NFL Survivor League Week 2: Consider Bengals Vs. Dak Prescott-Less Cowboys

The wild season-opening NFL slate provided fireworks for fantasy teams, bettors and survivor league players, though not all will look back on Week 1 fondly.

The NFL survivor league contest at Circa Sports saw more than 56% of their entries eliminated after Week 1 with five of the seven (!) most-picked teams all losing, as shared by VSIN’s Ben Fawkes. Chances are your league is in a similar standing. After all, one of the most popular picks, the Baltimore Ravens, used a second-half effort to run past the New York Jets, but the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals all lost their respective matchups. The second-most popular selection at Circa Sports was the Indianapolis Colts, who needed overtime just to tie the Houston Texans. In many survivor leagues, a tie counts as a loss meaning those players were eliminated, too.

If you’re lucky enough to still be alive, it’s time to run it back while hoping another crazy week takes out your competition but leaves you unscathed.

Here are three teams to consider, and avoid in your NFL survivor league entering Week 2:

Teams to pick
(-10) Buffalo Bills vs. Tennessee Titans
Based on how both teams looked in Week 1, this might be the most no-brainer selection on the board. And if your mindset is advancing at all costs, no matter which teams you eliminate, the Bills are the choice. However, not all survivor players feel that way with some wanting to keep the Bills for down the road. Buffalo does after all, have each AFC East opponent twice still on the docket, including the New York Jets, along with the Chicago Bears in late December. It’s all about strategy.

(-10) Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons
Despite being just one of four teams with a double-digit spread on the DraftKings Sportsbook board, the Rams might be viewed as a bit riskier given how Los Angeles looked in Week 1 against the Bills. Well, we’re here to remind everyone that that was Buffalo and Atlanta is not Buffalo. The Falcons pushed the New Orleans Saints to the brink and lost on a game-ending field goal. And we just can’t help but think Sean McVay and company are going to put together a much better performance in Week 2 — and it feels like this matchup is one of LA’s best this season.

(-7) Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys
Dallas was the only team to not score a touchdown in Week 1, and that was playing despite 55 minutes with a healthy Dak Prescott. Prescott’s absence might make the Cowboys the doormat for survivor league players these next four to six weeks until their franchise quarterback returns. The Bengals didn’t put together a great season-opening effort with five turnovers against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they should be able to bounce back against the banged-up Cowboys, who currently looks like one of their better season-long draws. Joe Burrow and company should benefit from Cooper Rush time.

Honorable mentions: (-10) Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears; (-10) Denver Broncos vs. Houston Texans

Teams to avoid
(-4) Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers
It’s already a growing theme for us: Stay away from AFC West matchups. The Chiefs certainly looked like world beaters in their Week 1 thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals, but Kansas City has much better matchups than the Chargers, who are coming off a win of their own against the Las Vegas Raiders. Kansas City has a difficult short-term schedule, which is why we’re already looking ahead to matchups against the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars in early November.

(-2) New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
For some reason, despite the Patriots scoring just seven points and the offense looking questionable in the first game, New England enters Week 2 as a road favorite against the Steelers. There might not be a time we feel comfortable enough to use the Patriots this season, and that’s certainly not the case now — even with Pittsburgh playing without T.J. Watt.

(-2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Eagles and Vikings put together two of the more noteworthy performances in Week 1, and in the small sample size, appear to be capable playoff contenders. While the Eagles are at home, we can’t help but think Philadelphia will have better matchups this season.

Honorable mention: Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions (-1.5)