NFL Survivor Picks for Week 1: The Ravens Are the Obvious Choice for a Reason

There aren't many more crucial things than nailing your NFL survivor picks, so we're here to help.

Based on numberFire's NFL survivor matrix, here are some of the best NFL survivor picks for Week 1.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens enter the week with the highest win odds of any team in Week 1, per numberFire. They're 84.0% likely to get the win against the Houston Texans.

Baltimore is a 10.0-point home favorite against Houston in C.J. Stroud's first career NFL start.

That's a tall task for this year's second overall pick.

In addition to holding the top Week 1 win odds by numberFire's model, this is Baltimore's highest projected winning percentage of any game this season. This is the only week where they are expected to be the most likely winner as we enter the season.

The Ravens do have a top-three projected win rate in two other weeks (Week 3 and Week 14) as well as eight weeks with a top-five projected win rate.

There will be other weeks to use Baltimore, but this is definitely a great one.

Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are absolutely in their best position of the season, and the game theory of survivor pools begins in Week 1.

With a 75.9% expected win rate, they rank third this week behind the Ravens (84.0%) and Kansas City Chiefs (76.3%) in numberFire's projections. However, this is their only week inside the top five in expected win rate.

They're 7.0-point home favorites against the Arizona Cardinals.

As far as survivor picks go, it's likely now or never for Washington, but there's certainly some risk relying on a team led by the unproven Sam Howell.

Kansas City Chiefs

The much safer play compared to Washington is the Chiefs. I know that's not groundbreaking news or anything, but hey. We have other weeks where we can use Kansas City, and that matters.

They're expected to have the highest win rate in three total weeks as well as a top-three weekly rate in six total weeks (including this one).

The Detroit Lions can put up points in Week 1, yet the Chiefs are 6.5-point favorites in a home matchup as defending Super Bowl Champions.

Contrarian Plays

Looking to avoid the most popular picks and find an under-the-radar pick for the week?

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks aren't a very popular pick this week despite their status as 5.5-point home favorites against the Los Angeles Rams. This is the only week of the season where Seattle has a top-three projected win rate. In just one other week do they have a top-five win rate. They're a strong game theory play.

Atlanta Falcons

It's not a surprise that the Atlanta Falcons are flying under the radar. They're favored by 3.5 points against the Carolina Panthers, meaning Bryce Young's first career start is on the road. They're not going to be a popular survivor pick this season, so embracing the risk this week could pay off.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.