Welcome back for Week 10 of the 2017 NFL season! We get things started with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. The week closes on Monday Night Football with an inter-conference matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.
Football survivor pool strategy/picks, Week 10: There are three popular options
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 10!
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The opening of Week 10 means it is time to look at some of the best options for NFL survivor pools. The Detroit Lions will be a hugely popular pick. Some will say to avoid a popular pick, others will say just worry about your own pick.
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 10
Rank | Team | Opp. | JG | SK | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | vs. CLE | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | @ IND | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | LA Rams | vs. HOU | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | Carolina | vs. MIA | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | New England | @ DEN | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 6 | Seattle | @ ARI | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| 7 | Jacksonville | vs. LAC | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 8 | Tennessee | vs. CIN | 13 | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | NY Jets | @ TB | 6 | 13 | 12 |
| 10 | Chicago | vs. GB | 14 | 6 | 14 |
| 11 | New Orleans | @ BUF | 17 | 11 | 7 |
| 12 | Minnesota | @ WAS | 11 | 14 | 11 |
| 13 | Dallas | @ ATL | 10 | 19 | 8 |
| 14 | San Francisco | vs. NYG | 8 | 17 | 13 |
| 15 | Atlanta | vs. DAL | 19 | 10 | 15 |
| 16 | Washington | vs. MIN | 18 | 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Buffalo | vs. NO | 12 | 18 | 22 |
| 18 | NY Giants | @ SF | 21 | 12 | 19 |
| 19 | Green Bay | @ CHI | 15 | 23 | 16 |
| 20 | Cincinnati | @ TEN | 16 | 21 | 20 |
| 21 | LA Chargers | @ JAC | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| 22 | Tampa Bay | vs. NYJ | 23 | 16 | 21 |
| 23 | Denver | vs. NE | 24 | 24 | 23 |
| 24 | Arizona | vs. SEA | 22 | 22 | 28 |
| 25 | Miami | @ CAR | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 26 | Houston | @ LAR | 27 | 27 | 24 |
| 27 | Indianapolis | vs. PIT | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| 28 | Cleveland | @ DET | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Jeff Goldberg
Best picks: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers
First off, if you’re still alive in your survivor pool, congratulations! Getting to Week 10 is no small feat, especially in this year of upsets. There are three games this week that seem upset-proof, but one might be worth avoiding simply to stay away from the herd. The Lions will be a super-popular play this week against Cleveland, so the two places one might look to go (and root for a Browns miracle) are the Rams and Steelers. The Rams, who looked unstoppable against the Giants last week, draw the DeShaun-less Texans, while Pittsburgh takes on the Colts, coming off their bye. My personal choice is the Rams, who have limited future value and make a nice pivot off Detroit, a team loaded with good matchups down he stretch.
Scott Kaliska
Best picks: Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers
The most obvious reason for the Lions is because they’re facing the Cleveland Browns. After watching them against Green Bay in Week 9, the Lions look like they’re turning a corner and about to go on a roll. Detroit will be playing at home and is favored by almost two touchdowns. My secondary picks would be the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh. The Rams are facing a Houston team that has lost too many weapons on both sides of the ball. Los Angeles is playing really well right now and will win easily. Pittsburgh is coming out of its bye week. It will be fresh and healed up. Indianapolis doesn’t have the defense to stop or even slow down this Steeler offense.
Derek Gordon
Best picks: Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers
I picked Houston last week before the Deshaun Watson injury news was made public. Tom Savage did not do me any favors as the Indianapolis Colts took care of business. This week, I’m going with the Detroit Lions over the Cleveland Browns and hope Matthew Stafford doesn’t get attacked by a feral cat during practice. Stafford has been playing well and I struggle to envision a scenario where the Browns win this game. Stranger things have happened, but the Lions’ offense is running pretty smoothly between the 20’s.
If you have already used the Lions earlier in the season you will want to consider the Seattle Seahawks to continue their winning streak against Drew Stanton and the Arizona Cardinals. The Pittsburgh Steelers also seem like a good bet to pound the Colts into oblivion and if you need a longshot play I like the New Orleans Saints to beat the Buffalo Bills on the road.
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