Best NFL Week 8 Survivor Picks: Can Commanders Deliver Under Pressure?

Chaos in survivor pools continued last week. The Houston Texans and New York Jets were another pair of popular home favorites that went up in smoke. If you've somehow avoided them all over the last three weeks, your courage has been greatly rewarded.

Below, we’ll highlight the best Week 8 survivor picks for your win-or-go-home pools and walk through some strategies to get you to Week 9. 

According to SurvivorGrid, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the highest expected value pick of the week over the rebuilding Indianapolis Colts. The Cincinnati Bengals, huge favorites over the Tennessee Titans, are another pick toward the top of the leaderboard.

After you make your NFL Survivor Pool picks this week, you can run your picks on PrizePicks. With players, winners, and spreads on the board — plus endless ways to combine them — there’s never been a better time to Run Your Game.

Make NFL Week 8 picks on PrizePicks now — including teams to win!

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NFL Survivor Pool Week 8 Picks & Strategy

Three weeks in a row, the most popular choice in almost every single survivor contest — small or large — has gone down. If that's not incentive enough to think differently, I'm not sure what ever will be.

I, myself, burned my one and only re-buy on the Jets after last week. Laughing about trusting them in the article was one thing, but watching them give the game away at home to the previously winless Dolphins? Let's just say the chuckling stopped.

There are two places to get different without having to get wonky this week. As we sit here days away from kickoff (again), it may feel like the prohibitive chalk on the board is fairly safe, but I can't genuinely say that's more the case with these double-digit favorites than in weeks past.

Don't be surprised if another topples.

Best NFL Week 8 Survivor Picks: Two Teams to Target

Here are the top two teams to target for your Week 8 survivor picks.

Also listed are the winner payouts, spreads, and totals for each game via PrizePicks, where you can make your NFL picks and earn money if you’re right!

Make your Week 8 NFL picks on PrizePicks — including winners and spreads!

Payouts represent real-money earnings if a pick wins on PrizePicks. For example, a 2x represents a $100 entry on a correct pick that pays out $200.

Best Week 8 Survivor Pick: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders

Last week, I tried to sneak one by the field with the Jets. It went predictably how an Aaron Glenn-Geno Smith tandem should go in survivor pools. While this is the same methodology, I do have significantly more faith in Jayden Daniels.

The Commanders are likely better than their record (1-4-1), evidenced by Daniels' heroics before the bye putting them about 35 yards from an all-time upset of the 49ers two weeks ago. Daniels' signature moment this year, of course, was forgetting the clock in a tie with the Giants.

Washington's defense is 28th in EPA per play allowed, per nfelo, but I'm just pleased to see it's not 32nd as it was in recent seasons. Stud rookie LB Sonny Styles is why, ranking 20th in Pro Football Focus' grading system for coverage LBs.

Philadelphia is, publicly and obviously, a mess. RB Saquon Barkley grimaced after every run on Monday and might not play on Sunday Night Football. QB Jalen Hurts is out, and WR DeVonta Smith is a question mark.

The biggest problem is Philly's relatively healthy defense surrendered at least 5.4 yards per play to both Carolina and Dallas in the last two weeks. The Eagles are 31st in time of possession (27:40), per TeamRankings, so perhaps the defense is also getting fatigued.

There isn't a projected spot the rest of the year where the Commies will be a favorite anywhere close to 6 points. I don't think this team has given up yet, and the Eagles might be getting dangerously close to doing so.

Pick the Commanders to win vs. the Eagles on PrizePicks now!

Best Week 8 Survivor Pick: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

Though some may have burned the Patriots at home against the Jets in Week 6, I'm guessing they're largely available, and I've had this date circled all season.

New England's tougher schedule has manifested in a plain record (4-3), and they're pretty plain peripherally, too. They're ninth in EPA/play on offense and 17th in EPA/play on defense. Per SurvivorGrid, they're not projected to be a favorite of 6+ points until Week 18... against these same Miami Dolphins.

