Week 2 of the NFL season is here! Whether you got knocked out in Week 1 or forgot to get in before the season, it’s not too late to join a survivor pool. You can enter the DraftKings $10K+ NFL 2nd Chance Survivor pool for just $10 here.
The rules for NFL Survivor Pools are simple. Each week, you pick a team to win their game straight-up. If that team wins, you move on to the next week. If they lose, you are eliminated. However, you can only use each team once. So, while you want to prioritize picking a team that will win, you also have to consider your season-long strategy.
NFL Week 2 Survivor Pool Picks, Strategy and Best Teams to Use
Week 2 NFL Survivor Strategy
Week 1 was mostly chalky in the NFL. There were only four upsets based on the betting odds: the Giants over the Cowboys, the Jets over the Titans, the 49ers over the Rams and the Cardinals over the Chargers. The two New York teams were very short underdogs, and the Rams weren’t a very popular pick, so those didn’t have a big effect on survivor pools. However, the Chargers were the biggest favorites of Week 1 and were an incredibly popular survivor pool pick. That upset by the Cardinals knocked out a lot of players and reminded others that anybody can beat anybody in the NFL.
The other important lesson is that avoiding the most popular survivor pool pick every week can be a strategy on its own. While most people would have assumed the Chargers would win, those who chose to pick someone else gained a massive advantage by having the Chargers lose. If your goal is to win the whole pool, not just survive a few weeks, your best chance is to have a big percentage of your pool eliminated because of upsets like the Cardinals over the Chargers. Going a bit more off-the-radar with your picks gives you a chance to move on without ensuring a big percentage of your pool also moves on with you.
Week 2 Survivor Pool Best Pick
Buccaneers over Browns
The Buccaneers had a tough road trip to Cincinnati to open the season. They came up just short against the Bengals, losing 33-27. The Cincinnati offense could be one of the best in the NFL this season, and Tampa Bay struggled to get stops. However, Baker Mayfield and the offense looked solid. The Buccaneers now head back to Florida for their home opener. They get a second straight AFC North opponent to open the season, but this one is much more favorable.
The Browns looked awful in their Week 1 loss to the Jaguars. The defense had no answers for Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville offense. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland offense couldn’t get anything going, only scoring one touchdown in garbage time. This will now be a second straight road game in the Florida heat for the Browns. The Buccaneers should comfortably pick up the win in this one.
Week 2 Survivor Bold Pick
Eagles over Titans
This isn’t exactly a “bold” pick, but it’s typically best to avoid road teams in NFL survivor pools. However, this pick for Week 2 is an exception to that rule. The Titans looked terrible in Week 1, losing at home to the Jets 23-10. Geno Smith had one of the best quarterback performances of Week 1 against that Tennessee defense, and Jalen Hurts should be able to do the same. Breece Hall also ran all over Tennessee, and Saquon Barkley should replicate that success. The Eagles should put up a decent amount of points and force Tennessee to keep up.
The Titans’ offense was just as bad as the defense. They struggled to move the ball against the Jets and didn’t find the end zone until the fourth quarter. The Eagles should make life on Cam Ward and force him into some mistakes. This game presents a great opportunity for Philadelphia to start off the season with a 2-0 record.
Week 2 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
49ers over Dolphins & Rams over Giants
These are two favorites I’m avoiding this week for multiple reasons. First, both of these should be very popular picks. There will be a lot of people betting on a Rams bounceback after the “super team” lost their season opener. Meanwhile, the 49ers, who delivered that loss to the Rams, are the biggest favorite this week. San Francisco looked great last week and hosts the lowly Dolphins this week. They could very well end up being the most popular pick of this week. As discussed above, it would be a good strategy to avoid that most popular pick every week.
However, my main reason for avoiding these two teams is the travel variable that both of them are dealing with. We have seen teams struggle in the past coming back from Europe and playing the following week. The travel from Australia is much worse than from Europe, and these teams could have a hard time adjusting. While much was made about when these teams decided to travel to Australia, both teams will have to deal with readjusting to West Coast time. That is a variable I would rather not deal with in survivor pools, so I will be avoiding both of these teams this week.
