Week 2 NFL Survivor pool strategy with safe, value, trap picks

Welcome back for Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. Week 1 was a wild one with some significant upsets mixed with some more expected impressive performances.

The stunner of the week saw the Patriots go into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals as a sizable underdog. New England has low expectations this season, but the win over the Bengals suddenly makes them a live dog in the short term. On the other side of things, the 49ers thumped the Jets, the Cowboys impressed against the Browns, and the Chiefs opened their title defense with a win over the Ravens.

The Bengals loss was of particular note because Cincinnati was the most popular pick for NFL Survivor pools. I suggested them as a safe pick in last week’s Survivor advice column, and that did not end well. I used Bengals as my fourth option in a paid pool, but otherwise stayed away from Cincinnati.

I’m back with another round of picks to hopefully get us through Week 2 of Survivor pools. If you have not played Survivor before, it’s a contest in which you pick one team to win each week. If your team wins in Week 1, you advance and can make a pick in Week 2. If your team loses you are eliminated. In many contests, a tie acts the same as a loss. Some leagues offer double elimination as an option. The biggest caveat is that in most leagues you cannot pick the same team twice during the season.

There are plenty of options to consider and every week this season we’ll be breaking down the safest picks, the best value picks, and the potential trap picks.

Ravens over Raiders

The Raiders should be better than what we saw against the Chargers, but it is not happening this week in Baltimore. The Ravens will be a popular pick, so they’re worth saving. But if you just want to live to fight another day, this is the pick.

Texans over Bears
Chargers over Panthers

The Bears struggled out of the gate on offense in Week 1, but managed a comeback home win to open the Caleb Williams era. The Texans faced a difficult Colts squad but managed to secure a road win. Houston’s defense should give Williams even more problems than the Titans. The Texans hold some value later this year, but there’s value in using them this week.

I’m not a big fan of road picks, but the Panthers are looking pretty brutal. They probably won’t go 0-17, but they are already looking like a team you pick against most weeks. LA has some future value, but I think there’s some value in using them against Carolina this week.

Lions over Buccaneers
Commanders over Giants

Detroit is a touchdown favorite, but this Bucs squad is feisty. A good Lions squad should win this one, but I’d stay away for Survivor purposes.

Like the Panthers, the Giants are looking like a good fade option. However, divisional games are ones to avoid. Washington is probably the better team, but save the divisional games for when you really need them later in the season.