The Buffalo Bills were electric in 2020, and they'll look to repeat, or even exceed, that success in 2021. The Bills finished as a top-three team in points, yards, first downs and touchdowns last season, with quarterback Josh Allen earning a contract extension following a breakout campaign. Buffalo is a 6.5-point favorite at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Week 1 NFL odds from Caesars Sportsbook and many will jump on the Bills with their NFL survivor pool picks.
Other favorites that could attract attention for NFL knockout pool picks include the Los Angeles Rams (-7.5 against the Bears), Carolina Panthers (-5 against the Jets), and San Francisco 49ers (-7.5 against the Lions). Before making any Week 1 NFL survivor picks, see which team the red-hot SportsLine Projection Model just went all-in on.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,900 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six years ago. It went a sizzling 24-14 on top-rated NFL picks last season, returning more than $800. The model also enters the 2021 season on an incredible 120-78 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model also ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past five years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
The model can be used to crush the survivor pool format. Each week, the available team winning the most computer simulations has prevailed straight-up You can only see who it's backing this week here.
Top Week 1 NFL survivor pool predictions
For Week 1, the model is shying away from the Chiefs against the Browns. Cleveland's offense was one of the league's 10 best last season, averaging 25.5 points per game and generating nearly 150 yards per contest on the ground. Defensively, though, the Browns project to be improved, particularly with the additions of John Johnson, Jadeveon Clowney and Anthony Walker.
Johnson was a 16-game starter for the Rams last season, picking up 105 tackles, and is renowned for his awareness. Walker had 321 tackles in the last three seasons with the Colts, and Clowney is a former No. 1 overall pick with three Pro Bowl selections. No team projects to fully stop the Chiefs, but the Browns are too dangerous for the model's projections this week.
How to make Week 1 NFL survivor pool picks
Instead, the model is backing a stunning team that finished under .500 last season. Picking this team not only will get you to Week 2, it will also put you in the optimal position to go deep in your NFL survivor pool. The time to pick this team is now, and you can only see the play over at SportsLine.
Which surprising team is a must-back in your Week 1 survivor pool? Visit SportsLine now to see which team carries you to victory in Week 1, all from the advanced computer model that consistently crushes the NFL, and find out.
