NFL Week 7 survivor picks

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If you picked the Dallas Cowboys last week, I'm sorry.

They were down as the safest pick, but I made it clear if you still had New England available that "you should be all over the Patriots. Don't give it a second thought."

If you had the Cowboys and you're reading this, you're probably only here to leave a negative comment, so have at it. If you're reading this because you had the Patriots, or some other team, and are still alive, then let's get into Week 7:

Safest pick: Buffalo Bills

It's unfair to give the Buffalo Bills two weeks to prepare for a game against the Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo boasts a suffocating top-five defense in the NFL and its unit will be well-rested for a date with a Dolphins team that doesn't know if they're starting Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Jay Fiedler at quarterback. The Bills are top four in scoring, passing, and total defense, while the Dolphins are last in both scoring and total defense.

Josh Allen has pieced together an impressive start to the season and will be three weeks removed from a concussion once this game kicks off, but the reality of the situation is that Miami's defense has been so bad, Nathan Peterman could probably win this game for Buffalo.

It's come to the point where the Dolphins are going out of their way to make sure they end up with the first overall pick. Did we all see their two-point conversion attempt in the dying seconds against the Washington Redskins? This season, it's all about the L's. The dream scenario for everyone in the Dolphins' front office is to be competitive, but lose. "Tank for Tua," as it has come to be known.

This shouldn't be a competitive AFC East clash, though. Buffalo is too good on defense for Miami to have any success moving the ball outside of garbage time. The Bills will make you shout with disgust if you don't pick them in Week 7.

If you're feeling lucky: New York Giants

The Arizona Cardinals have won two games in a row for the first time since December 2017. There is a lot to like about the direction the team is headed, but we need to pump the breaks for a second. The Cincinnati Bengals, who Arizona kicked off its winning streak against, are giving the Dolphins a legitimate run for their money as the worst team in football, while the Atlanta Falcons have completely quit on Dan Quinn and are an absolute mess at the moment. The Cardinals are improved, but they still have a long way to go behind a patchwork offensive line and porous defense.

The New York Giants mirror the Cardinals rather closely, but there are some key differences that could change the outcome of the game on Sunday.

For starters, the Giants are getting healthy; Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram returned to practice on Monday, with both looking likely to return this week. Jones is 2-0 against teams with pass defenses ranked outside the top 10. The Cardinals are ranked 30th in the NFL, in front of the Buccaneers - a team Jones threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns against. He should feast again on Sunday against an Arizona defense allowing a league-high 16 touchdowns through the air.

The Cardinals' offensive line is also one the worst in the NFL, which is problematic as they get set to face an underrated New York pass rush that has 16 sacks since Week 2, fifth-most in the NFL.

Add in the fact the Giants have three extra days to prepare after playing Thursday night in Week 6, while the Cardinals have to fly across the country for an early start, and all signs point to Jones improving to 3-2 as a starter.

Avoid: New England Patriots

First off, if you have made it this far without picking the Patriots, then you should give yourself a pat on the back. Seriously, impressive.

That being said, if the Patriots are still a bullet in your holster, this isn't the week to pull the trigger. With all the Mickey Mouse games New England has played and will play this season, using them on the road on Monday Night Football, in a divisional game, against the rejuvenated New York Jets, is nonsensical.

This was supposed to be the year Sam Darnold breaks out, but the first month of his season was derailed by a bout with mononucleosis. He became the first football player outside the ages of 14-18 to miss multiple games because of mono, probably, and became a popular internet meme as a result. However, his performance against the Cowboys was no laughing matter.

What a month for Sam Darnold! ai pic.twitter.com/XXusJIiHJr

- theScore (@theScore) October 13, 2019

Darnold threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Jets to an upset win over the Cowboys, and now the Patriots are next up on his revenge tour. He was forced to sit out the game against New England at MetLife last season, but gets them now with a year under his belt, a revamped defense, and improved weapons on offense.

New England has also lost its last two road games against Adam Gase-coached teams. If you try and convince me the Patriots are the safe pick this week, your case will fall upon deaf ears.

Week 7 safety rankings

Safety rankings (SR) are out of 10 based on the author's picks

AWAY	HOME (SPREAD)	WINNER (SR)
Miami	Buffalo (-17)	BUF (10)
Arizona	NY Giants (-3)	NYG (7)
San Francisco	Washington (+10)	SF (7)
Oakland	Green Bay (-7)	GB (6)
LA Rams	Atlanta (+3)	LAR (5)
Jacksonville	Cincinnati (+3)	JAC (5)
New England	NY Jets (+10)	NE (5)
Kansas City	Denver (+3.5)	KC (4)
Baltimore	Seattle (-3.5)	SEA (4)
Houston	Indianapolis (-1)	IND (3)
New Orleans	Chicago (-3.5)	CHI (2)
Minnesota	Detroit (pk)	MIN (1)
LA Chargers	Tennessee (-1.5)	TEN (1)
Philadelphia	Dallas (-3)	PHI (1)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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