Taking a look at the best Week 9 NFL Survivor Pool Picks, including the Los Angeles Chargers.
If you are unaware of what NFL Survivor picks are, the basic concept is you make NFL picks throughout the season, but you can only pick a team once. Once you lose, you’re knocked out, so choose your Week 9 NFL Survivor Pool picks wisely.
If you are new to reading my survivor articles, what I do is outline my “lock of the week,” my “value of the week,” and my “high-risk, high-reward pick of the week.”
The “lock” details what team I think has the best chance of winning their matchup. This will most likely be a good team that plays a bad team. The lock is also the official pick for NFL Survivor Pools, meaning we will not reuse a “lock.” My value pick details a mid-tier team that has a good matchup. And finally, my high-risk, high-reward pick details a bad team that has a good matchup. It may be worth it to look at the NFL betting odds for these games and place some bets as well.
Week 9 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Lock of the Week | Best Pick for NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 9
Los Angeles Chargers vs Tennessee Titans
The Los Angeles Chargers open the week as 9.5-point favorites over the Tennessee Titans, and for good reason. The Chargers just came off a week where they buried the Minnesota Vikings. Not that Minnesota has the best defense in the NFL, but they definitely have one of the most annoying. The Chargers were able to offset this with the return of Joe Alt at tackle. Getting Alt back last week gave the Chargers some sense of security and allowed Justin Herbert to settle in and torch the Vikings’ secondary. Now against the Titans, who don’t offer a strong pass rush, Herbert should have as much time to find any of his weapons between Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Oronde Gadsden. On top of that, Tennessee has been bad against the run. We saw Jonathan Taylor go nuts last week with three touchdowns. Both Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins will be able to run effectively in this game.
When looking at the Titans’ offense, there is nothing that really scares you. Cam Ward continues to have ups and downs this season, with more downs than ups. Being a rookie, some of those mistakes are not his fault, as the Titans do not feature a great offensive line. Other than the line, Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike and Calvin Ridley might be the worst receiving corps in the NFL this season. The Chargers are the much better team and will continue to stand at the top of the tough AFC West after a win this week.
Lock of the Week: Los Angeles Chargers
Value Pick of the Week | Week 9 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins
This is probably cheating when picking the value pick this week, because the Baltimore Ravens are not your normal team that should be in this category. It is no secret that the Ravens have been the most disappointing team this season, but they do get Lamar Jackson back this week. For whatever my money is worth, I believe Jackson is a top-five player in the game regardless of position and will bring an instant upgrade to both the pass and run game for the Ravens this week. Talking about the run game, this feels like a classic Derrick Henry 150+ yard rushing game, as the Dolphins have been horrible against the run this season. They have given up 941 yards on the ground through eight weeks.
When looking at the Dolphins’ offense, it is really hard for me to believe that Tua Tagovailoa is going to have another four-touchdown performance. He has had a really weird season, and I think the NFL world is starting to see that he is not that great a quarterback. While De’Von Achane is a good player, Jaylen Waddle is not good enough to be a number one receiver, and Malik Washington is not that big of threat. Without Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins just don’t have enough firepower to keep up with the Ravens in this one.
Value Pick of the Week: Baltimore Ravens
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High Risk, High Reward Pick of the Week | Week 9 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Las Vegas Raiders
The Jacksonville Jaguars open as 2.5-point favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders this week in a game that features two of the ugliest offenses in the NFL. We saw Travis Etienne jump out to a hot start this season, but that has sort of tapered off. He has the opportunity to somewhat get back on track this week, as the Raiders don’t pose that strong a threat against the run. They have given up eight rushing touchdowns through eight weeks. Having that run game will help Trevor Lawrence settle in. At Lawrence’s disposal is Brian Thomas Jr., who is not as bad a player as he has been this season, and Travis Hunter, who is starting to find his footing on the offensive side of the ball for the Jaguars.
When looking at the Raiders’ offense, the Jaguars just need to stop Ashton Jeanty from getting going. The Jaguars have been pretty solid against the run this season, as they have allowed just 493 yards and two rushing touchdowns. While the pass defense has not been great, they have been able to create turnovers. Going up against Geno Smith this week, there will be plenty of turnovers to go around, as he leads the NFL in interceptions thrown this season. With Brock Bowers still banged up, there is nothing that scares you in the receiving game. I think this game could potentially see some points scored, but Jacksonville has better players and will get the nod because of that.
High Risk, High Reward Pick of the Week: Jacksonville Jaguars
