Happy Thanksgiving! Week 12 of the 2016 NFL season has arrived and Survivor pools are slowly approaching the end of their runs. Depending on the size of your pool, things might be resolved in the next couple weeks. I am in a big pool that started 185 people and is down to 60. However, it is also double elimination, so that provides people a second life.
Football survivor pool strategy/picks, Week 12: The Browns and injuries provide options
NFL survivor pools are back for Week 12 with Thanksgiving kicking things off. If you are still alive in your pool, we are here to help!
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
If you have made it this far, things are starting to get a little dicier with your picks. A common strategy the latter half of this season has been to fade the winless Cleveland Browns week in and week out. Or maybe you fade the struggling San Francisco 49ers. Injuries also mean the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears are teams to consider picking against in the coming weeks. Thanksgiving football provides the Pittsburgh Steelers traveling to face an Indianapolis Colts team that will be without Andrew Luck.
We are back once again with our rankings and picks for pools. We start with a consensus ranking of all teams in action this week, and which is most likely to win their game. There are no byes this week, so you have 16 games to choose from. The rankings are followed by each writer making a pick, and then providing some reasoning for the pick, and some alternatives to consider.
| Rank | Team | Opp. | JG | DG | SK |
| 1 | NY Giants | @ CLE | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | New England | @ NYJ | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | New Orleans | vs. LA | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 4 | Seattle | @ TB | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Tennessee | @ CHI | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Buffalo | vs. JAC | 7 | 8 | 2 |
| 7 | Baltimore | vs. CIN | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh | @ IND | 17 | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | Dallas | vs. WAS | 15 | 11 | 6 |
| 10 | Miami | vs. SF | 8 | 21 | 3 |
| 11 | Atlanta | vs. ARI | 13 | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Oakland | vs. CAR | 12 | 9 | 13 |
| 13 | Denver | vs. KC | 14 | 14 | 12 |
| 14 | Minnesota | @ DET | 11 | 12 | 18 |
| 15 | San Diego | @ HOU | 10 | 16 | 16 |
| 16 | Green Bay | @ PHI | 9 | 22 | 19 |
| 17 | Houston | vs. SD | 23 | 13 | 17 |
| 18 | Kansas City | @ DEN | 19 | 15 | 21 |
| 19 | Carolina | @ OAK | 21 | 17 | 20 |
| 20 | Arizona | @ ATL | 20 | 18 | 23 |
| 21 | Detroit | vs. MIN | 22 | 24 | 15 |
| 22 | Philadelphia | vs. GB | 24 | 23 | 14 |
| 23 | Washington | @ DAL | 18 | 20 | 27 |
| 24 | Cincinnati | @ BAL | 29 | 19 | 22 |
| 25 | Indianapolis | vs. PIT | 16 | 29 | 32 |
| 26 | San Francisco | @ MIA | 25 | 26 | 30 |
| 27 | Jacksonville | @ BUF | 26 | 25 | 31 |
| 28 | Chicago | vs. TEN | 31 | 28 | 24 |
| 29 | Los Angeles | @ NO | 28 | 27 | 28 |
| 30 | Tampa Bay | vs. SEA | 27 | 31 | 25 |
| 31 | NY Jets | vs. NE | 30 | 30 | 29 |
| 32 | Cleveland | vs. NYG | 32 | 32 | 26 |
Jeff Goldberg
Primary pick: New York Giants over Cleveland Browns
Secondary pick: Baltimore Ravens over Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans over Chicago Bears
I would say the best advice I can give for Survivor Week 12 is enjoy your Thanksgiving by watching football, but not wagering on it. None of the three Thursday games are attractive Survivor plays, so don't bother with them and enjoy your meal with the family. Come Sunday, when the leftovers are losing their appeal, we have games to dig into. The Giants are my top play simply following the Browns Rule, which is to pick against the team looking like a strong 0-16 candidate. But if the Browns are the top team to pick against, injury developments are bringing two more into the equation. Without A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard, an already-struggling Cincinnati offense just got considerably more feeble, making the Ravens a quality choice this week. The Bears are now without Alshon Jeffery, Zach Miller and Jay Cutler. Hoo-boy. If you haven't used the Titans already, this is a great place to go there.
Scott Kaliska
Primary pick: Pittsburgh Steelers over Indianapolis Colts
Secondary pick: Buffalo Bills over Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins over San Francisco 49ers
My pick this week is Pittsburgh. They are facing an Indianapolis team that will be without Andrew Luck. Scott Tolzien is incapable of outdueling Ben Roethlisberger. The Colts defense will not be able to stop the high powered Pittsburgh offense on the other side of the ball. My secondary picks would be Buffalo and Miami. They are both playing at home against struggling opponents. With only six games remaining, every game is an opportunity for them to inch closer to a playoff berth. I don’t think Jacksonville and San Francisco will be able to stop their opponents defensively.
Derek Gordon
Primary pick: New York Giants over Cleveland Browns
Secondary pick: Seattle Seahawks over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's a tough week when you don't have confidence in any of the home teams. The New York Giants are on the road, but at least they are playing the Cleveland Browns. Eli Manning can be inconsistent at times, but I can't imagine him playing so poorly that the Browns make a game of this. The Seahawks also are traveling, but face a tougher opponent in the Buccaneers. I think Russell Wilson stays hot and the Seattle defense keeps Mike Evans and Doug Martin in check.
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