Week 9 of the NFL season is upon us, and it’s not too late to join an NFL survivor pool. You can enter the DraftKings $25K+ 9th Chance NFL Survivor pool for just $10 here.
Whether your pick lost in Week 8 or you just didn’t get the chance to join a survivor pool, you can join this one. In this survivor pool, you need to pick a team to win straight-up every week. However, once you use a team, you cannot use it again. You are eliminated from the pool if one of your picks loses. The players who survive the regular season without losing will split the grand prize of at least $25,000.
Week 9 Survivor Best Pick
Rams over Saints
This is an ideal spot to use the Rams in survivor pools. Los Angeles has just won back-to-back games before the bye week came around last week. It should have been a productive and positive time off after winning two in a row. The Rams are tied atop the NFC West at 5-2. They know they need to keep winning to compete in this division. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford will be not resting on their laurels. The best part of the bye week for the Rams is that it gave Puka Nacua time to get healthy. Nacua is expected to be back on the field for this week’s game against the Saints. With the Rams’ offense at full strength, they should move the ball efficiently against a Saints defense that ranks 22nd in EPA/dropback.
On the other sideline, Tyler Shough will be making his first career start for the Saints. It can sometimes be tricky facing a quarterback in his first career start or even first start of the season because there could be new wrinkles added to the offense based on their skill set. However, Shough should be running the same offense that Spencer Rattler did. Last week, when Shough came in to replace Rattler, he did not look good at all. He still has time to develop, but it did not appear that Shough was up to coming in and winning football games against good teams anytime soon. The Rams should win this one comfortably at home to keep your survivor pool entry alive.
Week 9 Survivor Bold Pick
Ravens over Dolphins
Another good pick this week is the Baltimore Ravens. Some could be scared of the Ravens since it is Lamar Jackson’s first start back from his injury. The Dolphins are also coming off a trouncing of the Atlanta Falcons on the road last week. Despite a couple of red flags, this is a good time to hop on board the Ravens train. This team got a pivotal win last week over the Bears with Tyler Huntley at quarterback to keep its season alive. The fact that it was able to look so much better after the bye week, even with Lamar Jackson still sidelined, showed that this team is still going to fight for playoff contention.
With Jackson back, this offense should be firing on all cylinders against a Miami defense that ranks 27th in defensive EPA/play. Baltimore could turn this into a massive winning streak, so hop on now before it becomes a mainstream team to pick.
Week 9 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Lions over Vikings
Among the group of bigger favorites in the NFL this week, the Lions are one that I am avoiding in survivor pools. Detroit has been playing great this season and is coming off a bye, so it is likely to be a popular pick in survivor pools this week. However, this is also a good spot for the Vikings to get back on track. While J.J. McCarthy wasn’t playing great before getting injured, he will be an upgrade over the version of Carson Wentz that has played the last several weeks.
Wentz started off playing solid football for the Vikings, but his performances tailed off over the last couple of weeks due to the fact that he was playing through several significant injuries. This is still one of the best-coached teams in football between Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell. There is so much familiarity between these two coaching staffs that Flores and O’Connell should have a good plan to try to take the Lions down.
