X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

NFL Survivor League Picks (Week 8): Survivor Pool Targets and Avoids

What a boring Sunday that was. The matchups were bad and the games even worse. I love good defensive battles, but on Sunday that wasn't even the case. The Titans and Browns combined scored 21 points on seven field goals.

Three teams were blanked. Seven teams could not muster a single offensive touchdown. Once again London had to sit through an awful game.

Let's get right to the madness for week 8.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Observations from Last Week

  • The Titans really struggle to score touchdowns. They are 21st in touchdowns scored. All they could muster was four field goals against the Browns. Perhaps it's time to question Marcus Mariota's potential.
  • Jay Cutler walked off after getting injured even though he looked fine and, of course, he doesn't show any emotion. The Dolphins were much better after Cuter's injury. Matt Moore should be the new starter.
  • The Jaguars continue their good week, bad week routine. I'm also shocked Blake Bortles has not thrown a pick-six all season.
  • The Bears beat the Panthers behind Mitchell Trubisky's four completed passes and five total first downs. The Panthers had the edge in time of possession, 38-21.
  • This is the second year in a row the Broncos got off to a hot start. So many people LOVED Trevor Siemian after TWO games, but then he flamed out and the offense couldn't score. Kind of like last season. There's only so much the terrific Broncos defense can do.
  • Seattle has flipped the switch. Get ready for them to go on a long winning streak. Here's their upcoming schedule; vs. Texans, vs. Redskins, @ Cardinals, vs. Falcons, @49ers. It may seem daunting, but they get the tough matches at home, where they are 41-6 since 2012.

 

Rant of the Week

Martavis Bryant, get out. Who needs you? Pittsburgh sure doesn't. Last week Bryant denied trade rumors, but now he's saying he does indeed want to be traded. Well, have fun playing with some other awful quarterback.

You are making a grave mistake, "wanting out," Martavis. You should really value what you have, a two-time Super Bowl winning Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. But, if you'd rather have Drew Stanton or C.J. Beathard throwing to you, well, have fun.

You could also learn from the NFL's best wide receiver, Antonio Brown. We all know how great he is on the field, but maybe you could learn something from his work ethic off the field. Here's one snippet, "the Steelers' brass has consistently said that Brown is the last player off the practice field, whether its OTA, training camp or a regular season practice." And that's just one of the many rave reviews people say about him. There are so many other reasons why Brown is someone to look up to. You could learn so much from him.

The Steelers don’t need you. They produce such great wide receivers from Hines Ward to Santonio Holmes to Mike Wallace to Antonio Brown. Ask Holmes and Wallace what happens when you leave Pittsburgh? Holmes played four seasons in Pittsburgh and had at least 800 yards receiving in each season. In his fourth and final season, Holmes had career highs, 79 receptions and 1,248 yards. He then got into trouble off the field, and the Steelers shipped him to the Jets where he failed to eclipse 800 yards the rest of his career. As for Mike Wallace, he had good years since leaving Pittsburgh in 2012, but you haven't really heard from him when he was in Miami, Minnesota, and now the abysmal Ravens.

Martavis, you are entitled and you have no reason to be. It was your fault you were suspended for the entire season last year for repeated drug violations. Pittsburgh will fulfill your wish and you will regret it for the rest of your career.

 

Survivor League Strategy

For those of you unfamiliar with survivor pools, it’s very simple; pick a team to win each week, if they win you move on to the next week. But you cannot use that team ever again. There is no point spread involved.

It's survive and advance at this point. There may be 10% of entries remaining. Or some of you, survivors leagues have restarted so it's like Week 1 all over again.

Before making any picks, look at the point spreads. Vegas has the best minds, smarter than any of us, use them to get a glimpse at how each team is projected to fare that week. There will be a game or two a week where the line makes NO SENSE which means Vegas is giving you an inside scoop and they're mostly always right.

The biggest favorites in Week 8 per sportsbook (home team in caps):

  • EAGLES -13 vs. 49ers
  • BENGALS -10 vs. Colts
  • Vikings -9.5 vs. Browns (in London)
  • SAINTS -9 vs. Bears
  • PATRIOTS -7.5 vs. Chargers
  • CHIEFS -7.5 vs. Broncos

Teams on bye: Cardinals, Packers, Jaguars, Rams, Giants, Titans.

Thanks to six teams being on bye, and the stupid 9:30 a.m. London Game, there are ONLY two 4 p.m. games. Come on NFL scheduler. That's awful. I will admit the two games, Texans at Seahawks and Cowboys at Redskins are very good games, but you just can't have two. Move the Panthers Bucs or the Chargers and Pats to 4. The RedZone channel will be useless after the early games on Sunday.

If you're reading this article on Thursday or later, these lines were from Tuesday. Check the current spreads and see how the line moved.

