NFL Survivor Pool Picks Strategies - How To Win Survivor Leagues

Survivor is one of the oldest and simplest pools for football fans. The popularity of Survivor league pools have been overtaken by fantasy football in recent years, but Survivor still remains one of the most fun and most popular contests for NFL pools.

Even though NFL Survivor leagues are simple pools, they are exciting and tough to win. There are so many ways you can win or lose in a given week or pool -- whether it's by a kicker hitting a 50-yarder instead of a 49-yarder or a running back being an inch short of a touchdown.

Today I'll talk about some strategies for how to approach Survivor pools, and help you win big with your Survivor leagues this year!

NFL Survivor Pool Leagues Overview

Pick an NFL team to win each week, and you can't use that them again later in the season -- the format can't get any easier. You don't need to worry about every little injury like you do in fantasy football, you can just root for the team to win, not the player, with no strings attached. It doesn't get any better.

I LOVE SURVIVOR POOLS!!!!!

— SCOTT SODEN (Hotshot Scott) (@ScottSoden) September 10, 2019

It seems every year there are more storylines in the NFL season, more predictions, too much information that you don't know what to believe. When making picks, try to drown out that noise and go with your gut. Don't listen to that analyst on TV because they most likely are not putting their money where their mouth is.

The worst thing is having a team lined up as your pick, but change it at the last moment. Trusting your initial reaction is the best way to go about this pool.

Below I'll talk more about different strategies for playing Survivor, and my personal commentary on each.

NFL Survivor Pool League Strategies

There are several ways to play Survivor contests (also referred to as Survivor Pools and Survivor Leagues):

Week-By-Week: 

Just what it sounds like. Don't look ahead, take it week-by-week choosing a team that will advance you.

The Long-Game: 

People plot out the entire season from Week 1-18. They look at the entire schedules determining when it would be best to choose teams based on opponents and other scheduling factors.

I've personally never done this because injuries to star players can throw the whole plan into disarray. But if you like this strategy, I'd advise looking ahead a maximum of three weeks and plotting the season a month at a time.

Contrarian:

Don't take the big popular favorite each week. The reason why people like this strategy -- when one of the big favorites gets knocked out, the majority of entrants are eliminated and you aren't.

Teams To Fade: 

Find the team that will be the worst and constantly fade them. Last year it was the Bears, this year it will likely be the Cardinals.

My NFL Survivor Pool League Strategy

I personally use a combination of all of the above Survivor strategies. I obviously want a team I'm confident in weekly -- and I also like to look ahead, but not too far ahead. And also I don't like to be with the majority of people on my pick.

The object is to win and you need to have teams available for later on. Don't just blindly choose a 16-point favorite in a given week -- if that team goes down, 75% of the remaining pool will likely be out.

Ask yourself, will I be able to choose this team again and if so, are there alternatives I feel comfortable with that give me as good a chance to advance?

NFL Lines for the ENTIRE 2023 season
(DraftKings Sportsbook)

Main Takeaways
• Cardinals are favored in ZERO games this season.
• Falcons are favored in eight games, but none of them are more than three points.
• Panthers are underdogs in six straight games leading into their bye week.… pic.twitter.com/1Z1PEvcbDQ

— Connor Allen (@ConnorAllenNFL) August 15, 2023

Get Ready for Survivor Pools for Week 1

All season long I'll be bringing you weekly survivor pool columns on NFL teams to target and avoid each week. Survivor league strategy is a major part of winning your pools, and this article series will help you through the 2023 NFL season.

Be sure to check back after Labor Day with my picks for Week 1, and playoff predictions. I am leaning right now toward the Washington Commanders over the Arizona Cardinals for the opening week. As the chart above shows, they're not expected to be favored again all season.

Exactly one month from now, Sept. 7, the NFL kicks-off Week 1 of the 2023 season.#Lions vs #Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 🏈🔥 pic.twitter.com/7nbnPYixum

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 7, 2023

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