Best Week 3 NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Chiefs, Bills, and More
Still alive in your survivor pool? There have been many developments (injuries) that have changed the landscape of the NFL since the start of the season. There are a handful of games with a touchdown or more spread to choose from. Here are my picks for Week 3 survivor pools.
Chalk Pick:
Kansas City Chiefs @ Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are staring the No. 1 overall pick in the face and look like a team that could go wire-to-wire as the worst team in the league after losing their first two games by a combined 36 points. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes looks like he’s officially back and ready to be Patrick Mahomes again.
The Chiefs enter the week as the biggest favorites, laying 10.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The only reason to avoid Kansas City is if you’d rather save them for another week, because there are several more favorable spots to circle later on the schedule, including the Raiders in Week 4, the Jets in Week 9 and the Cardinals in Week 11.
But if your only goal is to survive and make it to next week, don’t overthink it.
Safe but not Chalk:
Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Josh Allen is looking like a guaranteed MVP two weeks into the season and the Bills are playing the lifeless Chargers, who are coming off of two absolutely terrible losses to the Cardinals and the Raiders. Not only did they lose, they lost by identical scores of 26-14, when they were favored by a touchdown or more against both! They simply have to play better than they have this week, but it won’t matter. They’re not stopping Josh Allen and the Bills at home.
Risky
There are other options this week that fall into the “safe but not chalk” category, including the Lions against the Jets, the 49ers against the Cardinals, or the Seahawks against the Commanders. But the point of this final pick is to identify a slightly riskier option that you believe can get the job done while preserving an easier team or matchup for later in the season.
New Orleans Saints vs. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are 2-0! Why would I go against an undefeated team? Because they beat the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers. And Tyler Shough is starting to make everyone a believer with the way he’s been playing since late last season. Shough nearly pulled off a 21-point comeback week 1 against the Lions losing the game in overtime 31-30, then pulled off the upset as 7.5 point dogs against the Ravens last week with a 24-17. Shough has thrown for 662 yards in two games leading the NFL thus far. He’ll throw all over the Raiders this week and cover the spread (-3) and bring all of his survivor backers to Week 4.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Matthew Rumack has been working in the Fantasy Sports space for almost a decade, including stints at FantasySP, DrRoto, Varsity Sports Media, and the FNTSY Sports Network. He specializes in Fantasy Golf and Fantasy Football. Born and raised in New York, he's a massive Knicks, Giants, and Yankees fan. When he's not writing about, playing, or watching sports, he's usually walking his dog, Freddie.