NFL Survivor Pools
The survivor pool or eliminator challenge is one of the most popular NFL betting games behind only fantasy football. The premise of the survivor pool is simple. You have to pick one team each week to win that week's games. You can only pick each NFL team once during the season. If you guess correctly, you survive the week and continue on in the pool. If you lose, you are out, except in the case of some survivor pools that allow rebuys until a certain week such as Week 8 or 9.
The game seems so simple, yet every year a large percentage of people will get busted by a particular game that they thought was a lock. This is the NFL and it is "any given Sunday". So, what can you do to better your odds of winning?
If you are planning on making a deep run in the survivor pool, you must be able to have the foresight to make early picks that will better your odds and not leave you hamstrung later on. Sure, picking one of the best NFL teams against one of the worst is going to be popular from week to week; but you only get to use this team once, so be careful and be selective with you picks.
2014 Survivor Pool Advice
I have created a chart for this year's NFL survivor pool. This is not going to be a strict guide to making picks, just an easier way for you to see what games have the best chance of winning each week. Having this handy guide will help you choose early picks while still allowing you to keep teams like Denver, New Orleans and Seattle in your back pocket for late in the season when all the money is on the line.
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 |
| Eagles vs Jags | Saints vs Browns | Pats vs Raiders | Chargers vs Jags | Steelers vs Jags |
| Bears vs Bills | Packers vs Jets | Colts vs Jags | Colts vs Titans | Packers vs Vikings |
| Steelers vs Browns | Redskins vs Jags | Saints vs Vikings | Steelers vs Bucs | Lions vs Bills |
| Chiefs vs Titans | Pats vs Vikings | Bengals vs Titans | Lions vs Jets | Saints vs Bucs |
| Jets vs Raiders | Cowboys vs Titans | Falcons vs Bucs | Saints vs Cowboys | Seahawks vs Redskins |
| Pats vs Dolphins | Broncos vs Chiefs | Ravens vs Browns | Dolphins vs Raiders | Broncos vs Cardinals |
| Seahawks vs Packers | Seahawks vs Chargers | Chargers vs Bills | Falcons vs Vikings | Eagles vs Rams |
| 49ers vs Cowboys | Bengals vs Falcons | Bears vs Jets | Texans vs Bills | Cowboys vs Texans |
| Lions vs Giants | 49ers vs Bears | Cowboys vs Rams | 49ers vs Eagles | 49ers vs Chiefs |
| Panthers vs Bucs | Texans vs Raiders | Chiefs vs Dolphins | Giants vs Redskins | Chargers vs Jets |
| Saints vs Falcons | Ravens vs Steelers | Giants vs Texans | Redskins vs Giants | Titans vs Browns |
| Broncos vs Colts | Bucs vs Rams | 49ers vs Cardinals | Patriots vs Chiefs | Falcons vs Giants |
| Vikings vs Rams | Steelers vs Ravens | Eagles vs Redskins | Packers vs Bears | Patriots vs Bengals |
| Cardinals vs Chargers | Cardinals vs Giants | Packers vs Lions | Bills vs Texans | Browns vs Titans |
| Rams vs Vikings | Dolphins vs Bills | Panthers vs Steelers | Ravens vs Panthers | Colts vs Ravens |
| Chargers vs Cardinals | Panthers vs Lions | Bucs vs Falcons | Panthers vs Ravens | Panthers vs Bears |
| Redskins vs Texans | Rams vs Bucs | Rams vs Cowboys | Raiders vs Dolphins | Vikings vs Packers |
| Packers vs Seahawks | Colts vs Eagles | Texans vs Giants | Vikings vs Falcons | Bears vs Panthers |
| Texans vs Redskins | Bills vs Dolphins | Giants vs Falcons | ||
| Raiders vs Texans | ||||
| Giants vs Cardinals |
| Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 |
