards as he failed to show the ability to throw down the field. The absence of Tee Higgins didn’t help, and through Wednesday he has yet to return to practice. While Ja’Marr Chase did return and six passes, they only went for 62 yards as he seemed to still be shaking off the rust. Burrow has little to work with aside from Chase although Zack Moss did pick up a rushing touchdown.
The Chiefs did escape their home opener with a victory, and their reward was a few extra days off and another home game. I would expect them to improve on a league-worst 458 yards allowed in Week 1, but not having Lamar Jackson to contend with also helps. After the Bengals allowed 170 rushing yards last week, Isiah Pacheco shouldn’t worry about finding room to run.
Kansas City has shaken off the rust (apologies for the inadvertent Taylor Swift reference as I’m surprised I even know that) and should look better this week.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Las Vegas Raiders – Ravens -8.5
So much for the Raiders coming out strong to begin the season. Quite simply, they looked overmatched against a Chargers team that is breaking in a new head coach and offensive system. Las Vegas did finish in the middle of the pack yardage-wise on Sunday, but they were only able to turn that into more than 10 points.
Zamir White was unable to get the run game going as he picked up just 44 yards on 13 carries while fumbling. The ground is where the Raiders truly lost the battle as the Chargers rushed for 176 yards against them. Led by Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson running the ball, there is no reason why the Ravens can’t perform even better this week. Considering they ran for 185 yards last week in a tough matchup against Kansas City, it certainly is in the realm of possibility.
The Ravens did lose in their season debut, but they came an Isaiah Likely toe-nail away from sending the game to overtime. Baltimore gained 458 yards in total and they generally have success at home. The fact that it’s their home opener and a 10 am local time start for the Ravens traveling east only enhances things.
Line 1
Seattle/Baltimore
Line 2
Chicago/Kansas City
Line 3
Detroit/Philadelphia
Line 4
Houston
Check out all of our Week 2 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex
Week 2 NFL Survivor Fade
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Lions -7.5
With the Lions coming off a victory in an exciting postseason rematch against the Rams, there is the possibility of a letdown. An over/under of 51.5 points means it will be a fast-paced, high scoring game. And that means anything can happen.
Last week, Tampa Bay put up 37 points while gaining 401 yards. While the Lions held the Rams to 20 points, they also allowed 400 yards. Ultimately, this game could come down to which team has the ball and scores last.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!