NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 16: Advice and Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 12/17/2025

NFL survivor pool picks Week 16 Jawhar Jordan Houston Texans

If you are still alive in your survivor pool, the final three weeks of the season will be very intense. There weren’t any major upsets last week in the NFL, with the Jaguars, Texans, 49ers, Bears, Seahawks, Rams, and Eagles all taking care of business as 6+ point favorites. It isn’t the time to take our foot off the gas, as the stakes couldn’t be higher with three weeks left in the regular season. All 32 teams are in action, but with limited safe options left to choose from, this will be a crucial week for the surviving entries. Here are the survivor pool picks for all 16 games this week, ranked from most to least confident.

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Houston Texans (-14) Over Las Vegas Raiders

The Texans are the most confident pick of the week, and since we haven’t used them yet this year, this is an easy choice for our official pick of the week. Houston’s dominance on defense will stop the Raiders from doing anything this week, as they are coming off a shutout loss against the Eagles in Week 15. While they will probably be able to put a few points on the board, consistently moving the ball against Houston is next to impossible. The Texans are playing amazing complementary football, and this should be a very straightforward victory.

Buffalo Bills (-10.5) Over Cleveland Browns

The Bills scored five straight touchdowns to come back and beat the Patriots last week, and taking care of business against the Browns shouldn’t be too difficult. Myles Garrett continues to inch towards history, but the rest of the Browns roster is a complete disaster. The Bills are much better on both sides of the ball, and Josh Allen will not let this season slip away. There is no more time to save Buffalo, so if you haven’t used them yet, do so this week.

Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) Over Washington Commanders

Road teams in divisional matchups can sometimes lead to surprising results, but that will not be the case in this one. The Eagles have a legitimate shot at running the table in the NFC, and a loss to the lowly Commanders would be a huge surprise. Washington’s defense is a joke, Jayden Daniels has been shut down for the season, and Philadelphia should cruise to a straightforward win.

San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) Over Indianapolis Colts

The Colts' Cinderella season is finished. Philip Rivers may not be the worst quarterback in the league, but he isn’t good enough at 44 years old to lead a team into the postseason. San Francisco has been firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball, and the Colts' defense hasn’t been an elite unit over the last month. The 49ers have the Bears and Seahawks left on their schedule, meaning this is the last chance to use them this season.

New Orleans Saints (-4.5) Over New York Jets

It is very rare to see a 4-10 team this high on the survivor pool rankings. However, when the Jets are the opponent, it absolutely makes sense. If you are running out of options at this stage of the season, which you undoubtedly are, the Saints are an excellent contrarian pick this week. Tyler Shough has been consistent in the pocket, the New Orleans defense has started to improve, and they are no longer in salary cap hell from Derek Carr’s contract. The Jets are struggling on both sides of the ball and are an automatic fade for the final weeks of the year.

Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) Over New York Giants

The Minnesota Vikings just did a good job at controlling the Dallas offense, which makes taking down an inferior NFC East side that much more attainable. Don’t let this short spread scare you from tailing the Vikings if you haven’t used them up. Minnesota has a strong defense, a developing offense, and is a much healthier squad compared to New York. If you have used the other mentioned teams or just can’t bring yourself to take the Saints, the Vikings are a great choice for Week 16.

Detroit Lions (-6.5) Over Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are one of the underdogs that could win this week, but all the momentum is still with the Lions. Detroit needs every win it can get to make the playoffs, and its superior offense will shine in this matchup. They don’t have any easy matchups left on their schedule either, making them a solid pick with a decent spread.

Denver Broncos (-3) Over Jacksonville Jaguars

Fading the Jaguars is a tough proposition, but the Broncos keep finding ways to win football games. Bo Nix and the offense haven’t always looked great, but they have been the best fourth-quarter offense in the league. Their ability to win in clutch situations has turned them into a Super Bowl favorite, and they are a solid choice at home against Jacksonville. However, they do have a game against the reeling Chiefs next week, so it may be worthwhile to save them until then.

Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5) Over Miami Dolphins

The Bengals' offense was dreadful last week, but a much softer Miami defense will let them get back on track. Keeping the connection between Joe Burrow and his receivers alive is crucial, and the Bengals will not throw in the towel against the Dolphins. Miami does play better in warm weather, but with a potential Tua Tagovailoa benching on the cards, the Dolphins are an easy fade.

Dallas Cowboys (-2.5) Over Los Angeles Chargers

The Cowboys will be eliminated from the playoffs with a loss here, but I think they keep their season alive with a win over the Chargers. Their bolstered pass rush will be able to expose a struggling Chargers offensive line. When the Chargers are forced to punt, giving a potent Cowboys offense extra possessions, Dallas will eventually pull away at home.

Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) Over Tennessee Titans

This is less of a play on the Chiefs and more of a fade against the Titans. Gardner Minshew came in and threw the Chiefs' season away last week, but with a full week of preparation for a struggling Titans side, he will look a lot better. Tennessee is already looking to the draft, and they will not damage their draft stock with a meaningless win against Kansas City.

Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) Over Arizona Cardinals

These two bird teams are already looking to next year, but the edge goes to Atlanta in this one. There is no incentive to tank for the Falcons, while the Cardinals are desperately looking for the answer at quarterback. While Atlanta is a sneaky good pick this week, they do have a Week 18 matchup against the Saints, where it might make sense to save them for.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) Over Carolina Panthers

The NFC South has been a horrendous divisional race, but someone has to win. Tampa Bay is the healthier side heading into the final stretch of the year, and they are a solid pick against Carolina. However, the Bucs get to play the Panthers at home later this season, and still have a matchup against the Dolphins to look forward to. They aren’t the most confident pick, and are a team we might want to use later this year.

Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) Over New England Patriots

Two AFC favorites facing off makes either side a risky selection in a survivor pool. While the edge goes to the Ravens at home, the Patriots will certainly be mad after letting the division slip away last week against Buffalo. Two desperate teams with plenty to play for is a recipe for disaster in a survivor pool.

Chicago Bears (+1.5) Over Green Bay Packers

The NFC North will likely come down to this matchup. Micah Parsons’ injury has evaporated the spread in this one, and there is no justification for fading either of these red-hot teams in the survivor pool format. There are several short favorites higher on the list to choose from, making this a clear spot to avoid.

Los Angeles Rams (-1) Over Seattle Seahawks

These are the two Super Bowl favorites squaring off with a minimal spread. I couldn’t think of a worse matchup for a survivor pool pick at this stage of the season. Just stay away.

Official Pick of the Week: Houston Texans Over Las Vegas Raiders

Contrarian Survivor Pool Pick of the Week: New Orleans Saints Over New York Jets

Teams Used: Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars

Status: Dead (Week 14)

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Pick:	UNDER 2.5 (+115)
Start:	December 20, 2025 @ 7:30 AM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. English Premier League Take Newcastle/Chelsea UNDER 2.5 (+115) (7:30 a.m. EST, Saturday Dec 20) We were on the Chelsea UNDER last week for our free pick and despite a 2-0 halftime lead for Chelsea vs Everton, there were no goals in the second half and we cashed that ticket. We will strike again here as we think there is nice value getting the under at plus- money. Five of the last seven meetings, including the last two, where Newcastle was the home side have gone under 2.5. Chelsea have scored only a single goal in their last two EPL road tilts, including laying a goose egg last road match at Bournemouth. Despite notching two goals at home last week vs. Everton, something just seems off with this team recently and we don’t see them getting more than a goal here and another shut out is certainly a possibility. They have one goal total in the last four visits to Newcastle. Newcastle was shut out vs. Sunderland last time out, so suddenly they have lost offensive form as well. We think this will be a low scoring match and expect to cash this plus-money ticket. Read More Read Less

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