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Welcome to our NFL Survivor Pool Picks for Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season! There are so many different pools, fantasy leagues, weekly bets, and futures bets that it's hard to decide what to do with these choices. But survivor pools are the oldest and simplest leagues out there. All you have to do is pick a team and have it win, but you can't choose it again.
All season long, I'll bring you weekly survivor pool advice for NFL teams to target and teams to avoid each week. Survivor league strategy is a major part of winning your pools, and this article will help you through the 2024 NFL season.
With a full slate of teams for the rest of the season, let's take a look at some teams to target and avoid for survivor pools in Week 17!
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Implied Point Totals, Point Spreads, and Over/Under Totals for Week 17
For detailed Survivor League strategy, and tips to help you win your league, check out our "How to win your Survivor League" guide.
Before jumping into the picks for Week 17, it's helpful to get an overview of the slate with implied point totals, point spreads, and over/under totals from betting markets. All implied totals come courtesy of FantasyLabs each week.
Now, let's look at the survivor pool pick recommendations to target and avoid for Week 17.
Top Survivor Pool Picks to Target for Week 17
Los Angeles Chargers at NE
The Chargers have had a long week to prepare for the New England Patriots, and despite it being a road game, this feels like a pretty good spot to take the Chargers if you haven't this season.
Los Angeles is a 4.0-point favorite coming into Foxborough, and despite the Patriots playing the Buffalo Bills extremely tough in Week 16, they represent a combination of teams that are unlikely to be used based on volatility throughout the season and a great matchup with a lot on the line for the Chargers.
Los Angeles can clinch a playoff spot this week in the AFC field, but defense typically travels very well, and the Patriots, while plucky, are pretty undermanned from a talent perspective. The Patriots are one of the worst teams in the league in defending the pass, as they have the second-worst defensive EPA per pass attempt and the third-worst defensive DVOA behind the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Add in the fact that the Chargers could get J.K. Dobbins back to bolster their run game, and taking the Chargers in Survivor pools seems like a very confident play.
Miami Dolphins at CLE
The Dolphins need a lot to go their way to sneak into the AFC playoffs field, but they can still do it with two wins and two of the following:
- Denver Broncos (two losses)
- Los Angeles Chargers (two losses)
- Indianapolis Colts (one loss)
While that's a tall order, the Dolphins must take care of business with their Week 17 opponent, the Cleveland Browns. Miami is a 6.5-point favorite on the road against the Browns, who capped themselves at the knee by choosing to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson on purpose. To say DTR has been awful is an understatement with one touchdown and nine interceptions in four career starts.
The one factor that makes this pick very complicated is the fact that a warm-weather team in the Miami Dolphins is coming into Cleveland late in the season. But the fact that the Browns haven't been able to move the ball with DTR at quarterback helps quell some of those concerns.
Thompson-Robinson is nursing a calf injury, and if for some reason he cannot play, it looks like Bailey Zappe would start for the Browns, so it may be time to potentially add another name to the jersey.
#dolphins RB De'Von Achane became the first player with 120+ rushing yards & 70+ receiving yards in the same game since CMC in week 17 of the 2022 szn vs. the raiders. achane's 191 yards on 23 touches was a career-high. (per:NGS) #finsup #gofins #strongertogether #runachanerun
— josh houtz (@takeittothehoutz.bsky.social) December 23, 2024 at 10:29 AM
While it's not an ideal spot to play the Dolphins, if you're still alive in your pool, you've used half of the teams in the league to this point. Beggars can't be choosers and the Dolphins have looked more like their 2023 offense versus what they looked like at the beginning of 2024 and then without Tua Tagovailoa.
The Browns are the third-lowest implied point total on the Week 17 slate, so taking the Dolphins here feels pretty good despite some of the issues we outlined.
Top Survivor Pool Picks to Avoid for Week 17
Washington Commanders vs. ATL
After an emotional win against the Philadelphia Eagles at home last week, it's possible the Commanders expended a ton of energy for that divisional game.
In Week 17, the Atlanta Falcons come to Washington, D.C. to keep their playoff hopes alive as they enter this content as a 4.0-point underdog against the host Commanders. Out is Kirk Cousins, and in is Michael Penix Jr., who looked the part in his first career NFL start against the New York Giants, where Penix didn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting.
But as good teams start to learn how to consistently win, games will come up like this that are trap games. It just so happens Atlanta has a lot to play for itself, because if the Falcons win out, they will be the NFC South champions and get a home game in the playoffs.
The Falcons will likely ride running back Bijan Robinson as far as he can take them, and he's averaged 103 rushing yards in his past four games with a touchdown per game as well.
It's a winnable game for the Falcons, and with both teams not lying down and on Sunday Night Football, it's too close to call to take one side over the other. In that case, it's going to be hard to take either one of the Commanders or the Falcons in Survivor pools.
Indianapolis Colts at NYG
Even with the Colts coming into MetLife Stadium as 8.0-point road favorites against the New York Giants, they are one of the most volatile teams in the NFL. Somehow, they're still in contention for a playoff spot, but they leave you feeling unsettled and never confident in taking them no matter the opponent.
It's pretty unlikely that many Survivor pool players have used the Indianapolis Colts this season, so even in a matchup where they should roll up the Giants, there's still FUD: fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
Every single victory from the Colts this season has been by one possession. If you're trusting the Colts this week, it's on the premise that the Giants are so bad that they still wouldn't have a chance against the Colts even if Anthony Richardson loses a fumble, throws an interception or two, or cannot complete a pass for whatever reason.
Or that Jonathan Taylor is on an epic late-season run. That could happen; Taylor just put 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the Tennessee Titans just last week. He could do the same to the Giants.
That said, the Colts feel like a bit of a trap, so even in what should be a Christmas gift to Survivor pool players, I'm extremely hesitant to put my Survivor pool standing on the line to back the Colts in Week 17.
Jonathan Taylor untouched to the house for a 70-yard touchdown.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell.com) December 22, 2024 at 1:45 PM
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