2015 NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Looking Ahead to Week 2

We have already looked at Survivor Pool picks for Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season from a few different angles. Week 1 promises to be one of the toughest weeks of the season as the largest favorite on the current oddsmakers board is 5.5 points (Green Bay -5.5 at Chicago). While you should not treat the pointspread as gospel, the larger favorites on the betting board normally avoid the Survivor Pool upset at a much higher rate. Favorites of 10 or more points avoided the upset at a 92-percent rate last season. Favorites of 6.5 or less won less than 60 percent of the time. That just goes to show that Week 1 should be pretty hard for Survivor Pool players to navigate.

So with Week 1 being such a challenge for contestants, what about Week 2? Here at SurvivorPoolPicks.com we always preach that players should never look ahead to future weeks to “save” teams and should use the best pick available for the current week, but with Week 1 so tough we thought we would take an early look at Week 2 matchups to see if this trend of parity might continue. There are some very close matchups on the Week 2 slate as well, but there are also a couple matchups in which the better team should be a large favorite as well.

Week 2 Possible NFL Survivor Pool Picks

Pittsburgh vs. San Francisco: The Steelers host the Niners in Week 2. Pittsburgh will have extra rest here after playing at New England in the Thursday night opener in Week 1, while the 49ers will be off short rest after hosting Minnesota on Monday Night Football.

I think the Steelers are a real good possibility for my pick in this spot. The crowd should be crazy in the home opener. The Niners lost a lot on defense after last season, and all indications are that the Steelers offense could be very good this year. If the odds for Week 1 hold true, the Steelers will come in 0-1 while San Francisco will be 1-0. In that case I would be very eager to consider the home team here as I think Pittsburgh will be pretty good again this season and I think the Niners have a chance to be pretty lousy as all indications are that this is a transition year. In that scenario I could not see the Steelers dropping to 0-2.

New Orleans vs. Tampa Bay: This will be a very popular pick for Week 2 Survivor Pools. I like the matchup as well. The Saints have their home opener here after playing in Arizona in Week 1, while the Bucs hosted Tennessee the previous week.

The Saints are normally very dominant at home. Except for last year, when they were only 3-5. This team had some tough home losses to good teams and then they kind of imploded later in the season. But this team still has Drew Brees, and we think they gain some of that home magic back this season. We expect this team to be in the mix for a playoff spot and expect the division to be much better this year. Assuming Tampa Bay rookie QB Jameis Winston starts in Week 1, this will be only his second start and first NFL road game. We expect this to be a very tough spot for the visitors and think there is a good chance when the odds are released that New Orleans will be favored by between 7.0 and 9.5 points.

Baltimore at Oakland: The Raiders will have gotten their home opener out of the way in Week 1 as they hosted Cincinnati, while the Ravens are on the road for the second straight week after opening in Denver.

I think the Raiders will be better this season as they finally seem to have some stability at quarterback. But they are still in rebuilding mode, as they have been for years. The Ravens will be an even stronger pick in my eyes if, as expected, they lose in Denver in Week 1 as in that case they will not overlook the Raiders as no team with playoff aspirations wants to start 0-2. However, it’s tough to take a road team here in Week 2 as there are other much better picks on the board. I won’t consider taking the Ravens here unless there is a crazy trend of major injuries to top players in Week 1 involving the teams that are better options.

Miami at Jacksonville: I think the Dolphins have a chance to be a playoff team if they get a couple bounces that go their way. This will be Miami’s second straight road game to open the season off their opener at Washington in Week 1, while the Jags host Carolina in their opener.

This is another road team I will avoid in Week 2. I actually think Jacksonville will be better this season; they won’t be the team that you can automatically fade all season to get far in your pool despite winning only seven games the last two seasons. Also, I’m not sure about Miami this year and am taking a wait-and-see approach for them. I think Buffalo has a better chance in that division for a win if New England falters or for maybe a wild card. This is a game I can easily cross off my list unless some crazy stuff happens in Week 1. Miami will probably be around a three-point favorite here.

Indianapolis vs. New York Jets: Now we are talking! The Colts have a great chance to be the biggest favorite on the board here on Monday Night Football in their home opener after a Week 1 visit to Buffalo. The Jets will have hosted the Browns in Week 1.

While I think this Jets team will be decent this year, this is a real tough spot for them. The Colts were 6-2 at home last season and 11-5 overall in the regular season. QB Andrew Luck is improving each year, and this team is a true Super Bowl contender this season. Just think they will be too much for the Jets in this matchup, and this looks like the most solid pick on the board. However, remember that everyone – and their mother – will be in the Colts here in Week 2 so you may want to consider some of the other solid options if you are 50/50 between Indy and another team on this list.

Other possible 2015 NFL Survivor Pool Week 2 Picks:

Detroit at Minnesota

Cincinnati vs. San Diego

New York Giants vs. Atlanta