 

Top Survivor Picks for Week 8

BENGALS -10 vs. Colts

This will be the only time you can pick the Bengals. I liked how the Bengals played in Pittsburgh on Sunday. They hung with them for a half, until Marvin Lewis abandoned the run in the second half (five rushing attempts for 17 yards). Whereas in the first half they ran 12 times for 54 yards. If the Bengals stick to the run this week, they will destroy Indy. The Colts just gave up 188 yards, five per carry, to a Jaguars team that didn't have Leonard Fournette. The Colts defense also gave up 330 yards passing to Blake Bortles and lost their first round pick, safety Malik Hooker, for the year to an ACL injury. While the Bengals are bottom five in offense, they get the second worst rush defense. I think Marvin Lewis tries to establish the run early in this one and sticks with it.

The Colts are a disaster. They are dead last in DVOA, behind the Browns, and as I've been saying this all year, Andrew Luck will not play a down this season. Their season is over. It's only a matter of time until Chuck Pagano is fired. I'd highly advise reading this column by Colts beat writer Gregg Doyle, who completely destroys the team. They are just so bad. To get shutout at home and allow 10 sacks at home to the Jaguars... how can it get any worse?

Vikings -9.5 vs. Browns 

This game is in London so that makes me a little nervous, but then I realize it's the Browns. Do I really need to throw stats out to show how bad the Browns are? It seems pretty obvious. Besides for a stupid garbage time touchdown in Houston two weeks ago, the Browns have not scored a legitimate offensive touchdown since Week 5 against the Jets. Minnesota isn't a juggernaut of an offense, but they run the ball effectively, 124 yards per game. Case Keenum doesn't make mistakes. He's thrown two interceptions in six games. But the Vikings defense is the heart of this team. They are really really good defensively, 10th in DVOA. When the Vikings win on Sunday, they will move to a quietly surprising 6-2 and the clear cut favorite to win the NFC North.

Eagles -13 vs. 49ers

This may be a letdown game for the Eagles after their spectacular showing on Monday Night Football, but even their worst game isn't bad enough to lose to the 49ers. The Niners are back on the east coast after they played in Indy and Washington in Weeks 5 and 6. How does that make any sense NFL? Schedule better. My point is this is a early game on the east coast for a west coast team. If the Niners were to win, that would be the most shocking win of the season.

SAINTS -9 vs. Bears

I have been against the Saints all season, but now I am backing them so watch them lose. The Saints score 28 points per game while the Bears score 17. I'd love to see the Bears try and attempt eight passes all game again. Mitchell Trubisky will need to make passes to compete in this game. Unless the Saints offense completely fizzles out, the Bears have no chance. Also, the Saints are 5th in DVOA while the Bears are 27th.

Chiefs -7.5 vs. Broncos

I hate picking divisional matchups, but Andy Reid is 16-3 as a head coach off a bye. Granted, the Chiefs are not off a bye, but they did play on Thursday Night Football so they had a mini-bye of sorts. Those extra three days will be enough to beat the Broncos, who have not scored multiple touchdowns in one game since Week 2. They have scored three touchdowns in their last four games. Another reason to pick the Chiefs, they are 3rd in DVOA, while the Broncos are 23rd.

 

Top Survivor Picks to Avoid 

Falcons -4.5 @ JETS

The Jets will either get blown out here and the game be over in the first quarter or it'll come down to the final drive. The Jets have looked surprisingly good, while the Falcons offense has scored seven points in the last six quarters and have looked miserable. These teams are also so even in touchdowns scored, 3rd down conversions and opposition defense, DVOA, turnover differential, passing offense, and they have the same exact amount number of rushing yards, 723. The Jets are a frisky team with a nice defense who can cause a little trouble for middle of the road quarterback Matt Ryan.

  • RAVENS -3.5 vs. Dolphins- This may be the worst Thursday Night Football game ever. I will not watch a second of this. Take your girlfriend or wife to a movie for this one.
  • BUCS -2 vs Panthers- A divisional matchup with two teams that are so inconsistent.
  • BILLS -3 vs. Raiders- Early game on the east coast for a west coast team. It'll be a three point game.
  • PATRIOTS -7.5 vs. Chargers- How do you beat the Patriots? Elite pass rushing. The Chargers have that with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. The team is T-4 with 23 sacks. The Pats allow 116 yards on the ground, which may bode well for Melvin Gordon.
  • SEAHAWKS- 5.5 vs. Texans- I think this will be a three point game with DeShaun Watson's ability for a backdoor cover. The Texans are also 3-0 after a bye under Bill O'Brien.
  • Cowboys -2.5 @ REDSKINS- Sit back and enjoy this NFC East battle that is a crucial game for both teams. The Cowboys have yet to beat a good team. So far they've beaten the Giants, Cardinals, and 49ers. The Redskins are 2-0 after losses this year.
  • Steelers -3 @ LIONS- What a big Sunday Night game this is for the Lions. They are 3-3 and need to keep pace with the Vikings. Matthew Stafford will need to play out of his mind against a Steelers team that usually plays its best in front of a national television audience. Antonio Brown loves the spotlight and the Lions will need to find a way to slow him down.

