NFL Week 3 NFL Survivor Pool Picks + Strategy | Colts or Bucs?

Two weeks are in the books and the NFL season continues to roll on. After a Week 1 filled with upsets, we saw a very chalky Week 2 with all the big favorites finding ways to win. This means that most likely your NFL survivor pool didn’t lose many people, but with one fewer team this week, it becomes slightly more challenging. Let’s dive in and see which matchups we have to consider for our NFL picks as we look towards the Week 3 NFL slate.

What is a Survivor Pool?

There are several variations of the Survivor Pool format, but the most basic and common one is each week everyone in the pool has to select one team to win a game straight up, not against the spread. If the team wins, you survive the week and move on, and if the team you pick ties or loses, you are eliminated from the pool. The twist is that you can only use any team once, so anyone you pick is no longer available for weeks in the future, making it increasingly difficult as the season goes on. The pool ends when there is one player left, and usually that player will take home a big pay day depending on the pool and the structure.

Week 3 NFL Schedule

Week 2 NFL Survivor Pool Picks Recap 

49ers

San Francisco was popular with 26% of players in Yahoo leagues going with them, which basically means they chose to pick on the lowly Jets. The 49ers were around a touchdown favorite despite being on the road, and they had no trouble taking care of business against the worst team in the league. It wasn’t without cost, though, as they lost several key players to injuries. However, for NFL survivor it was an easy win if you went with the fade of the Jets in Week 2.

Packers

Another 16% of teams went with the Packers, who took on the division opponent in Detroit. It was another game that wasn’t competitive with Aaron Jones dominating the Lions en route to a 42-21 win. After seeing Detroit blow a game to the Bears in Week 1, I wasn’t surprised to see people go here, and they were rewarded if they did.

Titans

Titans went in 11% of pools against the upstart Jaguars team that started the season with a win against the Colts. This game did not go as planned, with Derrick Henry not able to get loose and the Jaguars staging a late-game comeback. However, in a survivor pool it doesn’t matter if they win going away or on a last-second play, and the Titans ultimately got the job done. It’s early in the season, but the Jaguars look like a team maybe scrappier than we expected, which could make targeting them more difficult.

Week 3 NFL Survivor Pool Picks

Colts

The Colts went down in Week 1, and that killed some teams in everyone’s league. If you didn’t use them there, this is going to be the spot to deploy them. They win the weekly lotto of getting the Jets on the schedule, and they have another boost as the home team. Indianapolis currently is a 10.5-point favorite, which is the largest on the entire slate. So far the Jets have looked hopeless on both sides of the ball, and this is an easy choice in Week 3. The only reason you may not want to go here is if you are looking to be aggressive and want the chance to eliminate a large part of your pool if the Jets somehow win. The Colts will be the highest-owned team in Survivor in Week 3, and for good reason.

Buccaneers

It hasn’t been a dream start for the new-look Tampa team, but they still are 1-1 heading into Week 3. They are showing flashes of upside with all their weapons, and this still is a team that is expected to compete for the NFC South this season. In Week 3 they draw a matchup with the Denver Broncos, who are falling apart due to injuries. The spread has Tampa as a 6-point favorite despite being on the road, but it’s an easy spot to target.

The Broncos lost Von Miller before the season started, but unfortunately that was just the start of the problems. Last week Courtland Sutton and Drew Lock were injured, and that means arguably their top three most important players are lost for significant parts of the season. This leaves Jeff Driskell and a lot of unproven weapons left to try and salvage what looks like a lost year. Denver could be one of the worst teams in the league with their lack of firepower, and Tampa makes a lot of sense in this spot.

Cardinals

There really isn’t a huge consensus on where else to go for this Week 3 survivor slate. The Cardinals get a home matchup with the 0-2 Lions, which is going to draw some interest. Arizona looked fantastic again, and through two games they look like a serious contender in the NFC West. Kyler Murray is a problem for opposing defenses, and the Lions defense has serious issues. Vegas has this spread currently at Arizona -5.5, and this is one of the better matchups they will have on the season if you want to use them now.

My Week 3 NFL Survivor Pool Pick: Eagles

Teams I’ve already used: Colts (L), Bucs

As I mentioned there isn’t a huge preference for Week 3 Survivor outside targeting Indianapolis, who draws the Jets. If you do not go there, it is wide open for options with a lot of teams sitting as a 4-to-7-point favorite on this slate. Normally I would never target an 0-2 team, but I am going to take a shot with the Eagles this week.

Philadelphia draws a home matchup with the Bengals, who are also 0-2. This is beyond must-win mode for Philadelphia, as they need to avoid the dreaded 0-3 start if they want to sniff this postseason. So far Carson Wentz has struggled and has thrown four picks through the first two games. That is something that needs to change quickly, but a struggling Cincinnati defense should be a welcome sight for this Eagles team. The Bengals are coming off game where they allowed 35 points to Cleveland and were gashed on the ground.

Philadelphia is a 6.5-point favorite, so Vegas feels confident in their win despite the bad start. Even though it is uncomfortable to target a struggling team, this is a get-right spot where I think Wentz, Miles Sanders and the rest of the offense will do enough to get in the win column.

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