Best NFL Survivor Contest Picks for Week 4: Can the Texans Get in the Win Column?

NFL survivor pools are an interesting way to have some fun during the season, and this weekly article is here to help you stay alive deep into the season.

Here are some of the best NFL survivor picks for Week 4.

All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL Survivor Picks for Week 4

Best Picks

Buffalo Bills

The masses made it through the first two weeks of survivor pools relatively unscathed.

Week 3 finally took some prisoners -- the Green Bay Packers (17.9% pick rate, per Yahoo!) and Atlanta Falcons (5.2%) were each upset on Sunday.

Heading into Week 4, the Buffalo Bills are easily the "safest" pick on the board.

The Bills host the New Orleans Saints this weekend. Josh Allen and company are favored by an eye-popping 15.5 points, which is nearly twice as large as the next-widest spread (-8.5). Buffalo's offense can name their number in this one. Beyond ranking first in our NFL Power Rankings and second in schedule-adjusted offense, the Bills will be at home and well-rested after last playing on Thursday.

The Bills have not left the state of New York this season while the 0-3 Saints traveled to Seattle last week lost by a staggering 31 points.

I see only two reasons to not take the Bills this week -- you've either already used them or you're looking to be unique in hopes that upsets wreak havoc in Week 4. As of this writing, the Bills have the second-highest pick rate (25.6%) behind only the...

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions (31.0%) are the most popular survivor pick in Week 4.

It adds up.

For starters, you likely have not used the Lions yet after they faced the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens in their first three games. And seeing Detroit pull off a win against Baltimore on the road has us confident they can take care of business at home against the Cleveland Browns this weekend.

Jared Goff is third in the NFL in expected points added per drop back (EPA/db; +0.39) while Joe Flacco has the second-worst standing (-0.23) among signal-callers who have played three games. The Lions are a hefty 8.5-point favorite this week and, looking ahead, this is a great time to use them in your survivor pool. Detroit has the sixth-toughest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, and that's even with factoring in this home date against the Browns.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are one of just six undefeated teams remaining, and they are -290 to move to 4-0 when they visit the New York Giants this weekend.

Justin Herbert has been spectacular in the early going, tossing for 860 yards and 6 touchdowns on just one interception and +0.23 EPA/db. It's earned him the third-shortest NFL MVP odds (+500) heading into Week 4.

LAC's offense has been sailing despite some touch matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, and they rank fifth in adjusted offense and fourth in adjusted defense. That'll do against New York's 30th-ranked adjusted defense.

That said, we'd be higher on the Chargers in this spot if Russell Wilson was still in the fold. This week, the Giants announced that rookie Jaxson Dart will get the start this Sunday. Our Jim Sannes has Dart as the top-rated prospect in his 2025 NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings -- the same model that had Jayden Daniels as the top quarterback in the 2024 class.

It's still a very tough matchup for the Giants, and Dart alone can't save them. That said, there are enough unknowns with Dart and how the team will respond to the QB change for me to prefer either taking the Bills or Lions or going with a pivot pick in Week 4.

Digging Deeper

Do you want -- or need -- to use other squads than the teams listed above? Here are some options.

Houston Texans

The 0-3 Tennessee Titans will visit the 0-3 Houston Texans this weekend.

Houston's offensive line ranks dead last, per Pro Football Focus, and it hasn't made matters easy for C.J. Stroud in the early going. But the Texans will be back home and indoors this week, taking on a Titans team that ranks last in adjusted offense and 29th in adjusted defense. As a result, the Texans are the third-largest favorite of the week (-7.5) behind the Lions and Bills.

Despite being favored by 7.5 points and being an unpopular pick through three weeks, the Texans are being chosen in fewer than 10% of survivor pools this week. This is an opportunity to be unique at a low cost.

Green Bay Packers

If you're still alive in a survivor pool, it likely means you have not chosen the Packers yet. Green Bay was not a viable survivor pick in their first two games against the Lions and Washington Commanders and, as mentioned, they are a big reason why pools started to get whittled down in Week 3.

The Packers will look to bounce back against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, and the Sunday Night Football affair also marks a revenge opportunity for Micah Parsons.

Dallas ranks 30th on our power rankings following a blowout loss to the Bears. Though the offense is back home and indoors, losing CeeDee Lamb (ankle) takes away the spark. The Cowboys' 31st-ranked adjusted defense surrendered a combined 748 passing yards and 7 passing touchdowns to Russell Wilson and Caleb Williams across Week 2 and 3, so this is a true smash spot for Jordan Love and company.

The Pack are favored by 6.5 points on the road. Looking ahead, there is not an amazing opportunity to pick Green Bay past Week 9, so we'll likely want to use the Packers sooner rather than later.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.