Welcome to Week 14! The NFL is through Thanksgiving and that means we have one last week of byes to sort through. The Broncos, Colts, Patriots, Commanders, Ravens, and Texans wrap up the 2024 byes, which means we have a 13-game slate this week.
Last week saw mostly favorites handling their business. We had some close contests and near-misses on the upset front, but the favorites generally took care of business. That means that remaining Survivor pools did not get cleaned out for the week. Things were closer than expected in Vikings-Cardinals, Bucs-Panthers, and Broncos-Browns, but Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Denver escaped with wins. I was on the right track with some of the upset and trap picks in my weekly Survivor picks column, but alas, nothing ended up happening.
I went with the Lions for my lone remaining entry, and I lived to fight another day. It’s now time for Week 14 picks. I’ve got my full picks below. There are plenty of options to consider and every week this season we’ll be breaking down the safest picks, the best value picks, the potential trap picks, and one upset pick if you feel the need to get a little wild with your pick to go against the grain.
Safest picks
Eagles over Panthers
Bucs over Raiders
These will be popular picks among people who haven’t used either, but they’re also potentially worth saving if your league is a ways off. The Bucs offer value in Week 17 at home against the Panthers, and the Eagles could offer some value in Week 18 at home against the Giants if you think they won’t have locked up playoff position.
Best value picks
Steelers over Browns
A home divisional game against a wild card like Jameis Winston could be tricky, but this is the last game that makes sense to use the surging Steelers. They are on the road against the Eagles and Ravens and then home against the Chiefs and Bengals after this weekend.
Upset pick
Falcons over Vikings
Kirk Cousins was brutal against the Chargers. Traveling back to Minnesota isn’t a great matchup, but I could see the Falcons giving the Vikings a little bit of trouble.
Trap picks
Dolphins over Jets
The Jets stink, but they’re still just enough of a wild card that I could see this being a place the Dolphins get tripped up.
