Who to take in Week 9 in your NFL survivor pool

Dominick Petrillo | Staff Writer

Another week, another win.

We've now run off 4 wins in a row and have only given out 1 losing play as our main selection for the season. Of course, 1 loss will likely eliminate you from an NFL survivor pool.

However, some survivor contests allow up to 3 losses, so that's why SportsbookWire is still giving out picks. We hope you've been able to remain in your NFL survivor pool.

Meanwhile, we're starting to run out of teams to pick, injuries are starting to pile up and it will be even harder to find the correct play, but we're here to help in your time of need.

Follow the Paste BN NFL Survivor Pool.

– All games Sunday and ET unless noted

The chalk: Atlanta Falcons

Who they play: Home vs. Minnesota Vikings – 1 p.m. (FOX)

Although the Vikings (4-4) won the battle with the Green Bay Packers by a score of 24-10 last Sunday, they may have lost the war.

Losing QB Kirk Cousins (torn Achilles) for the remainder of the season could be a final blow for Minnesota, which has struggled to find wins after finishing 13-4 last season. The Vikings will start rookie QB Jaren Hall, who was 3 of 4 for 23 passing yards with no picks or TDs in relief of Cousins last week. Minnesota did acquire QB Joshua Dobbs from Arizona but said Hall will start vs. the Falcons.

Add the hamstring injury to WR Justin Jefferson which will keep him out until at least late November and Minnesota is in trouble as it attempts to track down the Detroit Lions (6-2) in the NFC North.

Atlanta, playing in a weak division, has played better than many expected. With a 4-4 record and winning 3 of 4 games at home, the Falcons are currently tied with the New Orleans Saints atop the NFC South.

Behind the RB duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta has been able to rush the ball for 126.2 yards per game, ranking 10th in the NFL, while QB Desmond Ridder has been adequate managing the passing game -- the Falcons average 214.9 passing YPG (18th).

While the offense has been OK, the defense has taken a step up over last season. In the first 8 games, Atlanta ranks 6th in yards allowed at 296.6 per game and 14th in scoring defense at 20.1 PPG.

With Cousins out for the Vikings and QB Taylor Heinicke getting the start in place of a benched Ridder for the Falcons, this could be a low scoring game between 2 backup QBs.

In this scenario, I would take Heinicke over Hall. I would also take the run game of Atlanta with Robinson and Allgeier over a Vikings run game which finally scored its 1st rushing TD of the season last Sunday against the Pack.

As tough as this game looks, ATLANTA is an obvious choice and IS MY TOP WEEK 9 SURVIVOR POOL PICK.

FOOTBALL NEVER STOPS

Live games, analysis and more 7 days a week: Get ESPN+

No. 2 option: New Orleans Saints

Who they play: Home vs. Chicago Bears – 1 p.m. (CBS)

It is a scary proposition to take any NFC South team to win a game. It's by far the weakest division in the NFL, but take heed to the fact the Saints (4-4) are playing the 2-6 Bears. This should relax you a bit.

The Bears, coming off a 30-13 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers, will again turn to backup QB Tyson Bagent with Justin Fields still unable to go. The Bears' ground attack ranks 6th in the league at 132.8 YPG, but Chicago's top 2 rushers are out with RB Khalil Herbert still on IR with an ankle injury and Fields on the sideline.

The middle-of-the pack Saints run defense, 15th in the NFL at 106.9 YPG should be able to shut down the Bears ground game.

While the Saints have struggled on offense, the team finally erupted last week in a 38-27 victory at the Colts. While this game was on the road, it was in a dome at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Returning home, the Saints, built for indoor games, will again find the ability to score against a bad defense. Chicago ranks 30th against the pass (262.2 YPG) and 28th in scoring defense (27.2 PPG).

The Saints, who are 10th in passing offense (243.1 YPG) and 20th in rushing offense (106.0 YPG) will find it easy to throw on the Bears secondary.

Expect New Orleans WRs Chris Olave and Michael Thomas to have big games for the Saints, while RB Alvin Kamara finds plenty of pass catching work out of the back field. This will be key as Kamara will not find it easy to run on the No. 3-ranked Bears run defense, which allows just 78.8 YPG.

The Bears defense is what is known as a pass funnel. New Orleans will use this funnel to find the end zone. This is why the SAINTS are my 2ND OPTION IN WEEK 9 FOR A SURVIVOR POOL PICK.

Others to consider

Cleveland Browns: Home vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1 p.m. (CBS)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: At Houston Texans – 1 p.m. (CBS)

2023 survivor game log

NO. 1 OPTION

Week 1: WIN – Ravens 25, Texans 9

Week 2: WIN – Cowboys 30, Jets 10

Week 3: WIN – Dolphins 70, Broncos 20

Week 4: LOSS – Titans 27, Bengals 3

Week 5: WIN – Lions 42, Panthers 24

Week 6: WIN – Rams 26, Cardinals 9

Week 7: WIN – Seahawks 20, Cardinals 10

Week 8: WIN – Eagles 38, Commanders 31

NO. 2 OPTION

Week 1: WIN: Commanders 20, Cardinals 16

Week 2: WIN – Bills 38, Raiders 10

Week 3: WIN – Chiefs 41, Bears 10

Week 4: WIN – 49ers 35, Cardinals 16

Week 5: LOSS – Steelers 17, Ravens 10

Week 6: WIN – Bills 14, Giants 9

Week 7: LOSS – Giants 14, Commanders 7

Week 8: WIN – Chargers 30, Bears 13

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Dominick Petrillo on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

Access more NFL coverage:

Facebook Twitter Email