We made the editorial decision this week to leave the Survivor article out of Point Spread Weekly, given that it may not have a lot of relevance for most people, but it felt wrong not to post one at all. It was suggested to put it in the newsletter this week, so that means today’s Blurb is about my Survivor thoughts for Week 16.
My Survivor picks are 12-3 through 15 weeks, as my quest for perfection ended in Week 10 when Tampa Bay lost to Washington. I’ve only repeated a team once (Denver) and that was because the Broncos were likely widely-available in Week 14 for those still alive in their pools. Last week’s pick was the Dolphins, who did beat the Jets.
The teams I’ve picked so far are Rams, Packers, Broncos, Bengals, Ravens, Cowboys, Patriots, Bills, Colts, Bucs (L), Browns, Eagles (L), Vikings (L), Broncos and Dolphins.
Games to Consider
Buccaneers (-10) over Panthers: If you still have Tampa Bay available, this is a tough week because of all the injuries at the skill positions, but Cam Newton has shown no indication that he can beat a decent team. You could also save Tampa Bay for Week 18, when they’ll be an even bigger favorite hosting the Panthers, as long as Tom Brady isn’t resting.
Eagles (-9.5) over Giants: Nick Sirianni’s COVID case is a problem because other Eagles could wind up on the list, but Philadelphia draws a Giants team with little to play for and Mike Glennon at QB once again. The Eagles have had their ups and downs, but the Giants have mostly had downs in the back half of the season.
Seahawks (-6.5) over Bears: I find this one interesting because a lot of contestants likely have the Seahawks available. The Bucs probably aren’t an option. The Eagles might be. The Chiefs and Cowboys probably aren’t options. Do you trust Seattle to win a bad-weather game here with little to play for as the season winds down? That’s an interesting one, but also a team that just about everybody with a chance to win should have available.
Chiefs (-8.5) over Steelers; Cowboys (-10.5) over Washington: In the interest of space, I’ll group these two because they’re probably not available for most. The Chiefs have big COVID concerns. The Cowboys draw a team on a short week that had a lot of COVID issues last week. I prefer Dallas over KC, but KC is probably available to more entries given how the year started for the Chiefs.
The Pick
Chargers (-10) over Texans: I don’t know if the Chargers cover the 10, but it would be pretty stunning to see a loss here. It’s an early kick and the Chargers have some mild COVID worries of their own, but the Texans stepped up and got their win against the Jags, so they’re probably pretty content now.
Houston has upwards of 20 players on the COVID list and Brandin Cooks is one of them. For a team with virtually no playmakers, his likely absence is a big deal. He’s gotten 30% of the targets from Davis Mills and now he’ll have to find someone else to throw to on Sunday. That makes the Chargers a pretty safe pick for this week and a team I have not used yet.