NFL Survivor Pool Picks

NFL Survivor Pools Expert Advice and Predictions for Week 5
by Trevor Whenham - 10/1/2019

This is, by a wide margin, the toughest week of the season to date when it comes to NFL survivor pools selections. In fact, this is the first week that has taken more than a second of thought. It's almost unfair how things set up this week. The three worst teams in the NFL right now feel like the Dolphins, Bengals and Redskins - probably in that order.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks and Advice: Week 4
by Matt Severance - 9/25/2019

No real earth-shattering upsets in Week 3 around the NFL. Detroit went to Philadelphia and upset the Eagles, but Philly has been a crap September team for two years now and was really short-handed injury-wise. I can't say I expected the Giants to win in Tampa, but it's not like I had all that much faith in the Bucs. Just none in Daniel Jones, and boy were we all wrong.

NFL Survivor Pools Expert Advice and Predictions for Week 4
by Trevor Whenham - 9/24/2019

It has been an incredibly easy season so far for NFL survivor pool players. Every week has had very obvious picks that have turned out, for the most part, precisely as they were supposed to. Last week was even easy compared to the rest of this straightforward season - the Cowboys, Patriots and Packers were all painfully obvious picks, and they all won almost as easily as they were supposed to.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks and Advice: Week 3
by Alan Matthews - 9/18/2019

OK, I know what you are thinking already: I'm just going to use my Survivor Pick each week on whomever faces the Miami Dolphins. Well, obviously that's not possible because the Fins play their AFC East rival Patriots, Jets and Bills twice each. Second, it's still rather unlikely, even as bad as that team is (and then some after trading top cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh for a 2020 first-round pick), the Dolphins will go 0-16. Perhaps picking against them on the road is a decent idea as it's sure tough to see them avoiding 0-8 away from South Florida.

NFL Survivor Pools Expert Advice and Predictions for Week 3
by Trevor Whenham - 9/17/2019

I don't want to be unkind, but the first two weeks of NFL survivor pools action have been as easy as they can possibly be, and if you have been eliminated so far then you need to find a new hobby. The picks have been incredibly obvious both weeks and have required approximately 12 seconds combined to make the picks. And this week should take even less time. There is no decision to make. Just take the obvious team and live to fight another week.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks and Advice: Week 2
by Matt Severance - 9/11/2019

We mentioned last week that Week 1 was always the toughest in the NFL to handicap because while we think we know what teams are … we really don't. Especially with more and more coaches opting to not play any of their key guys at all during the preseason. For example, you can't tell me that a bit of rust wasn't why both Chicago's Mitchell Trubisky and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (or both first-team offenses, for that matter) struggled so badly in their opener. Stupid Bears!

NFL Survivor Pools Expert Advice and Predictions for Week 2
by Trevor Whenham - 9/10/2019

Things started out well on the survivor pool front in Week 1 of the NFL season. Basically, if you got yourself knocked out in that week then you just may not be smart enough to play survivor pools. There were five games that were obviously playable, and all five of them turned out the right way. And this week's slate is not that tough to play with, either.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks and Advice: Week 1
by Matt Severance - 9/3/2019

I am in several Survivor and Confidence Pools again this year, and I almost never put all my eggs in one basket. So, if I was to list a team in the No. 16 spot - which means that's my most confident pick - it definitely doesn't mean that's the team I will use in each Survivor Pool. Have said this before and will again: You need to play "defense" some weeks. I'll just remind those of you who were on the Minnesota Vikings last year in Week 3. Minnesota was a 17-point home favorite over the Buffalo Bills, and the Vikings got spanked 27-6.

NFL Survivor Pools Expert Advice and Predictions for Week 1
by Trevor Whenham - 9/3/2019

Another NFL season means another season of survivor pools - and, hopefully, a path to both profit and glory when we emerge as the winner. The first week of survivor pools is when a lot of people make really dumb mistakes. Heck, people make dumb mistakes in these pools every week, but the first week is particularly rough because it is so avoidable.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 17
by Matt Severance - 12/26/2018

One thing you can say about the NFL annually is that it's predictably unpredictable. Every year under the current format playoff format, there have been four new teams in the playoffs that didn't make it the previous season. That trend will continue with Chicago, Dallas, Seattle and Houston all having clinched spots after they were a combined 27-37 a season ago.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 16
by Matt Severance - 12/20/2018

