Those who followed the events of the Circa Sports NFL survivor pool competition were likely shocked to learn that the Chargers’ loss to the Cardinals eliminated the largest percentage of the pool’s entries of any pick in the competition’s history. Hopefully, you were one that looked ahead to L.A.’s schedule and saw it was playing Las Vegas this week, while last week’s NFL survivor pool advice nailed two of our safest picks. We also gave survivor pool contestants a leg up on their competition by suggesting they use the Raiders as a contrarian play, and our two risky plays won by a combined three points.
Read on for our best NFL survivor pool advice for Week 2.
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NFL Survivor Pool Advice for Week 2: Picks & Predictions (2026)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Here is a list of odds for the top 10 favorites to win their Week 2 matchups.
Week 2 NFL Moneyline Odds
| TEAM | ODDS |
| San Francisco 49ers | -950 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | -375 |
| Baltimore Ravens | -360 |
| Los Angeles Rams | -345 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | -310 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | -290 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | -290 |
| Chicago Bears | -245 |
| New England Patriots | -238 |
| Green Bay Packers | -225 |
Safest Picks
San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Some may prefer to leave San Francisco out of their survivor picks this week, given the uncertainty of what the team will look like after playing in Australia. But any concerns over the 49ers’ ability to recover from jet lag are somewhat negated by the fact that Miami is playing its second straight road game three time zones away. San Francisco has also run into some of the worst injury luck over the last few seasons, so using it now in survivor pools, when the most concerning injury to begin the week is to rookie wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, is a logical choice.
For the second straight week, the team hosting the Browns is not only the second-biggest Moneyline favorite but also one of the best survivor picks. Cleveland is sticking with Deshaun Watson as its starting quarterback for another week. Since joining the Browns in 2022, among 50 quarterbacks with 15 starts, Watson entered the season ranked 46th in off-target percentage, 48th in yards per attempt and 49th in total quarterback rating. Watson didn’t do anything last week to dispel the notion that he is a different player, as the Browns’ offense mustered just 272 total yards and didn’t score a touchdown until garbage time in the fourth quarter.
Risky Popular Plays
Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers
Baltimore recorded 506 total yards in a Week 1 win against Indianapolis, its most in a game since Week 7 of 2024. But it also now has some serious concerns at wide receiver, namely Zay Flowers, who has a hamstring injury. An unfathomable stat for Flowers is that his 150 receiving yards were the most by a Ravens receiver since September 2015. New Orleans also showed no quit in battling back from a 21-point deficit and coming within a two-point conversion of stealing a game on the road against the Lions.
I’m not jumping off the Rams bandwagon after one loss to a 49ers team that won 12 games last season, as perhaps the two teams’ approaches to traveling to Australia mattered more than we thought. But the travel, and how Los Angeles can recover from the long flight to and from Melbourne, is one of the biggest reasons to avoid them this week.
Giants fans are already optimistic about the John Harbaugh era, and rightfully so, after the team proved too physical for the Cowboys. It’s clear Harbaugh brought an approach and discipline with him from Baltimore that the Giants haven’t seen in a while. And it’s the Giants who may have the best pass rush in this matchup, with the Rams’ defensive line possibly missing both Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald.
The Packers will likely be a popular pick in survivor pools this week, as bettors will view them as playing the “same old Jets.” But Green Bay cannot be trusted after losing its last three games in which it led by 10+ points in the second half. And the way Minnesota defended Jordan Love and the Packers, scoring 29 unanswered points in the second half with a backup quarterback, gave New York a blueprint for this matchup.
Contrarian Play to Beat a Large Pool
Philadelphia Eagles
The Raiders were my contrarian play last week because there were likely not many more weeks in the season when one could confidently use them in survivor pools. We’re recommending the Eagles this week for the same reason, and they’re also a good football team. Philadelphia’s upcoming schedule is brutal, and the team is projected to be favored by more than three points in just one of its six games after Week 2.
Tennessee looked lifeless in totaling just 195 yards and 11 first downs in a 13-point home loss to the Jets last week, making Philadelphia as safe a road favorite as one can find this early in the season.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.