It's Week 2 of the 2020 NFL Eliminator Challenge. The rules are simple: Pick a winner each week, and don't use the same team twice. If you win all 17 weeks (or outlast your fellow group members), you're the champ. You can find all the rules here.
This article will look at the top Eliminator options each week, using betting lines, ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI), trends, future schedules and anything else that can help determine the best picks. (For more on how FPI is calculated, click here and here.)
Here are our recommendations for Week 2:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers
You might be nervous about picking the Bucs here, given that they lost their season opener 34-23 to the Saints. But they are currently the co-biggest favorites of the week point spread-wise, at home against another 0-1 team. Tampa is also the top pick this week according to the FPI. It's not going to be a very popular selection, at least according to our current Eliminator Challenge percentages. But remember, if you're rolling the dice here, you're rolling it with Tom Brady, a four-time Super Bowl MVP.
Line: Bucs -9
FPI favorite: Bucs 72.5%
Eliminator Challenge: 4% selected
Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Titans squeaked past the Broncos in Denver on Monday night, winning 16-14. Now they'll be at home against a team expected to be one of the worst in the league. Yes, the Jags pulled a big upset in Week 1 by knocking off the Colts. But they are still 125-1 to win the Super Bowl at William Hill -- only the Bengals' odds are worse at 200-1. (The Panthers are also 125-1, by the way -- see above.) The point spread for this game is currently the same as Bucs-Panthers, and the FPI likes the Titans very nearly as much as the Bucs. The public likes Tennessee a whole lot more, as evidenced by its current Eliminator Challenge percentage.
Line: Titans -9
FPI favorite: Titans 72.4%
Eliminator Challenge: 14% selected
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
The defending Super Bowl champs got off to a winning start last Thursday, defeating the Texans 34-20. They're the third-biggest favorites according to the FPI this week despite being on the road. The Chargers won their opener as well, but it wasn't particularly impressive -- 16-13 over the lowly Bengals. Only 9% of Eliminator Challenge participants used Kansas City in Week 1, so the Chiefs are still an option for most of you. As for the 19% who picked the Colts last week and the 10% who picked the Eagles, all we can say is, ouch!
Line: Chiefs -9
FPI favorite: Chiefs 71%
Eliminator Challenge: 5% selected
Others to consider: Ravens (-7) at Texans, Cardinals (-6.5) vs. Washington, Packers (-6) vs. Lions.
The 49ers are currently the most popular Eliminator Challenge pick this week, selected by 27% of players. San Francisco is -7 at the Jets, but the 49ers are way down the list according to the FPI -- only 61% favorites, which puts them fourth from the bottom.