Week 2 NFL Survivor Pool Strategy: Best 3 Picks Featuring the Philadelphia Eagles
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Congratulations to all who escaped Week 1 of your survivor pool. Chalk mostly prevailed between the Jaguars, Lions, and Steelers. If you are reading this, you probably did not witness the Chargers' excruciating loss to the Cardinals. In Week 2, there are plenty of chances not only to advance but also to do so at the best overall value.
All ownership data is provided by SurvivorGrid.com
Chalk — San Francisco 49ers
Projected Ownership: 29%
The 49ers are my most likely winner of the week, according to the betting lines. They are 13.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook. At kickoff, it could be even higher. My personal projection is a 49ers win, 31.5-16.3.
San Francisco has the second-highest home-field advantage of the week. The main reason is a rest advantage. Despite traveling over 15 hours back east following an Australia game last Thursday, the 49ers do have a 4-day rest advantage. They also do not have to travel three time zones and over 2,500 miles, as Miami must.
I have the following offensive and defense ratings quantified using extensive data points:
- Dolphins: 27th Ranked Offense | 23rd Ranked Defense
- 49ers: 5th Ranked Offense | 11th Ranked Defense
49ers Must-Starts in Week 2 Fantasy Football:
- Brock Purdy: QB11
- Christian McCaffrey: RB3
- Mike Evans: WR19
- Deebo Samuel: WR35 (3-WR formats)
- George Kittle: TE6
Next-Best "Safe" Pick — Philadelphia Eagles
Projected Ownership: 12.4%
The Eagles opened up as 7-point favorites against the Titans, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. I have them projected to win the game 24.2-17.1.
When rating all 32 NFL teams on variance entering 2026, the following ratings were found.
- Titans: 5th-highest variance: boom-or-bust
- Eagles: 8th-lowest variance; predictably good
What does this mean? We can trust that the Eagles are as good as hyped. They won in Week 1, 24-22. The outcome was nothing out of the ordinary, as they faced a solid Commanders team.
The Titans could be decent, or they could be the worst team in the NFL. Their range of outcomes is very high. However, Week 1 indicated that Tennessee leans toward the lower end of that range. They lost 23- 10 at home to the New York Jets. The latest FPI update has the Titans as the NFL's 29th-best team and the Eagles as the NFL's 12th-best team.
Eagles Must-Starts in Week 2 Fantasy Football:
- Jalen Hurts: QB2
- Saquon Barkley: RB16
- DeVonta Smith: WR12
- Dontayvion Wicks (3-WR Formats): WR44
High-Risk, High-Reward — Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Ownership: 2.8%
The public's confidence in this Chargers team following their underwhelming 26-14 Week 1 loss. The Cardinals are nothing to rave about, but they are a high-variance team. I rated their range of outcomes as the 3rd-highest in this NFL season. The team could be quite good or quite bad, and they proved to be good in Week 1.
The Raiders will not help that case all that much this week. They are as volatile a team as the Cardinals. However, FPI data does show the Raiders as a full point worse than last week's victors over the Chargers. The Cardinals are an FPI-rated minus-2.9, and the Raiders are a minus-3.9.
The Chargers also have the benefit of likely playing a Brock Bowers-less Raiders team. The Chargers get to play this game at SoFi Stadium, and FanDuel Sportsbook still favors Harbaugh's team by 6.5 points. I have them projected to win 23.0-18.2.
Jim Harbaugh is in his 7th year as an NFL head coach. He has never begun a season 0-2. Through the first two games of each coached season, Harbaugh has a 9-3 career record. Ask yourself: are the Chargers more likely to be frauds, or AFC contenders? I would say contenders, but that is for the person to decide, I suppose.
Chargers Must-Starts in Week 2 Fantasy Football:
- Justin Herbert: QB12
- Omarion Hampton: RB13
- TBD on Ladd McConkey's injury status (very minor offensive dip if he is out)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.