| Seahawks vs Cowboys | Cardinals vs Raiders | Chiefs vs Rams | Bengals vs Jags | Cowboys vs Jags |
| Broncos vs Jets | Bears vs Dolphins | Broncos vs Chargers | Seahawks vs Raiders | Ravens vs Titans |
| 49ers vs Rams | Pats vs Jets | Dolphins vs Jags | 49ers vs Rams | Broncos vs Raiders |
| Pats vs Bills | Seahawks vs Rams | Jets vs Bills | Chiefs vs Jets | Bengals vs Browns |
| Colts vs Texans | Steelers vs Texans | Browns vs Raiders | Eagles vs Texans | Seahawks vs Giants |
| Packers vs Dolphins | Redskins vs Titans | Cowboys vs Redskins | Saints vs Panthers | Chiefs vs Bills |
| Titans vs Jags | Browns vs Jags | Bucs vs Vikings | Colts vs Giants | Lions vs Dolphins |
| Cardinals vs Redskins | Packers vs Panthers | Seahawks vs Panthers | Bucs vs Browns | Cardinals vs Rams |
| Steelers vs Browns | Ravens vs Falcons | Bengals vs Ravens | Cowboys vs Cardinals | Falcons vs Bucs |
| Chargers vs Raiders | Vikings vs Bills | Pats vs Bears | Cardinals vs Cowboys | Steelers vs Jets |
| Ravens vs Bucs | Cowboys vs Giants | Texans vs Titans | Chargers vs Dolphins | Packers vs Bears |
| Eagles vs Giants | Saints vs Lions | Lions vs Falcons | Panthers vs Saints | Eagles vs Panthers |
| Bengals vs Panthers | Bills vs Vikings | Falcons vs Lions | Browns vs Bucs | Browns vs Bengals |
| Lions vs Vikings | Jags vs Browns | Colts vs Steelers | Vikings vs Redskins | Panthers vs Eagles |
| Bears vs Falcons | Colts vs Bengals | Titans vs Texans | Redskins vs Vikings | Bucs vs Falcons |
| Texans vs Colts | Chiefs vs Chargers | Vikings vs Bucs | ||
| Falcons vs Bears | Broncos vs 49ers | Eagles vs Cardinals | ||
| Panthers vs Bengals | Giants vs Cowboys | Raiders vs Browns | ||
| Chargers vs Chiefs | Redskins vs Cowboys | |||
| Jets vs Pats | Bills vs Jets | |||
| Falcons vs Ravens | Saints vs Packers | |||
| Cardinals vs Eagles |
| Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 |
| Bears vs Vikings | Colts vs Jags | Rams vs Raiders | 49ers vs Raiders | Ravens vs Jags |
| 49ers vs Giants | Falcons vs Browns | Giants vs Jags | Lions vs Bucs | Packers vs Bills |
| Chargers vs Raiders | Chiefs vs Raiders | Panthers vs Vikings | Broncos vs Bills | Chiefs vs Raiders |
| Broncos vs Rams | 49ers vs Redskins | Colts vs Redskins | Packers vs Falcons | Panthers vs Bucs |
| Dolphins vs Bills | Eagles vs Titans | Texans vs Titans | Colts vs Bowns | Pats vs Dolphins |
| Panthers vs Falcons | Bears vs Bucs | Bills vs Browns | Texans vs Jags | Cardinals vs Rams |
| Steelers vs Titans | Packers vs Vikings | Bengals vs Bucs | Ravens vs Dolphins | Lions vs Vikings |
| Saints vs Bengals | Broncos vs Dolphins | Lions vs Bears | Redskins vs Rams | Bengals vs Browns |
| Redskins vs Bucs | Saints vs Ravens | Eagles vs Cowboys | Bears vs Cowboys | Colts vs Texans |
| Texans vs Browns | Pats vs Lions | Falcons vs Cardinals | Saints vs Panthers | Eagles vs Cowboys |
| Packers vs Eagles | Chargers vs Rams | Saints vs Steelers | Giants vs Titans | Giants vs Redskins |
| Cardinals vs Lions | Bengals vs Texans | Bears vs Lions | Vikings vs Jets | Rams vs Carbinals |
| Bills vs Dolphins | Seahawks vs Cardinals | Jets vs Dolphins | Pats vs Chargers | Steelers vs Falcons |
| Browns vs Texans | Jets vs Bills | Ravens vs Chargers | Cowboys vs Bears | Jets vs Titans |
| Seahawks vs Chiefs | Giants vs Cowboys | Titans vs Texans | Rams vs Redskins | Falcons vs Steelers |
| Lions vs Cardinals | Bills vs Jets | Cardinals vs Falcons | Jets vs Vikings | Saints vs Bears |
