NFL Week 3 Survivor Pool Tips: Best Picks and Strategies to Stay Alive

Week 2 was full of surprises, with stunning comebacks, historic performances and devastating injuries dominating the headlines.

After two weeks, we're beginning to get an idea of which teams are great, which could be in trouble, and which are too volatile to truly trust in a format like survivor pools.

The Cleveland Browns, for example, looked like a potential title contender with a strong defensive performance in Week 1. However, another game of shaky quarterback play and Nick Chubb's season-ending knee injury make it hard to back the Browns in a season-long one-loss-and-you're-out pool.

Who can fans trust in Week 3? We'll examine a couple of top picks, using the latest odds as a guideline, and dive into some survivor strategies for the week.

Check the latest lines at DraftKings.

Survivor pools are fairly straightforward, a little tricky and a lot of fun. The goal is usually to pick one winner each week, and if your team loses, you're done for the year. The caveat is that teams can be selected only once.

Therefore, fans cannot simply lean on a top-tier team every single week.

The challenge comes when you've started to run out of true contenders and have to really play the matchups. We're not quite at that point in the 2023 season, so it's best to avoid flat-out bad teams like the Arizona Cardinals.

It would also be wise to avoid teams that are volatile, like Cleveland. The Browns' defense has looked great. Their offense looks nonexistent without Chubb. Cleveland's matchup with the Tennessee Titans, a team that showed some resiliency in Week 2, could truly go either way.

Avoiding the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings game in Week 3 would also be advisable. Both teams have offensive playmakers but have fielded defenses seemingly incapable of slowing anyone.

The team that makes the fewest mistakes in this matchup will likely win, and that's not the type of game to target in survivor.

It's also smart to avoid teams dealing with injury uncertainty. The 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals will presumably find their offensive rhythm at some point, but it might not happen against the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Joe Burrow aggravated his calf injury on Sunday and could potentially be out this week.

"Hard to say," head coach Zac Taylor said, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

It's best to avoid picking the Bengals until Burrow is 100 percent healthy and back to playing like an MVP candidate.

The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are probably the two closest things to survivor locks in Week 3. The 49ers are 10.5-point favorites against the New York Giants, while the Cowboys are 12-point favorites over the Cardinals.

Given San Francisco's odd recent history of experiencing injuries, it may be smart to jump on the 49ers while they're still healthy.

The Giants are not. Star running back Saquon Barkley is expected to miss three weeks with an ankle sprain, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. With Barkley out of the mix, it's hard to see Daniel Jones and the Giants getting much going against the 49ers defense.

It's also hard to envision New York slowing Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco offense. The Giants mounted a second-half comeback against Arizona on Sunday, but before halftime, New York had been outscored 60-0 on the season.

With a short week, a long trip to the Bay Area, and no Barkley, the Giants could get rolled on Thursday night.

During the Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid era, the Kansas City Chiefs have felt like a smart early survivor pick every year. That was the case, anyway, before this season. So far, Kansas City has looked vulnerable.

The Chiefs stumbled against the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and didn't play particularly well against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Even with Travis Kelce and Chris Jones back in the lineup, the Chiefs appear to be a team that can fall flat at any time.

Fans who have already picked the 49ers this season, however, can view this as a great week to pick the Chiefs.

Kansas City will be at home against a Chicago Bears team that may again be vying for the No. 1 overall pick. Chicago's offense lacks creativity, Justin Fields is still taking too many sacks, and the Bears defense is a sieve.

This should be a "get-right" game for Kansas City, and if it isn't, the Chiefs will truly be in trouble. This is the closest the Chiefs will come to a lock in the near future, as a tough New York Jets defense is on tap for Week 4, with the unpredictable Vikings, rival Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers plus the Miami Dolphins looming after that.

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