It’s week 6 now and survivor pools are starting to thin out. If you’ve made it this far you’ve probably been picking the Titans and Dolphins opposition as the two teams are 0-5, the Chargers are also 0-5, although that was far less expected. The Dolphins are on bye this week but the Titans and Chargers are both going to be vying for their first win this week. Surely a win is around the corner for one of them right?
Chalk Pick
Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
Despite being separated by just one game in the standings, the Rams are favored by 12.5 points over the Cardinals on FanDuel Sportsbook, tied for the largest spread of the season with the 49ers’ Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins. That line is warranted, as Arizona has lost four straight since beating the Chargers in Week 1, a result that no longer looks like much of an upset.
Los Angeles is just 2-3, but its record is misleading. The Rams haven’t played poorly outside of Week 1, losing to an undefeated 49ers team in Australia, falling to the Broncos after a questionable pass interference call negated an interception that would have sealed the game, and dropping a Monday night shootout against the Bills when their potential game-winning field goal was blocked.
The bottom line: The Rams are better than their record suggests, and they have plenty of motivation to get back on track after falling three games behind San Francisco in the division. Meanwhile, Arizona has looked like one of the NFL’s five worst teams over the past month, making Los Angeles a strong Survivor Pool option this week.
Safe but not Chalk Pick
San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders
The 49ers look like the most complete team in the NFL so far this season. They’re solid in all three phases and rarely beat themselves. San Francisco is tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the fewest penalties in the league and ranks second in turnovers, with only the Washington Commanders committing fewer.
Believe it or not, Washington is the only team ahead of the 49ers in that category. However, after last week’s debacle, it’s hard to call the Commanders a mistake-proof team. From questionable decisions about when to kick a field goal to Jayden Daniels getting hurt and the overtime chaos, Washington’s biggest mistakes don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
If you’ve already used the Rams and Chiefs in your Survivor Pool, the 49ers are an excellent option to keep your season alive.
Risky Pick
Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans
This pick isn’t as risky as the usual “risky” pick each week. The Titans are just not a good football team. However, I put the Colts in the risky pick category this week because the Colts have a number of flaws themselves, and as the weeks mount, the winless teams get more and more desperate for a win. Indianapolis is a team that I know the Titans are looking at and saying “we can beat that team.” Still, I like the Colts. Jonathan Taylor will keep an anemic (11.6 points per game) defense off the field, and the Colts will roll with a score of 27-10.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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