2 weeks Ago By Kristopher Knox
Week 2 was another wild one, filled with upsets that likely busted more than a few survivor pools. The biggest upset of the week involved reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on a long road trip, the Ravens were among the heaviest favorites of the week.
Yet, they couldn't stop a little late magic from Gardner Minshew—or the ferocious pass rush of Maxx Crosby—and blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. The Philadelphia Eagles were also stunned at home, a week after the Cincinnati Bengals blew a home game to the New England Patriots. By now, many survivor pools may be considerably drained.
Participants who are still alive must now navigate a tricky Week 3, which will kick off on Thursday with the Patriots and New York Jets. Below, you'll find a few tips for the week. You'll also find some top picks for the slate using the latest odds as a guideline.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook . When dissecting any week for survivor play, it's best to start with games to avoid. Prime-time games, especially those on short weeks, can be very unpredictable, as evidenced by last week's results.
The Eagles and Miami Dolphins were upset on Monday and Thursday, respectively. The Houston Texans outlasted the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, but it was not a clean game or a runaway victory. For this reason, Thursday night's game between the Jets and Patriots should be avoided.
The Jets found a bit of a groove against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, and they are 6.5 favorites at home. However, New England is not the pushover that many expected it to be, having defeated the Bengals in Cincinnati and taken the Seattle Seahawks to overtime on Sunday.
We'd also avoid the Los Angeles Chargers (+2) and their visit to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh has played great football defensively, and it has gotten enough from quarterback Justin Fields for a 2-0 start. It will also be playing its home opener.
However, Jim Harbaugh's Chargers have a formula that can work in tough road environments. L.A.
plays disciplined defense, leans on J.K. Dobbins and the running game and gets the occasional clutch play from quarterback Justin Herbert.
The Steelers have not won by more than a touchdown, despite facing a rookie quarterback and Kirk Cousins in his first game since suffering a torn Achilles. The margin of victory will be extremely thin in this one. We'd also shy away from the Chicago Bears (+2) and Indianapolis Colts matchup.
The Bears have a stout defense, but their offensive line and uninspired play calling have hampered rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. The Colts defense hasn't been dependable, and Indy has its own young, inexperienced signal-caller in Anthony Richardson. The Bengals (-8) are worth consideration at home and against rookie QB Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.
However, Cincinnati could be facing a trap game after Sunday's disappointing last-second loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. As previously noted, prime-time games are also tricky. Think carefully before trusting Cincinnati in Week 3.
Coming into the season, the San Francisco 49ers felt like a team that could be trusted in most weeks. With Christian McCaffrey (calf) on injured reserve and Deebo Samuel (calf) set to miss multiple weeks, it's clear that they are not. San Francisco lost 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings in a game that really wasn't as close as the score might suggest.
If injuries continue to mount, the 49ers will become downright difficult to pick, but their matchup with the rival Los Angeles Rams (+7) provides an opportunity to pick them now. Normally, the Rams are a tough draw for the 49ers. Sean McVay knows how to attack San Francisco's defense, and these games are usually tight affairs.
However, Los Angeles is, right now, one of the few teams with even more injury concerns than San Francisco. Puka Nacua (knee) is already on injured reserve, and now fellow wideout Cooper Kupp is set to miss time with an ankle injury. Guard Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III may also miss extended time.
"We're kind of running out of those [injured reserve] spots and we're only into Week 3 in terms of the return to play, but that is a possibility for all of those guys," McVay said, per ESPN's Sarah Barshop . Guard Steve Avila and tackle Joe Noteboom are also on injured reserve already. In the NFL, it's often the healthier team that wins.
In this matchup, that's San Francisco. Look, it's incredibly hard to pick the Cleveland Browns in any matchup. Cleveland is once again hampered by injuries, and quarterback Deshaun Watson always seems to be a slip-second away from making a game-altering mistake.
Yes, the Browns outlasted the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, but they played a penalty-filled game that they probably should have lost. Even if Cleveland gets healthy—Nick Chubb remains on IR, while tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. have yet to debut—this is a team that could win or lose against virtually any opponent.
Since teams can only be picked once in most survivor formats, this is probably the time to take a chance on Cleveland. The Browns will host the New York Giants, a team that has a roller coaster of a quarterback in Daniel Jones and forgot to have a backup plan at kicker in Week 2. There's a scenario in which the Giants (+6) get big plays from rookie receiver Malik Nabers, gash the Browns defense with Jones' legs and force mistakes with pass-rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux in order to steal a win.
Cleveland, though, should be able to attack New York's 29th-ranked run defense and use Myles Garrett to wreck the Giants' game plan. The Browns follow this one with a three-game road trip, followed by games against the Bengals, Eagles and Chargers. This might be the only time to trust them in 2024.
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