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NFL Survivor Pool Guide – Week 17

An NFL survivor pool is a wonderful thing. It gives casual fans something to cheer for when they don’t have the time for fantasy sports. As simple as it sounds to pick one winner each week, there is a lot more that you must consider. Each week, I will discuss point spreads, ownership rate, injuries and weather. This will help you decide which team you should choose for your pool. I’ll offer a multi-faceted approach that will give you several options for each week. These options are based on your level of risk tolerance. This is My NFL Survivor Pool Guide – Week 17 Edition.

NFL Survivor Pool Guide Week 17 – The Heavy Favorites

San Francisco 49ers, 9.72% ownership (-13.5) at Washington Commanders, 0.00% ownership. The 49ers will look to rebound from their Christmas Day embarrassment at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in a far easier matchup with the Washington Commanders. Brock Purdy threw 5 interceptions in the loss, but Raven’s pass defence is far more potent than the Commanders and will make for a prime get-right spot for San Francisco. Despite their rough outing against the class of the AFC, the 49ers are still the team to beat in the NFC and will destroy Washington.

Risk= 0

Buffalo Bills, 23.61% ownership (-12.0) vs. New England Patriots, 0.00% ownership. The Bills have surged back to life over the past month. After looking like they were destined to miss the playoffs for much of the season, they quickly looked like contenders once again. The Bills are on a roll and as the Patriots continue to flounder, they should have little trouble dispatching them in this matchup.

Risk = 0

Philadelphia Eagles, 25.01% (-10.5) vs. Arizona Cardinals, 0.00%. The Eagles are another Juggernaut squad that has looked vulnerable at times over the past few weeks. One week they look like worked beaters and the next week they look terrible. This week, they too get an easy matchup to fix what ails them. The Cardinals have been far better with Kyler Murray back in the lineup, but will still prove to be the inferior team in this battle of NFC birds.

Risk = 0

Jacksonville Jaguars, 6.94% (-7.0) vs. Carolina Panthers, 0.00%. The Jaguars are struggling to cope with the injury to Trevor Lawrence and are likely to be without him once again in Week 17. Even with a backup quarterback in the lineup, the Panthers are easily the worst team in the NFL and will be unable to take advantage of the depleted Jaguars squad. In the long run, this may be exactly what the Jaguars need as they should be able to beat the Panthers and rest up Lawrence to get him fully healthy for a lengthy playoff run.

Risk = 1

NFL Survivor Pool Guide Week 17 – The Sneaky Value Picks

Cleveland Browns, 5.56% ownership (-7.0) vs. New York Jets, 0.00% ownership. The Browns may be the second-best team in the AFC and since they aren’t taking on the Ravens this week, I’m going to go with them 100%. The Jets are every bit as good on defence as the Browns, but the Browns are miles above the Jets on the offensive side of the ball. Look for Cleveland to cement themselves in the AFC playoff picture in a one-sided game.

Risk = 3

Los Angeles Rams, 9.72% ownership (-6.0) at New York Giants, 0.00% ownership. The Rams have been riding the hot hands of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and youngsters Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams. This week they get a Giants team that was hot for a few weeks but has since seen the shine fade from impromptu starting quarterback Tommy DeVito. This is yet another Week 17 matchup that figures to be one-sided as the gap in talent between these two teams is growing by the day.

Risk = 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 0.00% ownership (-3.0) vs. New Orleans Saints, 0.00% ownership. The Buccaneers may default into the NFC South crown, a sad statement to say the least. Baker Mayfield hasn’t been elite this season but he has easily been the best quarterback in this division. With the Saints banged up on defence and essentially on life-support for the playoffs, Tampa Bay should find a way to wrap up the division in this one.

Risk = 5

Denver Broncos, 5.56% ownership (-5.0) vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 0.00% ownership. The Broncos were on fire and looked destined to sneak into the playoffs before stumbling as of late. This week, however, they face a Chargers squad with little to play for a no healthy players to do trot out. Los Angeles was once viewed as a Super Bowl contender, but injuries and poor play have doomed their season and will see them sitting out the playoffs. Denver may be a borderline playoff-caliber team but they have a far healthier roster with far more to play for in Week 17. Look for Denver to continue their playoff push.

Risk = 5

NFL Survivor Pool Guide Week 17 – The Upset Special

Detroit Lions, 0.00% ownership (+7.0) vs. Dallas Cowboys, 0.00% ownership. The Lions just won arguably the biggest game in 30 years for the city of Detroit and yet there is more work to be done for the Lions. The 49er’s loss on Monday night left an opening for the Lions to claim the top seed in the NFC. The Lions may be in tough this week with the Cowboys, but this game is certainly closer than it appears. Give me the underdog Lions here and we will see if the Detroit crowd can fuel this team to the playoffs.

Risk = 9

Atlanta Falcons, 2.78% ownership (+3.0) at Chicago Bears, 4.17% ownership. The Falcons are the least bad team in this game. That’s it. That’s the best thing I can say. Both teams are awful and the fact that the NFC South has allowed Atlanta to stay in the division race is the only thing saving this game from being a total throwaway.

Risk = 4

Cincinnati Bengals, 0.00% ownership (+7.0) at Kansas City Chiefs, 0.00% ownership. The Bengals and Chiefs are both once elite teams that seem full of holes right now. The Chiefs were upset by the Raiders, while the Bengals have been all over the map under backup quarterback Jake Browning. Who wins this one is anybody’s guess. Truthfully I don’t expect the Bengals to win, but if you are out of good options and need to play an underdog, Cincinnati has as good a shot as any.

Risk = 8

Green Bay Packers, 0.00% ownership (+2.5) at Minnesota Vikings, 0.00% ownership. The Packers and Vikings are two NFC North teams battling for a wild card spot after seeing the Lions claim the division. The Packers and Vikings are nearly dead even in talent. This week I’m going to side with Jordan Love who has been playing far better than any quarterback the Vikings have trotted out.

Risk = 9

NFL Survivor Pool Guide Week 17 – The Must Avoids

Indianapolis Colts, 0.00% ownership (-3.0) vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 1.39% ownership. The Colts are an average team that has been playing down to their opponents. The Raiders are a terrible team that has been playing up to their opponents. That’s a terrible combination for betting purposes. Sure, the Colts have far more to play for as they are playing for a playoff spot, but the same could have been said last week for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Risk = 7

Baltimore Ravens, 9.72% ownership (-3.5) vs. Miami Dolphins, 0.00% ownership. The Ravens are the best team in football. That was evident on Christmas Day against the 49ers. My concern here is that the Dolphins and Ravens are just too close. They are battling for the top seed in the AFC and this game is too close to call. I strongly prefer the Ravens here, but that’s not to say it isn’t without risk.

Risk = 6

Seattle Seahawks, 1.39% ownership (-3.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 0.00% ownership. The Seahawks and Steelers are both 8-7 and are doing their best to sneak into the playoffs and both teams have dealt with quarterback injuries and have struggled at times. Can we trust a Pittsburgh team being led by Mason Rudolph? I prefer not to, so I’m going to avoid this one altogether.

Risk = 7

Houston Texans, 2.78% ownership (-3.5) vs. Tennessee Titans, 0.00% ownership. The Texans are easily the better team in this AFC South matchup. With them battling for a playoff spot they should be an easy pick. The Texans are just too banged up to be a trustworthy pick this week. Sadly they may see those injuries cost them a playoff spot.

Risk = 7