Miami is coming off a win over the Jets but did allow Smith and the Gang Green offense to post a whopping 7.1 yards per play. Chunk plays and special teams variance played into Miami's hands — as well as a good showing from the run game with 156 yards to control the clock.

The Patriots are a modest 16th in EPA allowed per carry, and QB Malik Willis being forced to win with his arm is how the Dolphins started 0-5.

Survivor has been so topsy turvy that most contests aren't going to sniff Week 18 to determine a winner. This might be the spot to use the Patriots now if you're not comfortable with the 1-4-1 Commanders.

Pick the Patriots to win vs. the Dolphins on PrizePicks now.

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Week 8 Survivor Picks to Avoid

Even if you’re not rolling with the picks above, consider avoiding these teams when making your survivor pool pick in Week 8.

These teams are favored on the spread on PrizePicks but may be riskier than they seem, making them not worth your survivor entry.

Survivor Pick to Avoid: Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals

That "L" word that felt to be the case with the Rams and Texans the past two weeks? Yeah, many are going to bestow that on the Bengals against a 1-6 Titans squad that just traded Jeffrey Simmons.

However, I'd honestly be less shocked by this outright upset than those ones because of Cincinnati's inability to control the line of scrimmage. Despite ranking in the top 10 in both run blocking and run-stop win rate, per ESPN, the Bengals are 30th in rushing YPG (81.2).

It's significantly harder to blow a team out if you can't bully them with the run game, and it's not as if we haven't seen Cincinnati's offense completely sleepwalk. Last week, for instance, it faced a 13-0 halftime deficit.

I'm not calling for an upset, but if 2026 has taught us anything, it's that pivoting off SurvivorGrid's highest expected pick rate (36.4%) might be a good idea.

That's especially the case when games with the Saints and rebuilding Colts loom in future weeks for the Bengals. I might trust this team a bit more down the road than I do at present.

Pick the Bengals to win vs. the Titans on PrizePicks now!

Survivor Pick to Avoid: Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars

I've mentioned targeting the Colts, who are in the middle of a total fire sale, down the road. Why wouldn't I do so this week with the Jaguars?

Well, these road divisional underdogs over 6 points remain terrifying. They're 4-0 or 5-0 against the spread (ATS) in 2026, depending on what source you use for the Commanders in Week 1 against the Eagles.

Either way, it's a spot where the scores have been frightening, and the Cardinals won outright over L.A. in this position.

Jacksonville just isn't as good as its 4-2 record, either. The defense has been largely propped up by the third-largest turnover margin per game (+0.8), which we saw on display in London when Houston posted 7.2 yards per play just to come back onto American soil and struggle with the Giants again.

If you can sneak through this week without burning the Jags, a home date in Week 12 against the Titans could be a sublime spot to still have available when most contests will be close to handing out all the marbles.

Pick the Jaguars to win vs. the Colts on PrizePicks now! 

Best Week 8 Survivor Pick: Washington Commanders

Let's try this again.

The Jets' disaster at home can't dissuade me from a spot where Washington, as a 5.5-point favorite, presents a golden opportunity to advance without the security of one of the league's "best" teams like the Jaguars or Bengals.

They're two of the top nine teams in future value, according to SurvivorGrid.

Those two have a combined projected pick rate on the website of 54.0%. If another zany upset occurs, I could be in business while keeping ideal, safer spots on the table down the road.

I trust Daniels with the team's back against the wall against a lifeless Eagles squad on short rest. Turning over every last stone, QB Marcus Mariota is also trending toward available should the worst happen to the Commanders' oft-injured starter.

Make NFL Week 8 Picks on PrizePicks

One week at a time is the key. Don’t lose your NFL survivor pool in Week 8! Consider riding with the Commanders and Patriots as modest favorites this week and the best picks on the board.

Don’t wait until kickoff to lock in your NFL predictions — make Week 8 picks on NFL winners on PrizePicks now and earn real money if you’re right.

Just pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can predict NFL game winners, spreads, over/unders, and award futures, now available in 36 states — or combine them with players for even higher payouts. 

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