Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season saw yet another double-digit favorite go down, as the Houston Texans came up short against the New York Giants in overtime – a crushing blow to Survivor players. 

It may seem easy to pick a winner each week, but the Los Angeles Rams (12.5-point favorites in Week 6) and Texans have lost as the biggest favorites on the boards in back-to-back weeks. The NFL never ceases to amaze with some of these upsets, and our team wasn’t unscathed by the carnage in Week 7. 

Peter Dewey attempted to get cute and take the New York Jets at home against the Miami Dolphins, but that pick backfired as Miami ran all over the Jets for their first win of the 2026 season. 

On the bright side, our readers that tailed senior editor Iain MacMillan are still riding high. He bet on the Minnesota Vikings to move to 6-0 in Week 7, and they came through with a close 16-10 win over the struggling Indianapolis Colts. 

NFL Week 7 Survivor Picks Recap

• Peter Dewey: New York Jets (L)
• Iain MacMillan: Minnesota Vikings (W)

Week 8 features four teams on the bye – Houston, New Orleans, San Francisco and the Giants – which means we once again have 14 games to choose from in Survivor. 

The halfway point of the 2026 season is close, so if you’ve made it this far, you’re doing better than most. Even with Dewey losing in Week 7, he’s still sharing a pick so we have some differing opinions going for the action in Week 8. 

NFL Week 8 Survivor Pool Picks

Dallas Cowboys

There are few teams I'd be comfortable taking the Dallas Cowboys against this season due to how bad their defense is, but this is one week that I think Dallas is the right move. 

The Arizona Cardinals are basically the same team as the Cowboys, except a far worse offense. Their defense is also a bottom three unit, and there's an argument to be made they're the second worst defense next to Dallas. 

With that being said, the Cardinals don't have the offensive firepower that the Cowboys do. Trey McBride has been fantastic this season, but Jacoby Brissett isn't the answer at quarterback and their top wide receiver is now in Houston.

I feel comfortable backing the Cowboys at home against a bad Arizona team in Week 8. – Iain MacMillan 

Cincinnati Bengals

I’ve blown it in back-to-back weeks in these Survivor Picks, taking Indianapolis (which lost to a winless Tennessee team) and the Jets (who lost to a winless Miami team). No, I won’t be taking the Los Angeles Rams just so the Los Angeles Chargers get their first win in Week 8. 

I’d recommend the Cincinnati Bengals in Survivor in Week 8, especially since they’re at home against Tennessee. We’ve seen a ton of huge upsets in recent weeks, so I don’t mind looking for the safest play possible in hopes that you can get yourself into the final stages of a Survivor Pool.

Cincy looked great in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens, and it ranks sixth in EPA/Play on offense. That’s a massive advantage over Cam Ward and the Titans, who are just 30th in EPA/Play and 25th in success rate on that side of the ball. 

I’ve already faded the Titans once and gotten burned, but they came up short against Cleveland in Week 7 and are just 3-8 on the road in the Ward era. 

Jacksonville is also a consideration in Week 8 against Indianapolis, but the Bengals are a team that I don’t love saving since they’re one Joe Burrow injury (which has happened all too often) from being completely unusable in Survivor. 

So, if you still have them available, this is as good a spot as any to play the Bengals. 

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.