NFL Survivor League Week 9 Picks: Road Favorites Present Enticing Options

Chances are those who made it through the first seven weeks were able to escape Week 8 unscathed, as well, with the most popular NFL survivor league picks all earning victories.

The Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and even the Atlanta Falcons marked the three most popular picks in the Circa Sports survivor league, and all three earned victories, though Atlanta needed a boneheaded D.J. Moore penalty and overtime to edge the Carolina Panthers. The Buffalo Bills also took care of the Green Bay Packers, which might have been a popular choice in leagues, as well. All told, merely 2.0% of the 6,133 entries in the Circa Sports pool are still alive, the same number as last week, probably meaning some smaller leagues have concluded.

Well, Week 9 in the NFL doesn’t present many easy options either. With six teams on a bye — tied for the single-largest bye week of the NFL season — quality options are scarce. We have our eye on three specific road favorites, though it’s worth noting road favorites are winning straight up 57.1% of the time and covering just 45.8% of the time, according to Covers.com.

Anyway, here are three teams to consider and three others to avoid in NFL survivor leagues for Week 9:

Teams to pick:
(-13.5) Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans (-772 moneyline)
Entering “Thursday Night Football,” the Eagles represent the largest spread on the betting board and figure to be one of the most popular survivor picks in Week 9. Philadelphia, the only unbeaten team in the league, will present opportunities for NFL survivor league players in the future, but the Texans might be their most favorable matchup on the remainder of their schedule. Especially with the Texans missing wideout Brandin Cooks, which is sure to make Houston even more one-dimensional.

(-12.5) Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (-656 moneyline)
The six-team bye might make survivor leaguers weigh a Week 9 win heavier than previous weeks, pushing future teams and matchups down the road. If so, the Bills are another strong pick going up against a Jets offense which just turned the ball over three times against the New England Patriots. The 6-1 Bills are arguably the best team in the league and should salivate at the chance to put the 5-3 Jets in their place in the AFC East. Josh Allen, of note, is 5-2 in seven career games against the Jets.

(-5) Miami Dolphins at Chicago Bears (-221 moneyline)
The Bears running game has made impressive strides during the previous two weeks, but Chicago’s defense almost certainly will take a massive step back in Week 9. The Bears traded their two best players — linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn — before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. And with the way Tua Tagovailoa has played since his return from a scary injury, it’s hard to envision Chicago being able to stop the quick-strike offense with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The 5-3 Dolphins do, however, have at least one more favorable matchup with the Texans in Week 12.

Honorable mention: (-5.5) New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts

Teams to avoid:
(-7.5) Cincinnati Bengals vs. Carolina Panthers (-345 moneyline)
The 4-4 Bengals looked like a completely different offense without the injured Ja’Marr Chase in a Week 8 defeat on “Monday Night Football.” Cincinnati managed just 229 yards of offense on 4.8 yards per pass all while Joe Burrow was sacked five times. Meanwhile, the 2-6 Panthers have looked better since the firing of Matt Rhule and, surprisingly, since PJ Walker took over behind center. It’s best to hold off on the Bengals.

(-12.5) Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans (-625 moneyline)
Fading the Chiefs isn’t exactly a popular move, especially as a double-digit favorite at home. But this has more to do with the AFC South-leading Titans. Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel has, once again, gotten the best out of his team this season. And in prior campaigns, Vrabel has bested Andy Reid in their two regular-season clashes, with the most recent victory being a 27-3 rout. The 5-2 Chiefs will have better spots than the 5-2 Titans on “Sunday Night Football,” including Week 10 against the Jaguars.

(-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams
There is absolutely no reason NFL survivor leaguers should have any trust in the 3-5 Buccaneers, despite the fact the 3-4 Rams haven’t looked much better.