KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 13: The helmet worn by Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled by DeShon Elliott #21 and Kader Kohou #4 of the Miami Dolphins during an NFL wild-card playoff football game at GEHA2 Stadium on January 1 at Arrowhead. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As fall officially arrives, the NFL heads into Week 3. We have one final week in September and we’ve got a lot of chaos in the NFL. I don’t think anyone is predicting a 2-0 Raiders squad, and even a 2-0 Vikings is catching me off guard. On the other hand, I certainly didn’t expect an 0-2 start against the Chargers or Buccaneers. There’s a long way to go, but it’s getting wild!
I’m back with another Survivor picks. Each week you pick one team to win. If they beat you, if they lose you’re out in most cases. I’m in a single tank with four inlets, but it’s also a double drain tank. After taking the chargers in week 1, I was able to eliminate one of my goals in two weeks. Another entry has me on strike after the Bucs loss last week (I took the Steelers in Week 1). My other two entries are completely alive with Jaguars/Eagles going with one and Raiders/49ers with the other.
Check out the safest picks, the best prices, and the pitfall picks below. I’ll post my own picks at the end. Since I’m publishing this post on Thursday, I’ll update on Sunday after I’ve locked in my three picks.
I have included odds for favorites in each game FanDuel.
Very safe choices
Chiefs (-11.5) over Dolphins
Kansas City is on the way, but Miami stinks. You’d be better off saving the Chiefs for next season, but you could do worse than using them this week.
Best price choices
Packers (-5.5) on Falcons
The Packers haven’t impressed yet, but the Falcons are truly awful. One concern is that Michael Pennix will improve things, but Falcons fans aren’t too high on themselves. I was inclined to list this as a trap game because of the QB change and it’s a short week game, but I’m that low on Atlanta.
Choosing a trap
Bills (-7) over chargers
Seahawks (-7) over the Chiefs
I think Buffalo and Seattle will both win, but these games are a little tricky. LA has been an underdog this season, but they have the talent to turn that around. The Bills are a touchdown favorite, but you’d better save them against the Dolphins for Week 14.
The Chiefs lost Jayden Daniels at elbow and it’s time for Marcus Mariota. It’s nothing special, but with the Seattle cross country starting at noon ET, it might be best to skip it. You can save the Seahawks Week 9 at home against the Cardinals or Week 14 at home against the Giants.
My picks this week
I’ll be using the bosses to some extent this week. The other two weeks I use at this point are Week 9 against the Jets and Week 11 against the Cardinals. Both weeks I find comparable or better options. I’m also leaning the 49ers over the Cardinals in one of my picks. They are playing well, but at the same time they have enough tough games that I feel comfortable passing them later. I’m tempted by the Packers, but they get the Dolphins at home in Week 15. Who knows if I’ll make it this far, but I’m willing to wait.
