The NFL is kicking off Week 13, which will take us into December and into the home stretch toward the playoffs. The week gets going with Dallas hosting Washington on Thursday Night Football and closes with Cincinnati hosting Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football.
Football survivor pool strategy/picks, Week 13: Browns gonna Browns
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 13!
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The opening of Week 13 means it is time to look at some of the best options for NFL survivor pools. If you are sticking with a Cleveland Browns strategy, the Los Angeles Chargers are your pick. If you’ve already used them, maybe the Oakland Raiders facing Geno Smith?
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 13
Rank | Team | Opp. | JG | SK | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Chargers | vs. CLE | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | New England | @ BUF | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Jacksonville | vs. IND | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Oakland | vs. NYG | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 5 | LA Rams | @ ARI | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Pittsburgh | @ CIN | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| 7 | Tennessee | vs. HOU | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| 8 | Chicago | vs. SF | 9 | 11 | 6 |
| 9 | New Orleans | vs. CAR | 14 | 9 | 7 |
| 10 | Philadelphia | @ SEA | 16 | 7 | 15 |
| 11 | Kansas City | @ NYJ | 15 | 12 | 14 |
| 12 | Washington | @ DAL | 8 | 16 | 17 |
| 13 | Detroit | @ BAL | 12 | 20 | 10 |
| 14 | Green Bay | vs. TB | 11 | 18 | 13 |
| 15 | Minnesota | @ ATL | 10 | 23 | 12 |
| 16 | Atlanta | vs. MIN | 23 | 10 | 16 |
| 17 | Denver | @ MIA | 13 | 14 | 22 |
| 18 | Seattle | vs. PHI | 17 | 26 | 11 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay | @ GB | 22 | 15 | 18 |
| 20 | Baltimore | vs. DET | 21 | 13 | 24 |
| 21 | NY Jets | vs. KC | 18 | 21 | 19 |
| 22 | Miami | vs. DEN | 20 | 19 | 23 |
| 23 | Dallas | vs. WAS | 25 | 17 | 21 |
| 24 | Carolina | @ NO | 19 | 24 | 27 |
| 25 | San Francisco | @ CHI | 24 | 22 | 28 |
| 26 | Arizona | vs. LAR | 27 | 28 | 20 |
| 27 | Houston | @ TEN | 26 | 27 | 25 |
| 28 | Cincinnati | vs. PIT | 28 | 25 | 29 |
| 29 | NY Giants | @ OAK | 29 | 30 | 26 |
| 30 | Indianapolis | @ JAC | 30 | 31 | 30 |
| 31 | Buffalo | vs. NE | 32 | 29 | 32 |
| 32 | Cleveland | @ LAC | 31 | 32 | 31 |
Jeff Goldberg
Best picks: Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders
For many who played Survivor last year, Week 16 was the pivotal week. If you were still alive and you took the Chargers against the winless Browns in Cleveland, you were dealt a cruel, fatal blow. If you made it that far and stayed clear of the Chargers, you probably won a lot of money. Well, the winless Browns are facing the Bolts again this week, but I highly doubt that lightning is going to strike twice. The Chargers are not the best play this week in a vacuum -- the Patriots are the top choice for the second week in a row -- but if you’re trying to save the Pats or have already used them up, the surging Chargers at home are a fine choice. Another team that you probably weren’t considering on Monday, but should be now, are the Raiders, who get the Giants at home. The Giants are about as close to quitting as a team can get, from management all the way down. The benching of Eli Manning only exacerbates the problems in that locker room, and the Raiders have a golden chance to stay right in the AFC West race. I love their chances of getting an emphatic win in this one.
Scott Kaliska
Best picks: Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders
The Chargers are on their annual streak towards the playoffs. They’ve scored 82 points over their last two games and face a desperate Cleveland Browns team. Los Angeles is favored by two touchdowns and will easily take down Cleveland. My secondary picks are Jacksonville and Oakland. The Jaguars had their four game winning streak snapped but will start a new streak. Jacksonville shut out Indianapolis in their last meeting on October 22. Oakland will have the honors of beating the Giants and Geno Smith. Oakland is still in the thick of the AFC West chase and will take the easy win.
Derek Gordon
Best picks: Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers
Even if you could choose any team, this would be a difficult week for Survivor. I’m going with the Los Angeles Chargers to beat the Cleveland Browns at home. Winners of five of their last seven games, the Chargers are hot and in the playoff hunt, though I wouldn’t be completely surprised if they stumble and give the Browns their first win of the season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars came up short on the road last week, but they make a solid Week 13 pick when they play the Indianapolis Colts at home. I also like the Pittsburgh Steelers to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, but if you need a home team, you should consider the Chicago Bears playing the one-win San Francisco 49ers who will be starting their third quarterback of the season.
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