The 2023 NFL Week 2 Survivor Picks article highlights the best bets to win, straight up, and then look weeks into the future to help make sure you don't waste a pick in the early weeks!
The majority of us (27% ESPN, 35% Yahoo) were smart enough to go the easy route with the Baltimore Ravens over the Houston Texans in Week 1. Those Survivors who rolled with the Washington Commanders (17% ESPN, 27% Yahoo) over the Arizona Cardinals had to sweat out their Week 1 win.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the Minnesota Vikings and knocked out 8% of ESPN and 9% of Yahoo entries. 8% of ESPN Survivor pools (6% Yahoo) saw those who picked the Kansas City Chiefs get eliminated on the first game of the NFL season.
The Buffalo Bills opened up as 10-point favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders, but their performance against the New York Jets (specifically Josh Allen) on Monday Night Football was less than impressive.
The Detroit Lions are six-point favorites in Week 2, hosting a Seattle Seahawks team that lost to a Cooper Kupp-less Los Angeles Rams 30-13. That was a pretty big Week 1 surprise!
2023 NFL Week 2 Survivor Picks
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San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
Our lock of the week is the San Francisco 49ers, as they take on a bad Los Angeles Rams team, despite a 30-13 win over the Seahawks in Week 1. The Niners are eight-point road favorites.
The 49ers put on a clinic against the Steelers as they won 30-7 and they dominated on both sides of the ball. Drake Jackson had three of the teams' five sacks on Kenny Pickett, and they also picked him off twice. This defense could make Matthew Stafford's life miserable on Sunday as the Rams have a weak offensive line protecting him.
Cam Akers and Kyren Williams managed a combined 81 rushing yards on 37 attempts behind that line. Not to mention the 49ers held Najee Harris and the Steelers to just 41 yards rushing.
Is Brock Purdy HIM? He picked up right where he left off before the injury last year, going 19/29 for 220 yards and a couple of TD passes to Brandon Aiyuk, who had 129 receiving yards.
On the ground, Christian McCaffrey rushed for 152 yards and found paydirt as well. Deebo Samuels and George Kittle were an afterthought in this one, and the offense was still humming.
Last season the 49ers beat the Rams in both matchups, outscoring them 55-23.
San Francisco made a statement in Week 1, making their case as the best team in the NFL and they should cruise to another easy win in Week 2.
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers (MNF)
After putting the clamps down on the Tennessee Titans offense, you have to absolutely love the New Orleans Saints defense this week against rookie quarterback Bryce Young. The Saints are three-point road favorites on the Monday Night Football doubleheader.
In a defensive battle, the Saints pulled off a 16-15 season opener win. In the process, New Orleans held Ryan Tannehill to 47% passing, while forcing three interceptions and sacking him three times as well. Expect more of the same when they take on the Panthers, who only managed 10 points against the Atlanta Falcons.
Bryce Young in his debut, was 20/38 for 146 yards with a touchdown and two INTs. Carolina's receiving core is very weak, making it even more difficult for the rookie to be productive, and it should be another ugly stat line for Young this upcoming Sunday.
The Panthers were able to get the ball moving on the ground against the Falcons, as Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard ran for 132 yards on 27 carries. However, the Saints stymied Derrick Henry, limiting him to just 63 yards on 15 carries and managed to keep him out of the endzone. Don't expect another successful run game for the Panthers.
Despite only scoring 16 points, the Saints still put up 351 yards of offense but had trouble finishing drives. Derek Carr and Chris Olave had great chemistry in their first game together, with Olave catching eight passes for 112 yards.
Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks
After arguably the most impressive win of Week 1, the Lions will host the Seahawks, who had arguably the most disappointing loss in Week 1 against the Rams. The Lions are six-point home favorites.
Detroit, America's new favorite team, will be riding high in their home opener, coming off their thrilling win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 116 rushing yards and I think we'll see more of the explosive Gibbs in this one.
If you saw above, it was mentioned that the Seahawks held the Rams to just 81 rushing yards on 37 attempts, but they did allow 3 rushing touchdowns. The Lions offensive line is also much better than the Rams.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had a nice six-reception, 71-yard game with a touchdown against the Chiefs, but he could explode against this Seahawks defense. Both Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua went off for 119 yards through the air against this Seattle secondary. If Matthew Stafford can pick them apart for 300 yards without Cooper Kupp, just imagine what the connection of Jared Goff and St. Brown will do.
The Lions defense held Patrick Mahomes to just 226 yards last week, granted there was no Travis Kelce and Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney were absolutely terrible. Nonetheless, Detroit held a great offense to just 20 points. They showed incredible confidence going against the Super Bowl champs and now face a Seahawks offense that ran a grand total of 15 plays in the second half for 12 yards and one first down. Both of Seattle's offensive tackles suffered injuries last week.
At A Glance: NFL Weeks 3-5
Next week, there are a handful of options so don't be afraid to take your favorite in Week 2. We are already looking forward to picking the Chiefs vs Bears, Cowboys @ Cardinals, Ravens (if still available) vs Colts, 49ers (if still available) vs Giants, Jaguars @ Texans, Lions vs Falcons and the Dolphins vs Broncos.
The San Francisco 49ers are also a solid option in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, as are the Dallas Cowboys vs the New England Patriots.
Let's assume for a second that you rolled with the Ravens in Week 1 and Saints in Week 2, you are almost guaranteed to be alive in Week 5.
As we enter Week 5, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals should be firing on all cylinders and should easily win, on the road, against the Arizona Cardinals.
If you did not pick up on what is happening here, from Week 3 to Week 5 you can just take the team playing the Cardinals!
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