 

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Salvador Perez

Not Playing On Friday
San Francisco 49ers

Ross Dwelley Returns To 49ers
San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco Adds D.J. Humphries
Connor Wong

Activated From Injured List And Starting On Friday
Green Bay Packers

Collin Oliver Signs Four-Year Deal With Green Bay
Ketel Marte

Reinstated From 10-Day Injured List
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Likely Several Weeks From Rehab Assignment
Philadelphia Eagles

Smael Mondon Jr. Inks Rookie Deal With Philly
Gleyber Torres

Dealing With Tight Hamstring, Won't Play Friday
Logan Gilbert

Could Return Before The End Of May
Austin Hays

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Deiveson Figueiredo

Returns To Action
Tyler Stephenson

Activated From 10-Day Injured List
Cory Sandhagen

Set For UFC Des Moines Main Event
Bo Nickal

Set For Co-Main Event
Reinier de Ridder

An Underdog At UFC Des Moines
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks To Win Second Consecutive Fight
Santiago Ponzinibbio

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Daniel Marcos

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Blade Tidwell

Promoted To Major Leagues
Carolina Panthers

Ulcerative Colitis Kept Hunter Renfrow Out Of NFL In 2024
Montel Jackson

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Jorbit Vivas

Heading To The Bronx
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Sign First-Rounder Tyler Booker To Four-Year Deal
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Trying To Get Something Done With Trey Hendrickson?
Carolina Panthers

Nothing Guaranteed Beyond 2025 For Adam Thielen
Cameron Smotherman

Set For His Second UFC Bout
Serhiy Sidey

A Favorite At UFC Des Moines
Mason Jones

Set To Open Up UFC Des Moines Main Card
Jeremy Stephens

Returns For UFC Des Moines
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Lands On The 10-Day Injured List
Mike Trout

Lands On The 10-Day Injured List With A Bone Bruise
Mikko Rantanen

Finishes Game 6 Loss With Four Points
Roope Hintz

Notches Four Points In Losing Effort
Cale Makar

Enjoys Three-Point Night Thursday
Nathan MacKinnon

Collects Three Points In Crucial Win
Mark Stone

Continues To Heat Up Thursday
William Nylander

Leads The Way In Game 6 Victory
Connor Brown

Tallies Three Points In Series-Clincher
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Don't Exercise Zion Johnson's Fifth-Year Option
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Don't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option For Kaiir Elam
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Expect Trevon Diggs To Start Camp On The PUP List
Jake Burger

Optioned To Minors
Bobby Witt Jr.

Extends Hitting Streak To 22 Games With Homer
Tennessee Titans

Titans Don't Pick Up Treylon Burks' Fifth-Year Option
Green Bay Packers

Packers Don't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Quay Walker
Seiya Suzuki

Puts On Power Display In Win Over Pirates
Mike Trout

Out Of Thursday's Lineup
Walker Buehler

Getting Testing On His Shoulder, Won't Start Friday
Kristian Campbell

Scratched With Rib Discomfort
Juan Soto

Busts Out With Two Homers In Thursday's Loss
Isaiah Stewart

Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Moving To Second Line Thursday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Have Knee Surgery
Frederik Andersen

Expected To Return To Practice Friday
Mark Scheifele

Won't Play In Game 6
Pavel Dorofeyev

Out On Thursday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Giants Place Tyler Fitzgerald On 10-Day Injured List With Rib Fracture
Jason Robertson

Upgraded To Day-To-Day
Miro Heiskanen

Ruled Out For Game 6
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Add Collin Johnson To Wide Receiver Room
Chicago Bears

Colston Loveland A "Natural Fit" In Ben Johnson's Offense
Salvador Perez

Leaves Early On Thursday With Hip Soreness
Cincinnati Bengals

Samaje Perine Expected To Have A Passing-Down Role
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Expected To Move On From Jalen Ramsey Soon
Tennessee Titans

Chimere Dike Has "Flexibility" To Play All Wide Receiver Positions
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Exercise Charles Cross' Fifth-Year Option
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Decline Kenyon Green's Fifth-Year Option
Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars Not Picking Up Devin Lloyd's Fifth-Year Option
Amen Thompson

Fills Stat Sheet In Game 5 Victory
Stephen Curry

Held To 13 Points Wednesday Night
Anthony Edwards

Struggles To Score In Series-Clincher
Rudy Gobert

Comes Up Big In Game 5 Victory
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Battles Back Issue In Game 5 Loss
LeBron James

Undecided On Future
Derrick Jones Jr.

Fine For Thursday
Filip Gustavsson

On Track To Play Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Caps Off First Round With Multi-Point Effort
Eetu Luostarinen

Explodes For Four Points In Series-Clincher
Dylan Strome

Extends Point Streak With Two Assists
Alex Ovechkin

Pots 30th Playoff Power-Play Goal
Kyle Connor

Ties Jets Record With Fourth Three-Point Playoff Game
Mark Scheifele

Injured In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Available For Lakers Debut Wednesday
Jonathan Kuminga

Out With An Illness
Jimmy Butler III

Ready To Play Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

In Danger Of Missing Another Game Thursday
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Build Off Last Week's Runner-Up Finish
Gary Woodland

Could See Success At CJ CUP
Cam Davis

Making First Appearance At TPC Craig Ranch
Sam Burns

Could Be Due For A Great Week At TPC Craig Ranch
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option