NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 18: Advice and Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 12/31/2025

NFL survivor pool picks Week 18 Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals

The final week of the NFL regular season is here, and the stakes couldn’t be higher in your survivor pool. You are now one win away from the ultimate prize, and there are several solid matchups to choose from in Week 18. We only suffered one loss this year, the Buccaneers losing to the Saints in Week 14, for what was an otherwise productive season. Both our official (Bengals), and contrarian (Jaguars) selections won last week, leaving us with a few viable choices in Week 18. There is no long-term strategy needed for this week, as you should take the most confident pick that you still have remaining. Let’s jump straight into the survivor pool picks for Week 18.

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

Denver Broncos (-11.5) Over Los Angeles Chargers

This is the top play of the week. The Broncos have all the motivation to win as it would secure them the top seed in the AFC, and the valuable bye that goes with it. The Broncos have a league-high 64 sacks this season, 11 more than the next closest team. Their defensive line will completely terrorize Trey Lance, who is filling in for the injured Justin Herbert this week. Once you factor in the Chargers' struggling offensive line into the equation, there isn’t a more lopsided contest in Week 18.

Jacksonville Jaguars (-12.5) Over Tennessee Titans

Jacksonville isn’t far behind the Broncos this week, making them another incredibly strong choice. They can clinch the AFC South with a win, and it is not as if the Titans are an incredibly formidable opponent. Trevor Lawrence has caught fire at the perfect time, giving the Jaguars life they haven’t seen since the days of Blake Bortles.

New England Patriots (-10.5) Over Miami Dolphins

Drake Maye will look to put a stamp on his MVP campaign, and we all know how the Dolphins have fared in cold-weather games in recent years. New England’s explosive offense will not be contained, and it would take a miracle from Quinn Ewers to keep this close. New England still has an outside shot at taking the top seed in the AFC, meaning they are unlikely to take it easy against Miami either.

Minnesota Vikings (-7) Over Green Bay Packers

The Vikings will be our official selection this week. Minnesota has a strong defense, and they will want to keep developing the connection between JJ McCarthy and Justin Jefferson. Green Bay is looking like it will be without both Jordan Love and Malik Willis in this one, leaving their offense incredibly handcuffed. As long as McCarthy doesn’t turn the ball over multiple times, this is the Vikings game to lose.

Houston Texans (-10.5) Over Indianapolis Colts

The Texans' defense has carried them on their eight-game win streak, and they will do so again when the Colts come to town. Riley Leonard is probably an upgrade over Philip Rivers, but that doesn’t mean the Colts offense will suddenly come to life. Houston needs to get their offense going themselves if they hope to make a deep playoff run, and a generous Colts defense is the perfect victim.

Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5) Over Cleveland Browns

Will this be the final game of Joe Burrow’s career in Cincinnati? Probably not, but it is fun to think about his future if you’re not a Bengals fan. Cleveland has shown signs of life in recent weeks, but the Bengals still have too much to offer offensively to consider an upset here. Shedeur Sanders is still a very raw talent, and an improving Bengals defense will find success in forcing him to make mistakes.

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) Over Pittsburgh Steelers

The AFC North is on the line, as if there already wasn’t enough riding on your Week 18 survivor pool picks. The Ravens are a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball, overcoming their 1-5 start to set up a late playoff push. Pittsburgh relies on advantages in the trenches to succeed, but it will not have enough of an edge there to find success against the Ravens. Lamar Jackson should be good to go for this one, making this an even stronger pick.

Los Angeles Rams (-7.5) Over Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have lost eight in a row and now take on the Super Bowl favorites on the road. That is a recipe for disaster, and if the Rams play all their starters, they could be the top selection of the week. However, they have little to play for and may elect to rest their key players for this matchup. Their backups will still probably get the win, but they are a bit further down the list due to lineup uncertainty.

Buffalo Bills (-7.5) Over New York Jets

The Bills are jockeying for seeding, and the 5th seed could prove to be a very valuable spot in the AFC. Josh Allen is a pure competitor at heart, and the Bills are almost always a solid survivor pool selection against the Jets. New York will not want to risk hurting their draft position with nothing to play for, and lackluster play on both sides of the ball gives them little hope of an upset. Another bad year in New York, and you can capitalize one final time with a strong survivor pool pick in Week 18.

Atlanta Falcons (-3) Over New Orleans Saints

The Falcons are red hot with three straight wins, and they will be our contrarian selection this week. The Saints have started to wake themselves up, but there are still too many issues on the defensive side of the ball to trust them in the regular season finale. Atlanta will want to keep their momentum high heading into next year, where they will be a real threat in the NFC South.

Chicago Bears (-3) Over Detroit Lions

The Bears should be able to win this one against a lifeless Lions side, but it is hard to know which version of Detroit we will see. If they take it seriously, they could certainly pull off the upset, but I am not sure they will. The mental barrier it takes to compete after securing the top seed in the NFC last season to missing the playoffs this year is hard to overcome.

Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5) Over Las Vegas Raiders

How can you trust either of these teams? Kansas City is looking to regroup, and while they don’t have the roster to beat many teams in the league, they still have enough to beat the lowly Raiders. Las Vegas will be on the clock this time next week with another defeat, and they won’t be looking to win this one even if the Chiefs hand it to them on a silver platter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) Over Carolina Panthers

The Panthers already beat the Buccaneers once this year, and they could easily do it again with the NFC South on the line. Tampa Bay’s offensive playmakers still give them a slight edge, but this isn’t a matchup you should touch with your survivor pool life on the line.

Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) Over Washington Commanders

The Eagles will be resting lots of starters here, and you never know what will happen in a heated divisional game. It is hard to have much faith in Josh Johnson at quarterback, but it is equally hard to have faith in the Eagles' reserves against a Commanders side with nothing to lose.

Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) Over San Francisco 49ers

The top seed in the NFC is on the line in this one, and there is no reason to touch either of these two Super Bowl favorites on Saturday night.

Official Pick of the Week: Minnesota Vikings Over Green Bay Packers

Contrarian Survivor Pool Pick of the Week: Atlanta Falcons Over New Orleans Saints

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, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals

Status: Dead (Week 14)

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Start:	December 31, 2025 @ 10:00 PM
Expert:	Nick Menken
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NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 18: Advice and Predictions

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