2022 NFL Weekly Survivor Pool: Week 6 Top Picks & Plays
Avoiding the land mines has been key in advancing in NFL survivor pools this season. Two big ones last week were the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, though fortunately they weren't among my weekly three picks. It's another tough week with only one team favored by double-digits in NFL Week 6. Plus, only three teams are favored by at least seven points. Be sure to check out Fantasy Alarm's weekly matchup previews and the NFL Week 6 betting odds before making your survivor picks this week. Here are my top survivor picks for the week.
NFL Week 6 Survivor Picks
1) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams haven't looked good and are coming off a 22-10 loss to the Cowboys. The Rams offensive line has been a problem and the Cowboys are a team that can exploit that weakness. The Panthers are tied for 25th in sacks. Los Angeles has lost to Buffalo, San Francisco and Dallas. The Rams wins were against Atlanta and Arizona. The Panthers are 1-4 with a new coach and P.J. Walker starting at quarterback for the injured Baker Mayfield. Matthew Stafford has been sacked 12 times the last two weeks, but he should get some more time to throw in this game. The Rams are the biggest favorites of the week at 10.5 points.
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After two consecutive losses, the Buccaneers got back on track last week with a 21-15 win over Atlanta. The Buccaneers led 21-0 after three quarters. The Steelers were trounced in Buffalo by the Bills, 38-3. The Buccaneers have a lot of weapons on offense and a multitude of ways to beat teams. The Steelers have a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett behind a shaky offensive line and are struggling to run the ball. The lone win for the Steelers came in Week 1 in overtime against the Bengals and the Steelers were outgained, 432-267. The Steelers are averaging 13.5 points over the last four games. The Steelers have allowed the third-most yards in the NFL and the defense isn't the same without T.J. Watt.
3) Baltimore Ravens
The Giants have been the biggest surprise in the NFL with a 4-1 record. They are winning despite one of the worst receiving corps you'll ever see. While the win in London against Green Bay last week was impressive, this isn't the same Packers offense of recent seasons. The Giants other wins came against Carolina, Tennessee and Chicago. Those three teams rank in the bottom three in yard per game. The Ravens will be the biggest test. The Ravens issue has been blowing leads. They allowed Miami to score 28 points in the fourth quarter in a loss and the Bills rallied from a 17-point deficit in a 23-20 loss. The Giants don't have the offense to do this. The Giants have been blitzing a lot and Lamar Jackson has handled the blitz well.
Last week: 3-0
Season: 11-3-1
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Related Links:
- NFL Survivor League Strategy
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- NFL Strength of Schedule
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Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.