2023 NFL Weekly Survivor Pool: Week 2 Top Picks & Plays
It’s Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season, and we’ve got a week's worth of data points and actionable information gathered to make our Survivor pool picks for this week.
We certainly hope you’re still alive in your Survivor pool, as we’re going to help you get to the promised land one week at a time. If you’re not familiar with Survivor pools, here’s a quick rundown:
It seems simple: pick a team that wins each week. Typically, you’re choosing a team just once, so each selection is incredibly important. Some survivor pools have double-elimination so that you can slip up and still be in the running. Make sure you’re checking out our weekly matchup previews and our Survivor League Strategy in the Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide as guides toward picking the best winners for each week and developing a strategy. Let’s dive right in with Week 2’s picks!
2023 Survival Picks Record
Week 1: 3-2 (.667)
Overall: 3-2 (.667)
NFL Week 2 DraftKings Odds, Implied Totals, Spreads, and Over/Under
*All lines current as of 6:00 ET, 9/13/23, courtesy of Vegas Insider*
NFL Week 2 Survivor Picks
Dallas Cowboys
If there’s a team that’s riding higher right now after Week 1, I have yet to find them. After a 40-0 drubbing of their NFC East rival New York Giants on national television, the Cowboys head home to take on a Jets team that will have to go the rest of the 2023 season without Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers played all of 4 snaps before tearing his Achilles’ and ending his season. Zach Wilson was tabbed as the Jets’ starting quarterback going forward, and to show you how confident oddsmakers are in Wilson, the implied point total for the Jets stands at 15 points, easily the lowest total of Week 2. The Cowboys are 9.5-point favorites at home and should be able to notch a victory here.
The Cowboys are the heavy chalk play this week, but if you want to ensure survival this week, you can’t go wrong with picking the Cowboys to stifle a New York football team for a second consecutive week.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills may have tripped up and given away a game to the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, but they’ll be back in Orchard Park as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders in their home opener. The Bills have the highest implied point total of the slate as it stands right now at 28.25 points and hold an almost 10-point difference to the Raiders at 18.75 points. Along with Cowboys/Jets, this Bills/Raiders game has the largest point spread, with the Bills as 9.5-point favorites.
Nobody should be judging one of the biggest preseason favorites with a largely unchanged roster so harshly after Week 1, and you shouldn’t either. I’m still putting a ton of confidence in the Bills in Week 2 to get back to the Buffalo Bills we’ve been accustomed to over the last several seasons.
New York Giants
Just look back to last week, where we said that one of the picks each week would be whoever is playing the Arizona Cardinals. The New York Giants, the same Giants who fell on their own sword at home by losing 40-0 to the hated Cowboys, head west as the 5.5-point road favorites. Just like we talked about not judging teams by their Week 1 performances, the Giants are in the same boat. The Cardinals represent a get-right spot for the Giants, as they should have a sizable talent advantage here.
Weather and the Cowboys’ defensive buzzsaw were the undoings of the Giants, but they’re facing a Cardinals team that didn’t score an offensive touchdown against the Washington Commanders and is making an on-purpose decision to trot out Joshua Dobbs as their starting quarterback.
The Giants are still one of the better teams in the NFC despite playing nothing like it in Week 1. We like the pendulum to swing back the other way in Week 2 against an inferior opponent.
Other NFL Week 2 Survivor Pool Options
New Orleans Saints
The Carolina Panthers may just be this bad. They couldn’t muster any offensive momentum on the ground or through the air and now get the Saints at home. Taking a team on the road in a divisional matchup isn’t really the most optimal play, but the fact that the Panthers and Bryce Young couldn’t put together any cohesiveness on offense against a middle-of-the-road defense like the Falcons makes me really like the Saints this week. The Saints should put up much more defensive resistance after forcing three Ryan Tannehill interceptions in Week 1. Young could very well match or exceed that type of futility.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are a much safer option than most going on the road to face their NFC West and division rival Los Angeles Rams. As 8.0-point road favorites, San Francisco should hold a decided advantage on both sides of the ball against the Los Angeles Fightning Puka Nacuas. The 49ers were electric against the Steelers, where Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey (152 rushing yards) dusted them for three touchdowns
I do have some reticence in playing the 49ers in this spot against the Rams, considering they’ll have much better matchups to use them, like the Cardinals twice and the Buccaneers. But this week, they should be a clear favorite amongst Week 2 Survival pool players.
Other NFL Links:
Player News
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Chargers RB Najee Harris is expected to be back on the field “sooner rather than later.”
Speaking on The Insiders on NFL Network, Rapoport relayed words from Harris’ agent that backed up previous reports that said the eye injury sustained by the veteran running back were superficial, adding that Harris is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season and should be back on the field “sooner rather than later.” Rapoport also stated that Harris is not expected to miss significant time. Even so, any missed time in camp could widen the expected snap rate gap between he and rookie first-round selection Omarion Hampton to start the regular season, something fantasy managers will want to keep an attentive eye on as the following weeks play out.
Chargers placed WR Mike Williams on the PUP list.
Players placed on the PUP list ahead of camp can come off at any time. Williams was dealing with an unspecified injury before the start of camp and was believed to be on track toward playing once camp kicked off. Clearly needing more time to recover, Williams will join WR Jaylen Johnson, S Elijah Molden, LB Del’Shawn Phillips, and OT Savion Washington on the PUP list as they continue to ready themselves for camp.
Jets signed WR Garrett Wilson to a four-year, $130 million contract extension.
Wilson’s deal includes $90 million in guaranteed money and will keep him with the Jets through the 2030 season. The former No. 10 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has churned out three-straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards to start his career and posted career-highs in receptions (101), yards, (1,104), and touchdowns (7) last season. Now reunited with former college teammate Justin Fields, Wilson hopes the Jets can put together his first winning season as a pro and the Jets’ first winning season since 2015. Wilson profiles as a fringe WR1/WR2, but will likely settle more in the WR2 range in 2025 due to the Jets’ emphasis on the run and Fields’ ability to take off and scramble on passing downs.
Raiders waived QB Carter Bradley.
Bradley joined the Raiders last offseason as a rookie UDFA and spent all of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster in December. The former South Alabama Jaguar didn’t attempt a pass in his rookie season and will now look to catch on with another team ahead of training camp in hopes of battling for a roster spot. Bradley may be better suited for a spring football league where he would have an opportunity for more playing time.
The Athletic’s Chad Graff believes Stefon Diggs (knee) will “likely open camp by working on the side until he’s cleared from his injury.
Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season, but surprised during spring practices when he took the field in a limited capacity with the team. While he’s yet to be cleared for full football activities, Graff believes the encouraging spring we saw from Diggs may lead to some limited work to the side in camp while leaving the door open for Diggs to eventually participate in full closer to the end of camp. While opening the season on the PUP list, which would require him to miss a minimum of four games, remains a possibility, Diggs’ involvement in camp will be worth monitoring as the Patriots aim to get their WR1 back on the field.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department released a report detailing additional information regarding Quinshon Judkins’ arrest for domestic battery over the weekend.
The full report can be found at the link provided at the end of the blurb, but the details are quite disturbing. Arresting officer Steven Pohorence reported that the victim of Judkins’ alleged assault reported the incident the day after it occurred, alleging Judkins “punched her in the mouth/chin area with a closed fist” while adding he later struck her in the arm and thigh. The victim also showed pictures of her chin/lip area, with officer Pohorence noting in the report “the bruising was clearly evident.” Bruises could also be found on her arm and thigh. This situation is far from resolved and could have a direct impact on Judkins’ availability for training camp as he remains unsigned at this time.