Week 2 NFL survivor pool picks, advice, strategy: Expert who faded Bengals reveals top knockout pick

While there were only three teams favored by at least six points last week, there are eight favored by that margin in the Week 2 NFL odds. This creates plenty of options when it comes to making Week 2 NFL survivor picks for anyone who avoided picking Cincinnati last week. The Bengals were upset by the Patriots as 8.5-point underdogs, knocking out a large chunk of NFL survivor pools. There will be more NFL upset picks to come, so which teams should you avoid with your Week 2 NFL survivor strategy?

Tampa Bay is coming off a 37-20 win over Washington in its season opener, as quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. The Buccaneers are 7-point road underdogs against the Lions , but can you trust Detroit with your Week 2 NFL eliminator pool picks? Before finalizing any Week 2 NFL survivor picks, you need to see which team proven expert R.J. White is backing.

White has been SportsLine's No. 1 NFL against-the-spread expert over the last seven years, going 636-534-34 against the spread to put him up more than 48 units on those picks at SportsLine since 2017. He has also delivered a 56.7% hit rate on his Vegas contest picks over the last nine seasons and has two finishes in the money, including finishing 18th out of 2,748 entries back in 2017.

His advice can be used to crush the Survivor Pool format, which calls for picking one team to win each week but never using the same team twice. In Week 1, White correctly recommended to avoid the Bengals, who lost to the Patriots as 8.5-point favorites. Instead, White picked the Saints , who beat the Panthers by 37 points in the most lopsided game of the week. Anyone who followed his advice avoided one of the biggest NFL upsets of the season and advanced to Week 2.

Now, White has turned his attention to the latest Week 2 NFL odds and locked in his Week 2 survivor pool pick. You can only see who White is backing this week at SportsLine .

Top Week 2 NFL survivor pool predictions

In Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, White is avoiding the Ravens (-9.5 vs. Raiders ), even though they are the heaviest favorite of the week. Baltimore is coming off an emotional road loss at Kansas City in the 2024 NFL Kickoff Game, as the Chiefs escaped in a game that came down to the final play. The Ravens allowed nearly 300 passing yards to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes , while Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson completed just 26 of 41 passes.

Las Vegas was unable to get its rushing attack going in a Week 1 loss to the Chargers , but Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 25 of 33 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders have covered the spread in seven of their last nine games against AFC opponents, and they covered in four straight games down the stretch last season. This game could wind up being closer than oddsmakers expect, so White prefers saving Baltimore for a different week. See which team to pick instead here.

How to make Week 2 NFL survivor pool picks

Instead, White is backing a home team that "looks like it has one of the best offenses in the league." 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 expert who avoided the Bengals in Week 1 and is up almost 50 units on ATS picks over the last seven years .