We noted in last week's column that there was again one chalk option (Ravens) and one pivot option (Texans), and congrats to anyone who backed the pivot for a second straight week. I wasn't so lucky in Circa Survivor, first backing the Texans early in the week in order to save the Ravens to cover for the Packers down the road, then switching it after the Tua Tagovailoa injury to make sure I didn't have to use the Dolphins at all this year if he doesn't come back, which meant saving the Texans instead. Anyone who stuck with our initial Texans play lives on to fight another week, and we have an interesting one in store for Week 3.

Five teams are roughly touchdown favorites early in the week, with only one above the number: the 0-2 Bengals, who face the Commanders on Monday night. Everyone who has survived thus far will still have them available, so the question is whether to back them as the biggest favorite or again pivot away from the chalk to another option.

When looking at your options for Week 3, it's important to project out the rest of the schedule (hence the point of this weekly column). It's also important to know the format of your pool, as Circa Survivor adds two standalone slates for Thanksgiving and Christmas. With the league's worst offense making a change at quarterback, I would avoid taking the Raiders against the Panthers.

Yes, the Panthers have looked helpless through two games, with 18 of their 23 drives not ended by the half concluding going 15 yards or less. I'm chalking that up to Bryce Young more than anything, as he has looked incapable of pushing the ball more than five yards down the field. Now Andy Dalton takes over, and he posted a massive game against the Seahawks last year filling in for Young early in the season. If he moves the ball at all this week, the Panthers could definitely score the upset win against a Raiders team likely to be hung over after a shocking rally to beat the Ravens in Baltimore last week.

Why listen to me? I'm 636-534-34 (+4899) on ATS picks over the last seven years and even better with my top five picks each week, going 428-327-25 (56.7%) over the last nine years in the Las Vegas ATS contests. While this doesn't involve picking against the spread, I do believe by applying the strategies I've developed to have long-term success on those picks to survivor pools, we'll be in the best position to outlast the competition this season.  

Below, you'll find my top options for this week as well as a tiered set of options for every week over the rest of the season, including breakouts for the Thanksgiving/Black Friday and Christmas slates. Let's dig in.

What are the best options to use in survivor pools in Week 3? And which teams should be saved to use later in the season? ... Join SportsLine right now to see NFL Survivor Pool strategy from the expert who's 636-534-34 on ATS picks from 2017 to 2023, returning almost 50 units!