The NFL is headed into November and the playoff chase is picking up steam. The Kansas City Chiefs remain the last undefeated team, the Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFC, and maybe the Dallas Cowboys will finally fire Mike McCarthy.

Week 9 is upon us and byes are back in fashion. Last week, no teams were on bye, but this week the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers will both be sidelined.

Last week was a wild one across the league. Jayden Daniels completed a Hail Mary in the Washington Commanders shocking win over the Chicago Bears. The Cleveland Browns stunned the Baltimore Ravens in the biggest upset of the weekend. It was a fun time.

The Browns upset victory coupled with the Jets loss to the Patriots resulted in some departures from Survivor pools. We had seen some stability the previous two weeks, so a little chaos was welcome. I did well with my Survivor advice column, catching two of the upsets. I was correct on my safe and value picks, and properly warned folks to stay away from the Ravens and Jets.

And with that, I’m back with more picks for Week 9. There are plenty of options to consider and every week this season we’ll be breaking down the safest picks, the best value picks, and the potential trap picks.

Safest picks

Ravens over Broncos
Chiefs over Buccaneers

I expect the Ravens to bounce back. You should save Baltimore, but if you really need an option, this one should work out well. Kansas City will likely lose their zero at some point, but I don’t see it happening against Tampa Bay. Like the Ravens, the Chiefs are very much worth saving, however.

Best value picks

Saints over Panthers
Bengals over Raiders

Neither of these games has me super jazzed, but with things settled down the way they have, I feel comfortable enough. I have two entries remaining and am leaning toward splitting them between these two.

Trap picks

Eagles over Jaguars

It’s not entirely clear what to make of this Eagles team, but I’m hesitant to back them this week. They’ll be a popular pick this week, but I’d try and save them for Week 14 at home against the Panthers.