We are almost halfway through the football season. Where'd the time go!? Now though, is where the fun begins. Teams begin separating themselves from the pack as they look to make a playoff push. The Bills, Eagles, Jaguars, and Washington are all on bye.

For those of you unfamiliar with survivor pools it’s very simple; pick a team to win each week, if they win you move on to the next week. BUT you cannot use that team ever again. There is NO point spread involved.

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Survivor League Strategy

I will be following the same strategy I implore every year when entering a survivor contest.

1. Try to save the top teams for the end of the season. You do not want to be alive in Week 10 choosing between the Jaguars and Browns. Picking teams that you would not use later on in the season should be looked at early on. For example, last season the Jets played the Raiders in Week 1. I chose the Jets due to the fact that I knew this would be my best opportunity to use up the Jets and save other top teams like the Patriots and Seahawks later on.
2. When in doubt pick the home team. Rarely will I be picking a team on the road in survivor. It is hard to win on the road, and teams tend to play better with their home crowd behind them. The one time I picked a road team last season, the 49ers lost at the Raiders and I was eliminated.
3. Try to avoid divisional rivalry games also. Anything can happen with a rivalry game. Last season Washington was a 9.5-point underdog to the Cowboys in Dallas on Monday night football. Washington ended up winning, knocking many people out of their survivor pool.
4. Never pick an underdog, unless you have no choice.

Before making any picks, look at each point spread. Vegas has the best minds, smarter than any of us, use them to get a glimpse at how each team is projected to fare that week.

The biggest favorites in Week 8 per sportsbook.ag (home team in CAPS);  RAMS -8.5 vs. 49ers, PATRIOTS -8 vs. Dolphins, FALCONS -7.5 vs. Bucs, PANTHERS -7 vs. Colts

Top Survivor Picks for Week 1

PANTHERS -7 vs. Colts

This is the week to cash in your Panthers play. The Colts are a dysfunctional mess. The Saints, who are a terrible road team, beat up on the Colts this past week. Andrew Luck just does not look healthy. Now, rumors are swirling that Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano could be fired. This team is lost and now has a prime-time date with the undefeated Panthers.

The Panthers are the best running unit in the league, averaging 145 yards per game, and now face a bottom ten defensive rushing unit, recently gashed by the Saints for 183 yards rushing on 36 carries. The "offensive stars" the Colts acquired this offseason, Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, have not been as advertised. The Colts are bottom ten in rushing yards per game and their offensive line has allowed 109 quarterback hits, third most in the league. The Panthers secondary looked great Sunday night against the Eagles, and I expect them to frustrate Luck all night. The Panthers will move to 7-0 with a showdown with the Packers looming the following week.

Top Survivor Picks to Avoid for Week 1

Avoid all the divisional games (SF/STL, MIA/NE, TB/ATL, MIN/CHI, CIN/PIT) and the Packers-Broncos showdown. Just too much risk involved.

Cardinals -4.5 vs. BROWNS 

This is a classic hangover game for the Cardinals. They looked sluggish on Monday Night Football versus Baltimore, making the game closer than it should've been. Now they have a 1 PM start at Cleveland. The Cardinals may be looking ahead to their bye week and showdown at Seattle the week after.

The Browns are 2-5, but have played tough in almost every game. They lost close calls against the Raiders, Chargers, and Broncos, including a closer than expected game against the Rams. I think the Browns can make this a scary game for the Cards. Stats point to the Cardinals, but for some reason I like the Browns. The Cardinals have not looked that great the past two weeks and I expect the Browns to play the kitchen sink game and throw everything they have at the Cards.

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