We are fast approaching the end of bye weeks as Week 11 gets underway. The week starts on Thursday Night Football with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans. The week closes on Monday Night Football with a big NFC matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
Football survivor pool strategy/picks, Week 11: There are 2 big picks this week
We’re fast approaching the home stretch of many NFL survivor pools. If you’re still alive in your pool, we are here to provide some tips to stay that way in Week 11!
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The opening of Week 11 means it is time to look at some of the best options for NFL survivor pools. The Kansas City Chiefs will be a popular pick facing the New York Giants, and of course, it is always easy to pick against the Cleveland Browns, as they face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For those new to this kind of contest, a survivor pool involves picking one team each week that you think will win. If your team wins in Week 1, you can make a pick in Week 2. If your team wins in Week 2, you can make a pick in Week 3, and so on. The catch is that you cannot pick a team twice. You could very well use a heavy favorite in Week 1, but you won’t have access to that team later in the year if you’re alive in the closing weeks.
There is plenty of strategy in determining which team you will take each week, and SB Nation is here to help. We have two experts providing rankings for each week, and then some thoughts on weekly strategy. First up, we have a consensus ranking of all 32 teams, and which are most likely to win this week. That is followed by each writer making a pick, some reasoning for the pick, and some alternatives to consider.
Survivor rankings, Week 11
Rank | Team | Opp. | JG | SK | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City | @ NYG | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Jacksonville | @ CLE | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | New Orleans | vs. WAS | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | New England | @ OAK | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Seattle | vs. ATL | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | vs. TEN | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| 7 | Detroit | @ CHI | 6 | 8 | 9 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | @ DAL | 11 | 7 | 6 |
| 9 | LA Chargers | vs. BUF | 15 | 6 | 7 |
| 10 | Minnesota | vs. LAR | 10 | 11 | 8 |
| 11 | Denver | vs. CIN | 16 | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Baltimore | @ GB | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| 13 | Tampa Bay | @ MIA | 9 | 15 | 16 |
| 14 | Arizona | @ HOU | 7 | 16 | 21 |
| 15 | Miami | vs. TB | 20 | 14 | 12 |
| 16 | Houston | vs. ARI | 22 | 13 | 14 |
| 17 | Cincinnati | @ DEN | 13 | 19 | 23 |
| 18 | LA Rams | @ MIN | 19 | 18 | 19 |
| 19 | Green Bay | vs. BAL | 17 | 17 | 25 |
| 20 | Dallas | vs. PHI | 18 | 22 | 22 |
| 21 | Buffalo | @ LAC | 14 | 23 | 26 |
| 22 | Oakland | vs. NE | 21 | 25 | 17 |
| 23 | Atlanta | @ SEA | 24 | 20 | 20 |
| 24 | Tennessee | @ PIT | 25 | 24 | 15 |
| 25 | Chicago | vs. DET | 23 | 21 | 24 |
| 26 | Washington | @ NO | 26 | 26 | 18 |
| 27 | Cleveland | vs. JAC | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| 28 | NY Giants | vs. KC | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Jeff Goldberg
Best picks: Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals
We love picking on the Browns in survivor. They just love to lose. We’re now at 1-24 over the past two seasons. That’s pretty hard to do. So, of course, we love the Jaguars this week. But, I gotta say, if there was ever a week the Browns turn the tables, this might be it. The Browns are bad at so many things, but what they’re really good at is stopping the run. And if you make Blake Bortles throw the ball 51 times, as he did last week, you can beat the Jags. So if you’re looking for an even safer alternative, I’d say attack the Giants. Big Blue is a Big Mess right now, and the Chiefs are due for a big performance coming off their bye. If you own Travis Kelce in your season-long league, this week is for you. One off-the-board pick would be Arizona. With Will Fuller likely out and Patrick Peterson draped all over DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans might not score a point this week. And with 10 days to rest and prepare, Adrian Peterson is looking at another 30-carry game, which is probably enough to produce the points needed for a win.
Scott Kaliska
Best picks: Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints
I’m not sure if the New York Giants have given up, but they’re playing terribly. Andy Reid still has that terrific record coming off a bye, and that’s where the Chiefs find themselves. This one could get ugly. My secondary picks are Jacksonville and New Orleans. The Jaguars’ defense has been so dominant, and they’ll easily take care of Cleveland. New Orleans has been on a major winning streak. It’s been amazing to see them playing so well on offense and defense. Washington isn’t going to be able to go on the road and upset the Saints. New Orleans has too many weapons on offense to try and stop.
Derek Gordon
Best picks: Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks
Again, the Cleveland Browns made me sweat for three quarters until the Detroit Lions, my Week 10 survivor pick, were able to subdue the winless squad. I would keep picking on the Browns, but I think Kansas City is the safer play this week. The Chiefs need a win badly, and the New York Giants have not been putting up much of a fight after being decimated by injuries.
If you already picked the Chiefs, you can roll with the Jacksonville Jaguars who play the Browns on Sunday. The Browns have been competitive lately, and I don’t like putting my faith in Bortles, but the Jaguars should be able to win another game. The Seattle Seahawks are also a good pick. They face the Atlanta Falcons at home. Matt Ryan and the gang will find the Seattle defense more difficult to conquer than Dallas’, even without Richard Sherman.
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