The NFL is headed into Week 16, and most NFL Survivor pools are just about wrapped up. If you are still alive and fighting off your remaining competitors, there are a few interesting matchups. The New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, and Baltimore Ravens all offer some intriguing prospects in the penultimate week of the NFL season.
Football survivor pool strategy/picks, Week 16: Ranking the best picks
We’re coming down the home stretch of NFL survivor pools. If you’re still alive in your pool, we are here to provide some tips to stay that way in Week 16!
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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 three 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 16
Rank | Team | Opp. | JG | SK | DG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England | vs. BUF | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Minnesota | @ GB | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Baltimore | vs. IND | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | Carolina | vs. TB | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | Kansas City | vs. MIA | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | vs. OAK | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh | @ HOU | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| 8 | New Orleans | vs. ATL | 8 | 11 | 7 |
| 9 | Jacksonville | @ SF | 11 | 14 | 3 |
| 10 | Detroit | @ CIN | 9 | 13 | 10 |
| 11 | LA Rams | @ TEN | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 12 | LA Chargers | @ NYJ | 14 | 9 | 14 |
| 13 | Chicago | vs. CLE | 12 | 8 | 18 |
| 14 | Arizona | vs. NYG | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| 15 | Dallas | vs. SEA | 15 | 12 | 19 |
| 16 | Washington | vs. DEN | 17 | 16 | 15 |
| 17 | Denver | @ WAS | 16 | 17 | 16 |
| 18 | Seattle | @ DAL | 18 | 21 | 11 |
| 19 | NY Giants | @ ARI | 20 | 18 | 23 |
| 20 | Cleveland | @ CHI | 21 | 25 | 17 |
| 21 | NY Jets | vs. LAC | 19 | 24 | 24 |
| 22 | Atlanta | @ NO | 25 | 22 | 21 |
| 23 | Tennessee | vs. LAR | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| 24 | Cincinnati | vs. DET | 24 | 20 | 25 |
| 25 | San Francisco | vs. JAC | 22 | 19 | 31 |
| 26 | Buffalo | @ NE | 30 | 31 | 20 |
| 27 | Houston | vs. PIT | 27 | 26 | 30 |
| 28 | Miami | @ KC | 26 | 30 | 28 |
| 29 | Oakland | @ PHI | 28 | 27 | 29 |
| 30 | Indianapolis | @ BAL | 29 | 32 | 26 |
| 31 | Tampa Bay | @ CAR | 31 | 29 | 27 |
| 32 | Green Bay | vs. MIN | 32 | 28 | 32 |
Jeff Goldberg
Best picks: Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers
Congrats to all of you who are still alive in Week 16. Congrats to anyone else in your league, for that matter. Getting this far is no small accomplishment, whether you win the prize or not. Hopefully this is good news to most of you — or at least some of you — but the best plays in Week 16 are not teams we would usually consider “the usual suspects.” The Patriots and Steelers, for instance, have good matchups this week, but there are better ones on the board. Minnesota might have the best draw of all. The Vikings get to take on a Packers team that has been eliminated from playoff contention and placed Aaron Rodgers on IR. They are in full shut-down mode, while the Vikings have dreams of a first-round bye dancing in their heads. The Panthers will be similarly locked-in this weekend against a Tampa Bay team playing on short rest and incapable of playing defense. Hopefully, you haven’t used both Carolina or Minnesota, because they are almost certain wins this week. Baltimore is another solid choice against the Colts. And even the Bears, if you have to dig deep, get the winless Browns, so that is always a viable option.
Derek Gordon
Best picks: New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens
How are you still alive? You must be a witch or warlock to survive 15 weeks of the NFL without making an incorrect pick. If you still need help selecting a team and the New England Patriots are no longer an option, I would go with the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a road game for the Vikes, but they have the defense to shut down Brett Hundley and company. The Green Bay Packers are out of the playoff hunt and are in full evaluation mode. Minnesota should be able to ride their strong run game to a victory.
I also like the Baltimore Ravens, who host the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens aren’t the most consistent bunch, but the Colts might be one of the worst teams in the league. Another team I like are the Philadelphia Eagles. They play the Oakland Raiders in Philly and not only are the Raiders traveling across the country they are also dealing with injuries to key offensive players.
Scott Kaliska
Best picks: Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs
These two teams are trending in opposite directions. Baltimore has won four out of their last five. Indianapolis has lost five in a row. The Colts haven’t been able to score more than 17 points in those losses. I believe Baltimore will easily shut down the Colts offense. Baltimore is a home favorite by almost two touchdowns. My secondary picks are New England and Kansas City. The Patriots just beat Buffalo two weeks ago by 20 points in Buffalo. Not much has changed except the Patriots’ quest for home field advantage in the playoffs. Kansas City seems to have turned things back around. They’ve won their last two against teams much stronger than Miami.
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