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We’re back for Week 9 of the 2020 NFL regular season. Thursday Night Football is back with the Packers and 49ers squaring off with both shorthanded due to Covid-19. Green Bay is going to be a popular pick in Survivor pools due to big absences for the 49ers, but you might to think twice. More on that below.
If you’ve never played in a Survivor pool, it’s a pretty straightforward deal. You pick one team each week that you think will win. If your team loses in Week 1, you’re eliminated (unless it’s a double elimination pool). 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 the same team twice. You could use a heavy favorite in Week 1, but you would not have access to them later in the year if you’re alive in the closing weeks.
Survivor pools are usually either a single elimination contest or a double elimination contest. I was in one of each and got eliminated from both in Week 5. But, we’re still here to help you win your pools with a look at safe choices, value choices, and potential traps. Last week, I was fine on safe picks with the Chiefs and Bucs, but picking the Titans as a value pick didn’t pan out.
On to Week 9!
Safest picks
Chiefs over Panthers
Steelers over Cowboys
Best value picks
It’s your weekly fade the Jets pick. The Patriots have their issues, but this is worth pulling the trigger. The Jets stink.
Trap pick
Packers over 49ers
I’m a 49ers fan, so take this with a grain of salt. The 49ers are incredibly shorthanded with injuries costing them Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel among others and Covid-19 costing them Kendrick Bourne, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams. But Kyle Shanahan will have a trick or two up his sleeve, and I say save the Packers for next week against Jacksonville.