Week 8 NFL Survivor Pool Tips: Best Picks and Strategies to Stay Alive

Week 8 NFL Survivor Pool Tips: Best Picks and Strategies to Stay Alive0 of 3

Ravens QB Lamar JacksonMike Ehrmann/Getty Images

As we approach midseason, the NFL landscape is finally starting to come into focus. While the early season was filled with massive upsets and surprising outcomes, things have pretty much gone as expected over the last couple of weeks.

There have been a few exceptions, of course, but the league’s truly good teams are beginning to win consistently.

If you’ve managed to make it this far in a survivor league, congratulations. It hasn’t been easy. Things won’t get a whole lot easier moving forward, though, because teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions are probably already off the board.

The good news is that all 32 teams will be in action this week, meaning survivor participants will have no shortage of options. Below, we’ll dive into a few tips and suggestions for survivor play in Week 8, using the early odds as a guide.

General Survivor Tips for Week 81 of 3

Vikings QB Sam DarnoldKevin Sabitus/Getty Images

As always, we’ll start by examining the games we don’t feel great about in Week 8. First up is the Thursday night contest between the Minnesota Vikings (-3) and Los Angeles Rams.

Minnesota has been the better team, hands down, through the first seven weeks. Injuries have left the 2-4 Rams in a difficult position where every game is a “must-win.” Of course, desperation can be a powerful factor, and L.A. may have star receiver Cooper Kupp (ankle) back in the lineup.

“He loves football, he’s missing being out there, so I’m excited for him, excited for our offense,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said, per Stu Jackson of the team’s official website.

Ultimately, though, it comes down to the unpredictability of short-week games and the fact that Minnesota is coming off an emotional last-second loss to the rival Detroit Lions. If the Vikings are still an option, saving them for a Week 11 matchup against the Tennessee Titans would be advisable.

We’re also a bit wary of the Houston Texans (-6) and Indianapolis Colts matchup on Sunday. Divisional games are always hard to predict, and the Texans only beat the Colts by two points back in Week 1.

Houston isn’t a flat-out bad option, but more favorable matchups are on the schedule.

Similarly, we don’t love the Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. Tamps lost receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin—Godwin to a season-ending dislocated ankle—on Monday night. However, the Bucs are resilient and will be playing at home.

Atlanta’s up-and-down play in 2024 has done little to instill confidence in an NFC South showdown.

The Buffalo Bills (-3) are a more complete team than the Seattle Seahawks. However, playing in Seattle can be a challenge, and it’s not as if Seattle is a bad team.

The Bills can be considered this week because their upcoming schedule isn’t ideal—they’ll host the rival Miami Dolphins in Week 9, visit the Colts in Week 10, host the Chiefs in Week 11 and go on bye in Week 12—but this isn’t a slam-dunk matchup.

Trust the Ravens Against the Browns2 of 3

Ravens RB Derrick HenryKara Durrette/Getty Images

While we typically shy away from divisional games, the Baltimore Ravens can be trusted against the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 8. Cleveland has been an absolute mess offensively, and it just lost quarterback Deshaun Watson to a season-ending Achilles injury.

The Browns will likely rely on backup Jameis Winston this week, and it’s hard to believe Winston will find much success against Baltimore’s aggressive defense.

That defense hasn’t been particularly good this season, but Winston has historically been a mistake-prone quarterback. Cleveland’s offensive line is a liability, so we’re probably going to see quite a few miscues.

Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the Ravens offense, meanwhile, is rolling. This could quickly turn into the sort of blowout we saw in Cleveland last season—a game Baltimore won 28-3.

Now’s a good time to use the Ravens (-10) if they haven’t been used already. The upcoming schedule includes a game against a terrific Denver Broncos defense, the visiting Cincinnati Bengals and a trip to face the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles are also on the docket ahead of Baltimore’s Week 14 bye.

Consider the Broncos Against the Panthers3 of 3

Broncos QB Bo NixCooper Neill/Getty Images

The Broncos have been hard to trust this season because their offense has lacked cohesion and rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been extremely inconsistent. However, Denver can be considered this week at home against the Carolina Panthers (+9).

The Panthers have been nearly as bad as Cleveland this season, and their 32nd-ranked scoring defense has been even worse.

While Carolina has gotten the occasional offensive boost from quarterback Andy Dalton, results have not been consistent. The Panthers just lost to the Washington Commanders—who played most of the game without rookie phenom Jayden Daniels (ribs)—in a 40-7 blowout.

Denver’s defense, meanwhile, is great. The Broncos rank third in both yards and points allowed this season. If Nix can play with any semblance of efficiency in this game, the Broncos should win fairly convincingly.

With the Broncos last playing on Thursday, head coach Sean Payton has had extra time to prepare a game plan.

This is probably the last opportunity to sneak in Denver before they host the Browns in week 13. Road games against Baltimore and Kansas City will be difficult, and the Falcons could be trouble, depending on which version of Atlanta makes an appearance.

Denver’s Week 12 game in Las Vegas appears favorable, but the Raiders have fared well against Denver recently. The Broncos won 34-18 in Week 5, but that was their first win over Las Vegas since 2019.

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