NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 8: Advice and Predictions
Seven weeks down, eleven weeks to go. Surviving an entire NFL season is no easy task, but the dream gets clearer with each passing week. There should be around 15% of entries still alive in your survivor pool, and if you have been following the weekly Doc’s Sports picks, you are one of those surviving entries. We played it safe last week with the Kansas City Chiefs, and didn’t even have to sweat as they smashed the Raiders 31-0. Our contrarian pick also won, as the Panthers were able to keep the Jets winless heading into Week 8. Week 7 was relatively uneventful in survivor pools. The Steelers lost on Thursday night as 5.5-point favorites, while the rest of the favorites with a spread of at least two points went a perfect 11-0 straight up. Now isn’t the time to take our foot off the gas as we head into this week, as one slip-up will erase half a season of patient work. Here are your Week 8 survivor pool picks ranked from most to least confident.
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Indianapolis Colts (-14.5) Over Tennessee Titans
The Colts continue to steamroll teams and are now the only 6-1 team this season. Holding onto a top spot in the AFC may be out of reach, but beating the Titans as massive favorites is certainly possible for the Colts. Indianapolis has been utterly dominant on both sides of the ball, jumping out to 30+ point leads in two of their last three games. Daniel Jones is unstoppable, Cam Ward continues to struggle, and the Colts are worthy of this massive line heading into Week 8. However, we have already used the Colts this year, and even if you haven't, this probably isn’t the week to pull the trigger. There are eight games with a spread of at least 6.5 points this week, meaning there is no shortage of relatively safe options to choose from. The Colts are my most confident pick of the week for a reason, but with the future months in mind, opting to look elsewhere isn’t a bad move.
Atlanta Falcons (-7.5) Over Miami Dolphins
The Falcons are coming off a tough loss against the 49ers, but they will get right back on track against the Dolphins this week. Miami has struggled on offense without Tyreek Hill, and Tua Tagovailoa now leads the league in interceptions with ten through seven starts. The Dolphins haven’t been able to lean on their defense either, as they have allowed 20+ points every game this season. The Falcons do a great job at running the football and controlling the clock, and it shouldn’t be difficult to deploy a straightforward game plan against the struggling Dolphins. Miami has the league’s worst run defense, while Atlanta’s duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgier has been unstoppable. A blip against the 49ers doesn’t change my confidence in this side, and we will be putting our survivor pool life in the hands of Atlanta this week. They don’t host another team with a losing record until Week 18, and we won’t lose sleep over using Atlanta this week. They will be our official pick, as we look to stay alive heading into Week 9.
Kansas City Chiefs (-10.5) Over Washington Commanders
These two teams both had great years last season, but while the Chiefs have picked up where they left off, the Commanders are free-falling. Washington is without their three best receivers, is unlikely to have Jayden Daniels, and is now missing their two best defensive linemen for the rest of the season. Washington is very close to blowing up their team full of aging players, and a Monday night matchup against Kansas City is a very tough game to try and fix their season. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have strung together four wins in their last five games, all of which came by multiple touchdowns. Anything other than another big win at Arrowhead would be a massive surprise. There are a few good options this week if you want to save Kansas City, but if Daniels doesn’t play, this is all but a free win for the Chiefs.
New England Patriots (-7) Over Cleveland Browns
Cleveland beat up on the Dolphins last week, but it is not the time to suddenly think they will win back-to-back games for the first time since 2023. Drake Maye is playing the best football of his career, and has turned into a truly elite signal caller in New England… sounds familiar. His ability to stay poised in the pocket will allow him to slice up the Browns' defense, and expecting Dillon Gabriel to do the same is unrealistic. The Patriots are a great pick this week, but it is another one we want to save for later this year. They still have home matchups against the Jets, Giants, and Dolphins on their schedule, and we will probably need them further down the line.
Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) Over Chicago Bears
The 1-5 Ravens are hard to count on, but this is all but a must-win game for Baltimore if they hope to save their season. Lamar Jackson is still not practicing, but this big spread indicates the oddsmakers expect him to come back against the red-hot Bears. If Jackson is in, this is a great play as I expect his return to breathe new life into the free-falling Ravens. However, if he is out, I would take the Bears straight up, given how they have looked in the last month. This is a matchup you can’t touch if you need to lock in your picks before Jackson’s status is confirmed, but if you can wait, the Ravens are a solid pick in Week 8.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4.5) Over New Orleans Saints
There aren’t many options that go against the grain this week, but the Buccaneers may be one of those choices. Their shorter spread compared to the several 6.5+ spreads will deter some survivor pool players, but they are still a great choice. Baker Mayfield knows how to pick apart struggling defenses, and he just happened to come up against an in-form Lions side last week. The Buccaneers will be able to get back on track against the Saints, and will be our contrarian pick this week.
Philadelphia Eagles (-7) Over New York Giants
The Giants pulled off the upset against Philadelphia two weeks ago, but the Eagles will not make the same mistake in Week 8. Philadelphia’s offense came to life in its win against the Vikings last week and now has the blueprint needed to pick apart the Giants' defense. New York doesn’t have a great defense aside from their pass rush, and that isn’t effective against the Eagles' playstyle. Divisional matchups are often something I try and avoid in survivor pools, as you never know what can happen when two familiar foes square off. However, if you are in a pickle, the Eagles are still a solid pick this week.
Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5) Over New York Jets
Fading the Jets has proven to be an effective survivor pool strategy as this team still searches for its first win of the season. While the Bengals deserve to be favorites after their offensive explosion against the Steelers, it is still hard to trust Joe Flacco with your survivor pool life. The Bengals' defense is still very vulnerable, and the Jets may be able to win this one on special teams or with a turnover advantage. I would still say this is a confident pick based on what we have seen from these two sides, but something smells fishy, so I would rather stay away and wait for Joe Burrow to come back before taking Cincinnati.
Los Angeles Chargers (-3) Over Minnesota Vikings
A short week will be welcome for both sides coming off a loss. The Chargers ran into the freight train that is the Indianapolis Colts, while the Vikings were outmuscled by the Eagles. This will be a close game, but the Chargers are still a viable pick given how they have been playing on offense. Justin Herbert is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and that alone is enough to trust the Chargers on primetime. There are better options on the board, but there is nothing wrong with a Los Angeles selection this week.
Buffalo Bills (-7.5) Over Carolina Panthers
This is the favorite I will be avoiding. While Buffalo will probably win this game, they are coming off two straight losses and have had an extra week to bathe in their misery. Meanwhile, Carolina has won three straight and will be on upset watch this week. Buffalo has a variety of winnable games still left on its schedule, and we need to see them get back on track before we can trust the Bills again.
San Francisco 49ers (+1.5) Over Houston Texans
There are pros and cons to both of these sides, and the slight lean goes towards the 49ers. Houston has been able to beat up on bad teams, but has fallen short against playoff contenders. The injury crisis in San Francisco makes them hard to trust, but we also can’t trust Houston’s offensive line to keep CJ Stroud upright.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.5) Over Green Bay Packers
The Steelers will have extra rest after their Thursday night Week 7 tilt and get the nod here against the Packers. Green Bay needed a miracle to beat Arizona last week, and that same play won’t work against a stingy Pittsburgh defense. However, taking either of these teams is unwise, and we will have better opportunities to use either side in the near future.
Denver Broncos (-3.5) Over Dallas Cowboys
Way too much unpredictability in this matchup to put our survivor pool life in the hands of either of these teams. Denver’s offense is incredibly streaky, scoring 0 points in three quarters before erupting for 33 points in the fourth last week. On the other hand, Dallas’s offense is very consistent, but a struggling defense means that Denver will always have a chance to pull off another big comeback. There is no shortage of solid options this week, and taking either of these teams is unnecessarily playing with fire at this stage of the season.
Official Pick of the Week: Atlanta Falcons Over Miami Dolphins
Contrarian Survivor Pool Pick of the Week: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Over New Orleans Saints
Teams Used: Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs
Status: Alive
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