NFL Survivor picks: Who to take in Week 9

So, that’s how it’s supposed to go! Those still alive and kicking in Survivor pools finally had a week when everything played out like it was supposed to and all of the big favorites were victorious. The Cowboys, Eagles and Bills all won comfortably as double-digit favorites and smaller favorites like the Falcons and Dolphins did what was asked of them as well.

The challenge at this point for those still holding on is that a lot of the good teams probably aren’t available anymore. Some gambles may have to be made, but it’s better than being out like so many of your fellow contestants. We’ve got three big favorites this week in the Eagles, Bills and Chiefs, but do you have those teams? I’ll try to keep that in mind with this article the rest of the way and suggest some teams that the majority of players are likely to still have in play.

GAMES TO CONSIDER

Philadelphia Eagles (-13) over Houston Texans

What would it take for the Eagles to lose to the Texans on Thursday? Houston had 161 yards of offense and 3.2 yards per carry in the 17-10 loss to the Titans. Tennessee barely had to bother throwing passes in the game and still racked up 6.1 yards per play. The Texans have only surpassed 20 points in a game once. The Eagles have only scored fewer than 24 points once.

It wouldn’t be a bad thing to get a Thursday night winner and then hope for carnage on Sunday. Truth be told, given the recent schedule and the bye week, it is entirely possible that a fair amount of you still have Philadelphia left. There will be other opportunities to use them, but if you’ve got them, you might as well make this the week.

Buffalo Bills (-13) over New York Jets

It’s not often that you see a first-place team laying nearly two touchdowns on the road against a second-place team, but it’s not often we’ve had a team as dominant as the Bills. Following Buffalo’s win over the Packers, the Bills are first in the NFL in yards per play on offense (6.6) and sixth on defense (5.0). The Jets are actually second in yards per play allowed on defense (4.7), but 19th on offense (5.3). Zach Wilson has not looked the part since returning from injury with a 3/5 TD/INT ratio. He threw for 355 yards last week but completed less than 50% of his passes.

Buffalo has outscored opponents by 105 points this season. Philadelphia is the next closest team at + 78. It sure looks like the Jets will have a hard time keeping pace with the Bills. If you haven’t taken Buffalo already, this is as good a week as any, but if you do have a Survivor pool that uses Thanksgiving as its own week, you’ll have to save them for the Lions on November 24.