Week 13 of the NFL season is upon us, and it’s not too late to join an NFL survivor pool. You can enter the DraftKings $10K+ 13th Chance NFL Survivor pool for just $10 here.
Whether your pick lost in Week 12 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 $10,000.
Week 13 Survivor Best Pick
Chargers over Raiders
The Chargers need to finish the season strong. They are among the three 7-4 teams in the AFC who currently occupy the three Wild Card spots. However, there are three more teams at 6-5, including the Chiefs, looking to break into those spots. It will be an intense race for those final postseason spots and the Chargers need to win the easy ones like this. Los Angeles is coming off a late bye week that it desperately needed. This team should be healthier, well-rested and prepared for this game. Meanwhile, the Raiders have now lost five straight games, including last week against the Browns.
The way to beat the Chargers is by getting pressure on Justin Herbert. The Chargers’ offensive line has struggled all season, but they should hold up against the Raiders. Despite having one of the best individual pass rushers in the NFL, Maxx Crosby, the Raiders rank in the bottom half of the league in pass-rush win rate. Crosby is bolstering that number, meaning the rest of the defensive front is not a real threat. The Chargers will be able to double-team and use running backs and tight ends to hold off Crosby with no other threats to worry about. The Raiders’ offense, meanwhile, is completely broken and things are only getting worse as Ashton Jeanty might be out for this game. In a must-win spot, the Chargers get the win at home.
Week 13 Survivor Bold Pick
Colts over Texans
The Colts were one of the best teams in the NFL through the first half of the season, but they have now lost two of their past three games. Last week’s overtime loss against the Chiefs was a brutal one, as that would have been a signature win for the Colts. Despite the Colts playing well for three quarters, the difference between Patrick Mahomes and Daniel Jones was clear in crunch time. However, this is a good bounce-back spot for the Colts against the Texans. C.J. Stroud is returning for Houston, but there could be some serious rust there after missing several weeks with a concussion. The Colts can also use Sauce Gardner to take away Nico Collins, which takes away the majority of the Texans’ offense. Jonathan Taylor should do enough on the ground to get the Colts a win at home in this divisional battle.
Week 13 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Seahawks over Vikings
The Seahawks are one of the biggest favorites of the weekend and could be a popular survivor pool pick. However, this is a spot that has some red flags for a potential upset. Brian Flores is arguably the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. He always has his unit well-prepared and he should have some tricks up his sleeve against former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Flores and his unit went up against Darnold every day in practice last season. Darnold has been excellent this season, but he will make mistakes when under pressure. The Vikings rank third in the NFL in pass-block win rate and should get to Darnold. Flores will mix up his blitzes and coverages to try to bait mistakes out of Darnold.
On the offensive end, Max Brosmer is getting his first career start. The offense should look a bit different with Brosmer, which makes it harder for Seattle to game plan. A quarterback making his first start adds a giant variable that I usually look to avoid in a survivor pool pick. It’s nearly impossible for Brosmer to be worse than J.J. McCarthy. If he plays well, it could be the spark this team needs to elevate its level across the board. This is a more talented team than its results of late would indicate. It has been bogged down by poor quarterback play, and Brosmer could provide some stability to the offense. This is one to avoid in survivor pools this week.
