A new NFL season means a fresh, unblemished NFL Survivor pool. What a magnificent sight.
Last year, the Survivor chaos started early. Huge favorites fell early and often, and the impact on Survivor pools was instantly significant.
Will we see a similar development in 2023? Or will the madness come later?
Regardless, we are here to provide weekly guidance on the Survivor front, giving picks and insight for each week of games.
Survivor Week 1 Best Picks
Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals
There won’t be an abundance of opportunities in this year’s NFL Survivor pools to use the Commanders, although this feels like one of them.
The Cardinals are without Kyler Murray and openly tanking, which is why this road trip could be an ugly one. While I am not completely sold on QB Sam Howell yet, he’s got talent and plenty of options on offense to keep the scoreboard moving.
This will be a popular selection. Given what we’ve seen from Arizona, we have to fade while we can.
Use our NFL Eliminator tips to place bets with the top NFL odds:
Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans
As far as debuts go, it doesn’t get much tougher for C.J. Stroud.
No, this isn’t an elite Baltimore defense. It does have the potential to be great, however, and this is also a tricky environment to play in.
Lamar Jackson has weapons, and I am fascinated to see how much rookie wideout Zay Flowers gets involved. In this game, it probably won’t matter who catches the ball.
A healthy Baltimore is a better Baltimore, as the point spread would indicate.
(Our NFL Week 1 best bets include hammering the Ravens against the spread.)
Survivor Week 1 Rankings Grid
| Rk | Team | Opponent | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | @ Arizona Cardinals | A+ |
| 2 | Kansas City Chiefs | Chicago Bears | A+ |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Houston Texans | A |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | New York Giants | A |
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens | Indianapolis Colts | A |
| 6 | Miami Dolphins | Denver Broncos | A- |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills | @ Washington Commanders | B+ |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | Carolina Panthers | B+ |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | B |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | Atlanta Falcons | B |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals | Los Angeles Rams | B |
| 12 | Cleveland Browns | Tennessee Titans | B- |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers | New Orleans Saints | B- |
| 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | Pittsburgh Steelers | B- |
| 15 | New York Jets | New England Patriots | B |
| 16 | Minnesota Vikings | Los Angeles Chargers | B |
| 17 | Los Angeles Chargers | @ Minnesota Vikings | B- |
| 18 | New England Patriots | @ New York Jets | B- |
| 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | @ Las Vegas Raiders | C+ |
| 20 | New Orleans Saints | @ Green Bay Packers | C |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | @ Cleveland Browns | C- |
| 22 | Los Angeles Rams | @ Cincinnati Bengals | C- |
| 23 | Atlanta Falcons | @ Detroit Lions | D+ |
| 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Philadelphia Eagles | D |
| 25 | Carolina Panthers | @ Seattle Seahawks | D- |
| 26 | Washington Commanders | Buffalo Bills | D+ |
| 27 | Denver Broncos | @ Miami Dolphins | D |
| 28 | Indianapolis Colts | Baltimore Ravens | D- |
| 29 | New York Giants | @ San Francisco 49ers | D- |
| 30 | Houston Texans | Jacksonville Jaguars | D- |
| 31 | Chicago Bears | @ Kansas City Chiefs | F |
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals | Dallas Cowboys | F |
Survivor Week 1 Sleeper
Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers
Again, we’re fading a rookie quarterback. While I am a huge fan of Bryce Young’s future, it could be tough sledding for a while. This roster has been gutted, and it’s going to take time.
Atlanta certainly has question marks, starting with quarterback Desmond Ridder. The surrounding cast has intriguing weapons, and it should be too much for Carolina to deal with.
It’s not a huge spread, although I’m comfortable with that. If you’re feeling confident in Week 1, it’s an option.
Survivor Week 1 Team To Save For Future
Philadelphia Eagles @ New England Patriots
The Super Bowl runner-up starts the season with a slippery road game against the Patriots.
Although we don’t know exactly what kind of team Bill Belichick will have in such a loaded division, this is not the ideal start to the season for the Eagles.
Beyond this individual game, Philly will play the Vikings, Buccaneers, Commanders, and Rams over the next six weeks. That’s a nice way of saying better opportunities await.
Patience, my friend.
Survivor Week 1 Chalk Team That Could Lose
San Francisco 49ers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
While San Francisco is largely considered one of the favorites to come out of the NFC, this is a difficult road trip to start the year. We’ll see how Brock Purdy fairs in his first game back from surgery and how a defense that is currently without Nick Bosa will compete.
On the Pittsburgh side, Kenny Pickett looks to be gaining momentum, and George Pickens looks like one of the best young wideouts in the NFL. Time will tell if that’s the case, although the oddsmakers seem to think so based on such a short line.
I’m staying far away from this one.
Read our full 49ers vs Steelers betting guide.
