The Weekly Sweat is no joke in these survivor pools. Hopefully you found this article last week where we cautioned against playing the Los Angeles Chargers because of how popular a pick they’d be. It was a stark reminder of “any given Sunday” in the NFL. Also a great reminder that the way to win these survivor pools is to try and be smart, yes, but also be a little different. Let’s jump in and look at this week’s sweep with NFL survivor picks for Week 2.
NFL survivor pool strategy is always tricky. As we mentioned last week, there’s always that one big, popular game that trips up half of the pool and sends everyone packing in the early weeks. Of course, that was the Chargers last week. In my opinion, it’s best not to listen to the noise. Be different where you can, but remain smart. Look ahead and plan the weeks in front of you, but don’t let it run you off course before you get to that future.
Some weeks, the chalk will be the play; some weeks it won’t. If a matchup is making you second-guess, trust your gut! Ideally, the things to try to avoid are road teams, international games, and divisional matchups. But this won’t always be possible. Don’t back yourself into a corner where you can’t take the best play for you any given week off of a rule like that.
The Lock: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The San Francisco 49ers will be the most popular pick this week. So, once again we’ll go a different route and keep ourselves on a different plan than the public. There are a lot more choices in Week 2 Survivor than we had in Week 1. Tampa is the one that sticks out the most to me. Aside from the public being on the 49ers, they are a great team that we can hope to have in our pocket down the road when others won’t. Tampa Bay, I can’t say the same for. Baker Mayfield can be a bit unpredictable at times, like four turnovers last week, and how their season will transpire is still a bit in question.
What isn’t in question is how absolutely terrible the Cleveland Browns and Deshaun Watson are. We call this article “The Weekly Sweat,” but Cleveland gave us no sweat as we selected the Jaguars last week. The Jaguars jumped out to a 14-point lead that was soon 24-0 and never looked back. Deshaun Watson looked like he hasn’t played football since 2024. Cleveland may very well be the worst team in the NFL. At some point they’ll switch to Shedauer Sanders; I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that might be an upgrade for them. Toss in the non-conference road spot and the humidity in Tampa this time of year. Let’s keep riding the fade of the Browns and use the Buccaneers this week.
The Backup Plan: San Francisco 49ers
Again, we’ll use the chalk team in this spot. Miami will certainly be in the running for the worst team in Football, as they did not look good last week getting their doors blown off by the Las Vegas Raiders. The 49ers slayed the Rams in Australia, and now are almost two-touchdown favorites (-13.5) at home. The only hesitation I have about San Francisco is the travel back after spending all of that time adjusting to Australia. Yes, it worked out to defeat the mighty Rams, but the travel back and the massive underdog they are facing could certainly be a letdown spot for a Francisco.
On the other hand, the 49ers are an elite team with a massive spread. They are relatively healthy, not something you can always say later in the year. Miami isn’t a good football team; it’s a non-conference home spot for San Francisco as well. So if you subscribe to Keep it Simple Stupid, it’s hard to argue too hard against San Francisco.
The Degen Special: Philadelphia Eagles
Full disclosure, the Eagles were last week’s Degen special, so if you used them up and want to go a different Degen route, the Los Angeles Chargers at home against the Raiders are a sneaky play this week. Back to Philadelphia, they fit this bill again well this week as another strong option. They gave us a little sweat letting the Commanders hang around last week, but took care of business. This week, they head to Tennessee to face the Titans. Being on the road doesn’t make them the top candidate, but Tennessee is securely the third team in the running for worst team in the league. I was excited about their coaching staff and a few of the pieces, but Cam Ward looks lost out there, and this Philadelphia defense will have a heyday with him.
Official Week 2 NFL Survivor Play: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Official Play Teams Used:
Week 1: Jaguars
