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: