NFL survivor pool picks, knockout strategy, advice for Week 2, 2026: Fade the New England Patriots

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SportsLine's advanced computer model just locked in its top Week 2 NFL survivor picks

Sep 19, 2026 at 3:20 pm ET • 2 min read

After a week of upsets and scares, NFL Week 2 offers more challenges ahead. Complicating matters are several divisional matchups between rivals, including Panthers vs. Falcons (+2.5), Vikings vs. Bears (-4.5), Raiders vs. Chargers (-6.5), Commanders vs. Cowboys (-4) and Seahawks vs. Cardinals (+4). Meanwhile no game has a larger NFL spread to consider for Week 1 NFL knockout picks than Dolphins vs. 49ers (-13.5), as San Francisco is coming off a solid 27-7 thrashing of the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, plus nine days of rest. Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $50 bonus after $10 in trades:

Miami opened with a thud in a 27-13 loss at Las Vegas and has spent the entire week on the West Coast. Still, there are a few other games that NFL survivor players are considering such as Browns vs. Buccaneers (-8.5) as Baker Mayfield takes on his old team, and Saints vs. Ravens (-8.5). Before making any Week 2 NFL survivor pool picks, see which team the red-hot SportsLine Projection Model just went all-in on.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on betting sites on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season on a 53-39 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following its picks at NFL betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the Week 2 NFL schedule and locked in its Week 2 survivor pool pick. You can only see who the model is backing this week at SportsLine. 

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Top Week 2 NFL survivor pool predictions 

In Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season, the model is not confident in the New England Patriots, who are 5.5-point and -237 money-line favorites at the best betting apps against the Steelers in a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. 

The Pats lost to the Seahawks 13-10 in the NFL Kickoff Game on Wednesday in Week 1 even though the Seahawks lost quarterback Sam Darnold to an injury early. The Pats struggled on offense without receiver A.J. Brown (ankle), and he won't be back this week. 

The Steelers weren't great in Week 1 either, but they did get the win against the Falcons. Pittsburgh also defeated New England last September, also at Gillette Stadium. Neither offense inspires a ton of confidence at the moment, meaning this could be a lower-scoring game that comes down to the wire. SportsLine's model is projecting just a 3-point margin between the teams as New England wins 58% of the time, making the Patriots a risky survivor pick this week. See which team to pick instead here. 

How to make Week 2 NFL survivor pool picks 

Instead, the model is confidently backing a team many have not used in survivor pools to win outright in well over 70% of simulations. The time to pick this team is now, and you can only see the play over at SportsLine.

Which surprising team is a must-back in your Week 2 NFL survivor pool? Visit SportsLine now to see which team carries you to victory in Week 2, all from the advanced computer model that nails survivor picks and is up well over $7,000 since its inception.