NFL Survivor Pool Picks Tool - Survivor Planner and Grid

To save an entry in the Survivor Tool, make sure you are logged in, then name your entry and click at least one matchup inside the grid (in one of the "week" columns). See below for many more details on how to use the tool.

Join and Manage Survivor Pools

• Want to manage your own Survivor Pool? Use our friends over at Benchsports.com
• Want to play in a free $1000 Survivor Pool? Play in our contest at TheSZN

NFL Survivor Pool Picks Tool - Make the Optimal Survivor Picks for the Entire NFL Season

RotoBaller's Survivor Pool Picks Tool allows you to plan and optimize your survivor pool picks every week for the whole season. Here are some tips for how to best use this tool:

• NFL Schedule - See the entire NFL schedule in an easy-to-read grid
• Unlimited Entries - Create as many entries as you want for free! Save an entry by naming it in the 'Create an Entry' field, and making one selection in the grid by clicking on the matchup. Make as many selections for as many weeks as you want! If you make additional selections or changes, you can update your first entry or create new entries.
• Track Used Teams - If you create a new entry in Week 7, you can mark all your previously used teams off in the 'Previously Used Teams' field, rather than actually making selections on the grid for Week 1-6. Then "hide" the used teams with the toggle to declutter the grid.
• Vegas Odds - Switch between money lines and spreads from DraftKings. Notice the green highlights update to indicate favorable spreads or money lines.
• Pick % - Our users are experienced Survivor pool players. We surface Pick % data for every week from within the RotoBaller's Survivor Pool Picks Tool, rather than relying on sites like Yahoo.
• Win % - Sort matchups by RotoBaller's proprietary Win Probability, calculated using Vegas odds and advanced stats like DVOA.
• Future Value - The Future Value column shows how much value a team has beyond the current week. The average is 50, so at 0 has no future value, while a team at 100 is the top team for Future Value. Our calculation uses RotoBaller's proprietary Win probability for all games a team is favored.
• Stats - This column shows three helpful stats: W/L record, Points for and against, and a team's streak.
• Filter Bad Games - Use toggles to filter out primetime matchups like MNF or TNF, tricky road matchups in away games, or divisional opponents.
• Double Picks - If your pool has double picks, use this field to indicate the week they start.
• Daily Updates - All data in the tool (Odds, Win %, Pick %, Future Value, Stats) is updated multiple times throughout the day, as injuries and other depth chart shakeups happen.
• Contact us if you have any issues.

What is an NFL Survivor Pool?

An NFL survivor pool is a contest that requires users to pick a different NFL team to win every week. Instead of picking each game like a traditional pick 'em pool, participants pick one team to win per week until the start of the NFL playoffs. While it's a tough season-long grind, it's a fun way to compete throughout the entire season.

When making your weekly picks, weighing factors and data such as pick popularity, win probability, point spreads, and future matchups is key. If your pick loses, you are eliminated from the competition and lose the chance to share some of the prize pool.

Saving popular teams for later in the season is just one of many weekly strategies for success, and the winners of Survivor Pools often utilize a data-driven approach.

There are large-scale NFL survivor pools with big prizes, but you can also play with your friends, and pool sizes vary widely. Your pool's specific rules can vary, too, but the majority of survivor contests are typically uniform.

What is the NFL Survivor Pool Picks Tool?

The NFL Survivor Pool Picks Tool helps users plan and identify the optimal picks for a survivor pool by combining future matchups, expected value, and popular picks percentage to create a survivor strategy for an entire NFL season.

This tool is designed to give you the best chance to win and stay on track by providing the best picks of the week based on future picks and rest-of-season outlooks.

NFL Survivor Tips and Strategies

• Pick Sneaky Favorites Early: choose mid-level or under-the-radar teams playing at home and against weaker opponents early in the season to save Tier 1 teams for later in the year.
• Plan Ahead: With the assistance of RotoBaller’s NFL Survivor League tool, map out your future picks to avoid burning top teams early. Identify when bye weeks could impact your future picks and create a season-long outline for your weekly picks.
• Fade Popular Picks: Target undervalued NFL teams with plus matchups, but avoid the most popular teams to achieve weekly survivor differentiation. This game theory is one of the more impactful strategic mechanisms to employ throughout the season.
• Be Wary of Divisional Games: While you don't necessarily have to avoid all NFL divisional matchups, familiarity with an opponent can tighten the gap between two teams, leading to more upsets in divisional games, especially on the road.
• Save Safe Playoff Teams for Later: While elite or high-end teams are favored throughout much of the season, saving them for later when playoff incentives are on the line can give you a sneaky edge
• Avoid Small Road Favorites: Mitigate risk by steering away from small road favorites, especially if a favored team traveled to the opposite coast for a cross-country matchup.
• Examine Game Results Closely: Picking a team with a poor record but close point differentials is a sneaky strategy, while picking a team with a good record but close point differentials could be a trap
• NFL Odds, Money Lines, and Game Totals: Review the weekly NFL odds, money lines, and game totals to get a strong idea of who the sharps feel are the favorites, and by how much they expect the margin of victory to be. Generally speaking, the larger the point spread, the less chance of an upset occurring.

NFL Survivor FAQs

• How do NFL survivor pools work?

In NFL survivor pools, players must pick one team to win each week. However, players cannot pick the same team twice, so selections should be considered carefully. If the team you pick loses, you are eliminated from the competition. The goal is to make it all 18 weeks with correct picks. All participants who make it to the end will share the final prize pool.

• Can I pick the same team twice?

No. In most survivor pools, you cannot pick the same team twice in a season. Once you select a team for a given week, that team is no longer available for a future pick. This factor should lead participants to map out future picks and save strong teams for later in the season.

• What happens if a game is canceled?

Depending on your league setup, if you pick a team from a canceled game, you could be eliminated from the competition, while other leagues will have more lenient rules that allow you to survive to the next week.

• Is it better to fade/avoid the most popular picks?

 Yes. If you pick the same team as many others, you run the risk of spilling the final prize or losing a tie-breaker. By differentiating your picks, you have a better chance at winning the top spot. If you make a risky pick and it pays off, you have the chance to survive, while many of the other participants might be eliminated.

Questions? Contact [email protected].