After a stressful Week 5 with a few picks going down to the end, Week 6 was relaxing as the Colts, Rams and Chiefs won easily. There have been few upsets recently among the top choices in survivor pools. Three games in Week 7 have a line of at least 12 points, so they will likely be popular. Only one other game as a spread of at least seven points. Six teams are on bye, including some of the top teams.

Here are my top survivor picks for the week.

  1. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are 17.5-point favorites over the 1-5 Texans. The Cardinals are 6-0, winning five games by at least seven points. They have scored at least 31 points in five games and are averaging 32.3 points per game. They have held opponents to 20 points or fewer in five games, allowing an average of 18.2 points per game, which is second best in the NFL. The Cardinals don't have an obvious spot to use them until Week 15 and it's on the road in Detroit. After beating the Jaguars in Week 1, the Texans have lost five consecutive games, including four by double-digits and have scored 25 points over the last three games. The Texans rank near the bottom in most defensive categories. 
  2. Los Angeles Rams: The Rams host the Lions this week and travel to Houston next week and host Jacksonville in Week 13 if you're looking ahead or need a tiebreaker between the big favorites. The Rams are favored by 15.5 points over the Lions as Matthew Stafford faces his former team. The Rams are 5-1 and the loss came against the undefeated Cardinals. The Rams passing game has been explosive with 26 plays of 20-plus yards, while the Lions are last in yards per completion (13.5) and have allowed 27 plays of 20 yards or more. The Rams are ranked fourth in defensive DVOA. Since Week 1, the Lions haven't scored more than 17 points in a game. 
  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers have 10 days of rest after playing Thursday night and are favored by 12 points over the Bears. It's bad matchup for the Bears, who rely on running the ball and the Buccaneers are a shut down defense against the run. Many teams don't even bother to run. The Buccaneers weakness is against the pass, especially with several players injured in the secondary. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields hasn't attempted more than 27 passes in a game. The Bears haven't been competitive against the better teams losing by 20 to the Rams, 20 to the Browns and 10 to the Packers. 
     

Last week: 3-0

Season: 17-1