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Welcome back for Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season! Survivor is back and hopefully you didn’t pick the Vikings, Chiefs, or Seahawks last week. We saw some notable upsets, which made for an ugly week in a lot of Survivor contests. I took the Vikings in one contest and the Commanders in two others, so I’ve at least got something going!
Time for your regular reminders if you’re joining a Survivor contest this week for the first time. You pick one team each week that you think will win. If your team loses in Week 1, you’re eliminated (unless it’s a double elimination pool). If your team wins in Week 1, you can make a pick in Week 2. If your team wins in Week 2, you can make a pick in Week 3, and so on. The catch is that you cannot pick the same team twice. You could use a heavy favorite early on, but you would not have access to them later in the year if you’re alive in the closing weeks.
You’re welcome to just take the team favored by the most points this weekend, but there is strategy to consider if you want to survive to the end. DK Network is here to help with a look at safe choices, value choices, and potential traps.
Safest picks
Cowboys over Jets
49ers over Rams
Bills over Raiders
The Jets and Rams secured sizable upsets in Week 1, but look for them to come back to earth this week. The 49ers and Cowboys offer long-term value, but if you’re just looking to survive and advance and deal with long-term questions later, they’re solid choices.
On the other hand, the Bills look like a good bounce-back option against a very shaky Raiders team. I’d say Buffalo for Week 6 vs. the Giants, Week 8 vs. the Bucs, or Week 10 vs. the Broncos, but they’re a decent option this week, nonetheless.
Best value picks
Giants over Cardinals
New York is probably not as good this year as they were last year, but Arizona is worse. The Cardinals gave the Commanders trouble in Washington, but look for a bit of Arizona regression this week. On the other hand, the Giants aren’t facing nearly as good a defense as they did last week vs. Dallas.
Trap pick
Lions over Seahawks
Seattle looked bad last week against LA while Detroit stunned the Chiefs. I sense a bit of a letdown opportunity here for Detroit. Maybe they’re for real, or maybe they aren’t yet ready to get everything on track. I’d stay away.