NFL survivor pools are back, and Week 1 already has a few spots that stand out if you’re trying to survive without getting cute.
The cleanest play on the board may be Jacksonville. The Jaguars aren’t exactly being sold as a powerhouse this season, but they do have Trevor Lawrence, and they’re staring at a Browns team that has turned its quarterback situation into a full-blown mess.
Cleveland has somehow landed on the worst version of Deshaun Watson we’ve seen yet as the starter, and that alone makes this one hard to trust from the Browns’ side. Jacksonville likely won’t be favored by this many points again until Week 10, when it faces the Titans for the first of two meetings, and even that is no sure thing.
That makes this a big opportunity for the Jaguars, who could see this as their best - and maybe only - shot to get above .500 this season.
The Browns, on the other hand, keep doing Browns things. They look like they’re in one of the Browniest stretches imaginable, especially with a quarterback who might not even enjoy hearing his own home fans cheer. I’m low on the Jaguars in general, but against Cleveland, they make sense as a safe survivor pick.
The Chargers are another team worth a look, even if trusting them is usually a nerve-wracking exercise. The Cardinals don’t look like they’ve improved much from last year’s three-win season beyond drafting running back Jeremiyah Love, and a running back alone isn’t going to fix an offense if the line in front of him isn’t up to the job.
Las Vegas has Los Angeles as a heavy favorite here, with the line at 9.5 points after opening at 11.5 according to FanDuel Sportsbook, which makes it the biggest spread of Week 1. If you want to save the Chargers, there are a couple of other spots later on, including a matchup with the Raiders next week and another against the Jets in Week 11.
But Week 11 is a long wait, so if you’re using Los Angeles, Week 1 - or Week 2 - is the time.
Pittsburgh also deserves a place in the conversation. Winning on the road there is always difficult, and the Steelers look even safer now that the Falcons are expected to start Cooper Rush.
That changes the feel of this game quite a bit after it had looked like Atlanta might go with Tua Tagovailoa. Tua appears to have suffered a back injury, Rush has been taking all of the first-team snaps in practice, and he’s likely to start in Week 1 for the Falcons.
The line has moved accordingly, with the Steelers opening as three-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook and now sitting at six. You could always save Pittsburgh for later matchups with the Browns in Week 4 or Week 8, but if Cooper Rush is indeed the starter, this is still a reasonable week to take the Steelers.
In Other News...
Steelers Already Face Questions About The Receiver They Passed On
The Steelers made their move at receiver by trading for Michael Pittman Jr. before the 2026 season, but the early returns on the player they did not land are already drawing attention. Mike Evans ended up with the San Francisco 49ers on a free-agent deal, and his debut there offered an immediate reminder of what Pittsburgh passed on, as he caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown while drawing a strong Pro Football Focus grade.
Pittman brings his own value, and the Steelers clearly believe his contract and fit make sense for what they want to build. Still, Evans' first game in San Francisco only sharpened the comparison, especially with the possibility that he may end up handling a bigger role and making a larger impact in 2026. For Pittsburgh, it is the kind of receiver subplot that can linger long after the roster decision itself is made. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face Costly Joey Porter Jr. Decision They Can't Dodge
Joey Porter Jr. is entering the kind of territory that forces front offices to choose between conviction and caution. Jourdan Rodrigues take on the situation puts the Steelers right at that crossroads, arguing that if Pittsburgh does not intend to meet the contract Porter will eventually seek, then moving him now could make more sense than letting the relationship drift into a more expensive standoff.
Porter is still viewed as a high-ceiling cornerback, the sort of talent teams normally try to keep rather than shop. But the financial reality is unavoidable, and the Cowboys have been floated as a possible landing spot if Pittsburgh decides to explore the market. The harder question is whether the Steelers see Porter as a long-term building block or as an asset they would rather flip before the price climbs any higher. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Are Betting Everything On A Plan Fans Will Debate
Mike McCarthys return as the Steelers head coach has put the spotlight squarely on a season that already feels loaded with uncertainty. Pittsburgh is trying to thread a difficult needle: keep Aaron Rodgers healthy and productive, get the defense to mesh under Patrick Graham, and hope both lines take meaningful steps forward in time to steady everything else around them.
Those are the kinds of ingredients that can make or break a season, and they leave little margin for error if any one part sputters. The concern, as the roster is being sorted out, is whether the Steelers can avoid the kind of slide that would put them in unfamiliar territory after so many years of stability. [Read more 🡒]