NFL Week 3 Survivor Pool Strategy: Seattle Seahawks and 4 More Winning Picks
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An NFL survival pool is one of the most popular contests for fans looking to add extra drama to the season.
The concept is simple: each week, players pick one NFL team to win. If that team loses, you’re eliminated. If it wins, you move on. However, the catch is that you can’t pick a team more than once for the entire season. The ultimate goal is to outlast everyone else in your pool.
The challenge and the fun come from striking a balance between risk and reward. Grabbing a heavy favorite early in the season might look like the safest survival pool pick, but using up a top contender early can leave you short-handed later. On the flip side, taking a chance on an under-the-radar team could buy you long-term flexibility, but a loss ends your run before it starts.
A smart survival pool strategy is to look beyond the obvious. Many players try to conserve elite teams for tougher weeks, choosing solid but not spectacular matchups early on. It’s a delicate mix of playing it safe while planning ahead.
Whether you stick with the chalk, hunt for value or take a risky swing, your pick can set the tone for the entire season. With all that said, here’s how we’re approaching Week 3:
Chalk Picks
Seattle Seahawks Over New Orleans Saints
The Seahawks bounced back in Week 2 as they defeated the Steelers, 31-17, after losing to the 49ers in Week 1, 17-13. They matchup against the 0-2 Saints at home in Week 3, where they are -7.5 favorites. New Orleans struggles to generate pressure defensively, while Seattle leads the NFL with a 49.4% pressure rate. Surprisingly, Spencer Rattler has played clean football over the first two weeks, but I’d expect the Seahawks to get after him and force him to commit a few turnovers. The Saints are also 0-2 against the spread in their two home games. Seattle is the definition of a chalk pick in Week 3.
Green Bay Packers Over Cleveland Browns
The Packers are humming on offense, and their defense has transformed into an elite unit with the addition of Micah Parsons. Their offense has scored 27 points while holding their opponents to 18 points or fewer in each of the first two games this season. The Browns, on the other hand, are a bottom-five scoring offense and surrender the eighth-most points per game on defense. This is simply a matchup of a Super Bowl contender and a team that has a chance to finish with the worst record in the NFL. However, survivor pool players will have to decide if using a team like the Packers this early in the season is a worthwhile strategy.
Under The Radar Picks
Indianapolis Colts Over Tennessee Titans
The Colts aren’t exactly “under-the-radar,” as they are the seventh-most selected team on Yahoo and 4.5-point favorites in Week 3. However, given their early-season success and a matchup against the struggling Titans, I would expect them to be a more frequent choice. Indianapolis boasts the No. 4 scoring offense (31 PTS/G) and is producing the second-most yards per game (445.5) through two games in 2025. Meanwhile, Tennessee ranks in the bottom three in scoring (15.5) and dead last in yards per game (192.5). The Colts will have no problem handling the Titans, who will be outmatched while their rookie quarterback finds his footing, in Week 3.
Cincinnati Bengals Over Minnesota Vikings
The Bengals are a true sleeper pick in Week 3, as the Vikings are three-point favorites at home. Jake Browning will start in place of Joe Burrow, who’s sidelined for the next three months with turf toe. Browning is a capable backup, having started seven games in 2023, also for an injured Burrow. He went 4-3 in those starts and averaged 267 passing yards per game. Browning and the Bengals matchup against a struggling Vikings team, which will start Carson Wentz in place of J.J. McCarthy under center. Wentz is the first player to start for six teams in six consecutive seasons. The Vikings also gave up six sacks and netted less than 200 yards of total offense in their last game against the Falcons. These are all reasons why the Bengals are a formidable under-the-radar survivor pool pick in Week 3.
One Risky Pick
Dallas Cowboys Over Chicago Bears
The Cowboys are 1.5-point road favorites over the Bears despite narrowly escaping with a win in a shootout with the Giants last week. If it weren’t for an interception by Russell Wilson in overtime, the outcome likely would’ve been different. Dallas’s defense is surrendering the third-most yards per game (404) in the NFL through two weeks and allowed Wilson to pass for 450 yards in their last outing. This is a big reason why Caleb Williams made my list of quarterbacks to start in Week 3. I expect the Bears' offense to find its footing under head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, and there’s good reason to believe it will happen in Week 3. This game is set up to be another shootout for the Cowboys, and I’m not confident they will come out on the winning end this time.
Check out the top Week 3 Over/Under Games to Target in Fantasy Football.
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Michael Rovetto previously served as the staff writer for University of Maryland Athletics for nearly two years. There, he wrote, edited and managed all editorial content for all 20 of Maryland's varsity sports on umterps.com. Rovetto is recognized as a College Sports Communicators district award-winning writer. Many of his stories have also appeared on NCAA.org, garnering national attention. Before graduating from Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism in December 2023, Rovetto wrote for PressBox and Terrapin Sports Central, covering Maryland men's basketball and football. He also has experience in broadcasting, previously working as an analyst and camera operator for Big State Sports, and communication, interning for Shell Shock TBT as its Director of Communication & Content Development.