Welcome to Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. Week 1 was an intense week with a mix of great, expected performances and some big upsets.
The shock of the week was the Patriots going into Cincinnati and beating the Bengals despite being heavily underdogs. New England has had low expectations this season, but their win over the Bengals puts them in the running for the short term. Meanwhile, the 49ers swept the Jets, the Cowboys performed well against the Browns and the Chiefs opened their title defense with a win over the Ravens.
The Bengals' loss is especially notable because Cincinnati was the favorite in the NFL Survivor pool. In last week's Survivor Advice column, I suggested Cincinnati as a safe choice, but that didn't work out. I used the Bengals as my fourth choice in the paid pool, but otherwise stayed away from Cincinnati.
We're back with another round of picks to help you get through week 2 of the Survivor pool. For those of you who have never played Survivor, it's a competition where you pick one team each week to win. If your team wins week 1, they advance to the next week and can make picks in week 2. If your team loses, they're eliminated. In many competitions, a draw is treated the same as a loss. Some leagues offer double elimination as an option. The biggest thing to note is that most leagues don't allow you to pick the same team twice during a season.
There are a lot of options to consider, and each week this season we'll be breaking down which are the safest options, which are the most valuable, and which are potential traps.
The safest choice
Ravens beat Raiders
The Raiders should do better than what they saw against the Chargers, but that won't happen this week in Baltimore. The Ravens will be the favorites, so they're worth keeping, but if they want to stay alive to contend again, this is the option.
Best value product
Texans Bears
Chargers beat Panthers
The Bears struggled to get off to a good start offensively in Week 1, but pulled off a comeback win at home to kick off the Caleb Williams era. The Texans faced a tough Colts team but still managed to pull off a win on the road. Houston's defense should be even more of a challenge for Williams than the Titans. The Texans are still valuable later in the year, but they're worth using this week.
I'm not a big fan of road picks, but the Panthers look pretty formidable. They probably won't go 0-17, but they look like a team that will be picked as an opponent most weeks. LA has future value, but I think there's value in using them this week against Carolina.
Trap Pick
Lions Finish Buccaneers
Commander of the Titans
Detroit is favored by a touchdown, but this Buccaneers team is full of grit, and while the good Lions should win, I'd avoid them for Survivor's sake.
Like the Panthers, the Giants look like a strong option to fade, but avoid the divisional matchup. Washington is probably the better team, but I'd save that for later in the season when I really need it.
