October is wrapping up and Survivor pools are dwindling quickly. Week 8 wasn’t quite a disastrous week given how many people were using the Colts, but the Falcons and Bengals did a solid job cleaning out some pools. I offered the Falcons as a value pick in my Week 8 Survivor advice column, but I did at least note Atlanta was inconsistent. I picked them in one of my pools and never felt good about it, so I suppose I got what I deserved.
We head into Week 9, with the Ravens and Dolphins closing out October on Thursday Night Football. The biggest matchup of the week features a potential AFC playoff preview between the Chiefs and Bills. There are a lot of opportunities in Survivor this week. The Packers and Rams are both double-digit favorites, while the Lions and Ravens are both north of a touchdown heading into Thursday. A lot of slimmer favorites are on the road this week, so people likely will want to hold off on most of them.
On to Week 9 picks!
Safest picks
Packers over Panthers
Rams over Saints
These are two of the biggest spreads this year. You can likely save the Packers and Rams for later in the season, but if your pool is getting light in opponents, it might be worth using either to keep your hopes alive. The biggest question is the Saints moving away from Spencer Rattler at QB, but Tyler Shough likely isn’t enough of an upgrade to get a road win against the Rams.
Best value picks
Chargers over Titans
Cowboys over Cardinals
I’d lean toward saving the Chargers for at home against the Raiders in Week 13, but given that is a divisional matchup, betting against the Titans once again makes a lot of sense. And without any other clear Chargers options besides the Raiders game, it makes sense to use them up now.
Dallas is coming off a bad loss to Denver, but Arizona is enough of a question mark that if you’re looking to roll the dice this week, the Cowboys aren’t the worst option. I’d prefer taking the Chargers of the two, but I don’t exactly mind the Cowboys this week.
Trap picks
Lions over Vikings
The Vikings appear to not be a particularly good team, and they’re going back to a question mark in JJ McCarthy. But with several better options at your disposal, this feels like a little too much of a trap and is worth avoiding.
