NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 2: Opening Lines Report

With the conclusion of the Monday Night Football doubleheader tonight, Week 1 will soon be in the books. What looked on paper to be one of the toughest weeks we have seen in years for NFL Survivor Pools turned out to be fairly straightforward. Most of the popular Week 1 Survivor Pool picks won. There were a few mild upsets: Indy falling in Buffalo, Seattle losing in OT to the Rams and Tennessee embarrassing the Buccaneers. Those games knocked a few people out of my main pool, but nothing too crazy. Turns out all the worry about Week 1 for the last couple months as all for nothing! My picks of New England and Denver came through without much worry.

So now we look to NFL Survivor Pool picks for Week 2. In this weekly feature we will go over some of the notable opening lines in our first look for Survivor Pool picks for that week. One game that will be of interest to Survivor Pool players, Baltimore at Oakland, is off the board with no opening line as Raiders QB Derek Carr is listed as questionable. With how bad the Raiders looked last week and the status of Carr in question, Baltimore will likely open as a sizable favorite (five to seven points, likely). However, in this space we will talk about what we do know of the games that have been lined for early action at BetOnline.ag. Let’s take a look at the favorites of four points or more.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 2: Opening Line Report

New Orleans -10 vs. Tampa Bay: Here we have our first double-digit favorite of the season. Last season favorites of 10 or more points avoided the upset at a 92-percent success rate. So these huge favorites are the holy grail for Survivor Pool players. The Buccaneers looked like the absolute worst team in the league yesterday in getting walloped by a lousy Tennessee team (who knows, maybe this Titans team is better than I thought as they sure looked good on Sunday). The Saints did not look great on Sunday in a 12-point loss at Arizona. But New Orleans is normally much better at home.

I’m a bit torn here. I already bet on the Buccaneers here as I caught 10.5 points on the opening line. I thought that spread was a little too big. But I do expect the Saints to win this game, and you just can’t ignore the success that 10-point-or-more favorites in the NFL have enjoyed. The Saints are a very solid Week 2 Survivor Pool pick even though I think the Bucs might be able to hang in there and cover the line. New Orleans will be a very popular pick in Week 2 Survivor Pools.

Pittsburgh -6.5 vs. San Francisco: We have not seen the 49ers yet as they play tonight on the back end of the Monday Night football doubleheader. But all signs point to this team being very bad. This line could grow if San Francisco plays to expectations tonight.

Even though the Steelers lost Week 1 at New England, I think they played pretty well overall and that the game could have been closer than it was if not for those missed field goals and a couple dumb mistakes like penalties and dropped passes. Now the Steelers will have their home opener and will do everything in their power to avoid starting the season 0-2. I would like this pick a lot more if Pittsburgh RB Le’Veon Bell was playing here. However, I think the Steelers win this one, and this seems like a fairly safe pick.

Miami -6 at Jacksonville: Jacksonville has been a favorite fade for Survivor Pool players the last few years. I thought they might buck that trend this season as an improved team. But the Jags looked just as bad as last season on Sunday in getting beat soundly at home vs. Carolina. Looks like the faders will have their favorite team to go against again this season.

Miami didn’t look great in Week 1. They let the Redskins hang around in that game for far too long. I don’t like taking road teams this early in the season, and this is a game I will gladly toss out this week in my hunt for a Week 2 Survivor Pool winner.

Indianapolis -7 vs. New York Jets: Wow, did the Colts look awful on Sunday in a blowout loss at Buffalo. While I think Indianapolis was a bit overhyped entering the season, I think that the Bills are a pretty good team and that the Colts will be just fine and still end up winning 10-12 games. They are back at home in this one and will undoubtedly want to get the bad taste of Week 1 out of their mouths against an overmatched opponent.

The Jets looked pretty good in Week 1. But that was against the Browns. If Indy had won that game (or even played better) and if the Jets struggled against Cleveland then this line would be 10+. I think the Colts will bounce back in a big way here. I have already bet them at -7 and will no doubt be using them on at least one card on my Survivor Pool this week.

Be sure to check back throughout the week for lots of Week 2 NFL Survivor Pool content as well as some betting picks from expert handicappers.