| Falcons vs Panthers | Cowboys vs Giants | Browns vs Bills | Seahawks vs Eagles | Broncos vs Chargers |
| Bucs vs Redskins | Raiders vs Chiefs | Dolphins vs Jets | Bengals vs Steelers | Redskins vs Giants |
| Pats vs Colts | Broncos vs Chiefs | Cardinals vs Chiefs | Titans vs Jets | |
| Raiders vs Rams | Jags vs Texans | |||
| Vikings vs Panthers | Chiefs vs Cardinals | |||
| Cowboys vs Eagles | Titans vs Giants | |||
| Steelers vs Bengals |
| Week 16 | Week 17 |
| Panthers vs Browns | Texans vs Jags |
| Titans vs Jags | Ravens vs Browns |
| Packers vs Bucs | Seahawks vs Rams |
| Saints vs Falcons | Saints vs Bucs |
| 49ers vs Chargers | Broncos vs Raiders |
| Pats vs Jets | Pats vs Bills |
| Dolphins vs Vikings | Bears vs Vikings |
| Ravens vs Texans | 49er vs Cardinals |
| Seahawks vs Cardinals | Panthers vs Falcons |
| Eagles vs Redskins | Dolphins vs Jets |
| Bills vs Raiders | Redskins vs Cowboys |
| Giants vs Rams | Eagles vs Giants |
| Raiders vs Bills | Colts vs Titans |
| Rams vs Giants | Cowboys vs Redskins |
| Jags vs Titans | Packers vs Lions |
| Bears vs Lions | Falcons vs Panthers |
| Broncos vs Bengals | Chiefs vs Chargers |
| Vikings vs Dolphins | Jets vs Dolphins |
| Steelers vs Chiefs | Steelers vs Bengals |
| Colts vs Cowboys | Jags vs Texans |
| Chiefs vs Steelers | Bengals vs Steelers |
| Vikings vs Bears | |
| Chargers vs Chiefs |
2014 Survivor Pool Picks
The easiest way to go about this early on in the season is basically to pick against the Jacksonville Jaguars, especially when they are on the road against decent/good teams. I have the Eagles as my week 1 pick because of this very fact. Besides for the Eagles vs the Titans in Week 11, you don't really have another good survivor match up with Philadelphia on the schedule.
Week 2 may make or break your whole campaign. It's going to be very tempting to pick Washington at home against the Jags, but they have proven that they can lose easy games like this in the past. If you can make it past this, you have Week 3 where you may have to use a good team like the Pats, Colts, or Saints. A lot of this depends on just how poor teams like Jacksonville, Cleveland, Oakland, Tennessee, Miami and Buffalo are going to be this year.
If the Jags are as bad as last year, you can pretty much pencil in the Chargers for Week 4, the Steelers for Week 5, and the Bengals for Week 9. Only the Steelers are on the road out of these 5 teams that play Jacksonville early. None of these teams have another match up on their schedule that is survivor pool material, so none of these picks will hurt you down the road. They will only hurt if the Jaguars pull an upset.
Be wary of teams on the road. There is no such thing as a guaranteed road win except in the case where one team has dominated another such as New England vs Buffalo or when a top team plays a team that is mediocre at home.
You have to be fluid with your selections. If one of the teams listed for/against in the top 5 picks of the week plays worse than expected/better than expected, you have to take this into account and change your picks accordingly. The chart above only shows the perceived preseason rankings of each team in regards to their schedule and nothing more.
Here is my preliminary survivor pool picks:
- Week 1 - Eagles
- Week 2 - Redskins
- Week 3 - Saints
- Week 4 - Chargers
- Week 5 - Steelers
- Week 6 - Patriots
- Week 7 - Cardinals
- Week 8 - Chiefs
- Week 9 - Bengals
- Week 10 - Broncos
- Week 11 - Bears
- Week 12 - Colts
- Week 13 - Rams
- Week 14 - 49ers
- Week 15 - Packers
- Week 16 - Panthers
- Week 17 - Ravens