If your Survivor Pool was still going into Week 15, it might have ended thanks to some surprising upsets. It all started in the Thursday night finale for 2018 as the Chargers almost impossibly rallied from down 14 points with less than four minutes left in Kansas City to stun the Chiefs 29-28. Anthony Lynn is my new favorite coach not named Matt Nagy for having the stones to go for 2 and the win.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 15
by Matt Severance - 12/11/2018

My motto in Survivor and Confidence Pools this time of year is to back teams that still have something to play for and fade those who already are making offseason tee times. However, there are times a "trap" game for a playoff contender trumps fading a team playing out the string.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 14
by Matt Severance - 12/5/2018

Here's what I wrote last week in this space: "If you are trailing by a significant amount in Confidence Pool season-long competitions at this point, it's time to take a few risks. If your leader gets a game wrong in say, the No. 14 window and you have the underdog winning in, say, No. 6. Well, you don't have to do the math."

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 13
by Matt Severance - 11/28/2018

Pretty bland/chalk week around the NFL in Week 12 as just about everyone who was supposed to win did: My top nine selections for a Survivor/Confidence Pool all won. In fact, in my primary competition I missed out on just 19 total points yet didn't even finish in the Top 5 because it was such a favorite-heavy weekend. The winner had 110 points, missing out on just 10.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 12
by Matt Severance - 11/21/2018

Thanksgiving used to be this writer's favorite holiday. First, it was a very long weekend - and Wednesday night before Thanksgiving is one of the party nights of the year. Then, my family had two Thanksgivings, one on the actual holiday and one on that Sunday because of split grandparents, etc. That meant I was swimming in leftovers of my favorite meal for at least a week.

Week 11 Survivor Pool Picks from Captain and the Big Man
by Survivor Pool Podcast - 11/16/2018

If you listened to the week 10 episode of Survivor Pool Podcast last week, you know that Captain and the Big man had another great week, highlighted by our picks of Indy and New Orleans as top choices; both were Survivor winners. Below you will find our analysis of four games on the slate for Week 11. Get involved and subscribe to the podcast for the full breakdown of all 13 games (and some laughs). This week on Survivor Pool Podcast, we have our pal AB, helping us chop up the NFL slate. AB is a Fantasy Football guru and Survivor aficionado, and we welcome his expertise and perspective.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 11
by Matt Severance - 11/14/2018

We don't talk much fantasy football here at Doc's because this is a betting site. Sure, many fantasy leagues have cash prizes for the winners, etc., but it's not betting. That's why sites like FanDuel and DraftKings originally were legal and betting on NFL games was not (outside of Nevada).

Week 10 Survivor Pool Picks from Captain and the Big Man
by Survivor Pool Podcast - 11/8/2018

If you listened to the week 9 episode of Survivor Pool Podcast last week, you would know that Captain and the Big man were 13-1. Not only did 13 of the survivor picks come through, but those teams also beat the spread (and two of them were outright dogs and won). Below you will find our analysis of four games on the slate for Week 10. Get involved and subscribe to the podcast for the full breakdown of all 14 games (and some laughs). This week on Survivor Pool Podcast, we have Steve Hytner helping us chop up the NFL slate; Steve is a hilarious comedian made famous from his work on Seinfeld, so you are sure to have some extra giggles.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 10
by Matt Severance - 11/7/2018

Reason No. 1,498,290 to not believe everything you "read" on the Internet. You know how when the last unbeaten team in the NFL each year loses? Supposedly the members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins get together and have a toast to celebrate them remaining the only members of the perfect season club.

NFL Survivor and Confidence Pool Picks and Advice: Week 9
by Matt Severance - 10/31/2018

Well, that was an interesting NFL trade deadline Tuesday, wasn't it? And I believe my Bears' chances of winning the NFC North just improved. It was interesting to see which teams were clearly trying to get better now while which were already thinking toward 2019 in terms of getting draft picks or salary-cap space. For example, do the Lions trade their best receiver, Golden Tate, to Philadelphia if Detroit is 4-3 instead of 3-4 and last in the North? OK, I get that one in a way because Tate is set for free agency after the season.