Week 5 of the NFL season is here! Whether you got knocked out or never got in before the season, it’s not too late to join a survivor pool. You can enter DraftKings NFL pools here.
The rules for NFL Survivor Pools are simple. Each week, you pick a team to win their game straight-up. If that team wins, you move on to the next week. If they lose, you are eliminated. However, you can only use each team once. So, while you want to prioritize picking a team that will win, you also have to consider your season-long strategy.
NFL Week 5 Survivor Pool Picks, Strategy and Best Teams to Use
Week 5 Survivor Pool Best Pick
Texans over Titans
The Texans have had a nightmare start to the season. Houston is currently 0-4, and their playoff hopes are dwindling. The Texans have played the fourth-hardest schedule in the NFL so far this season. They lost to the Bills, Bengals, Colts and Cowboys. It was a disappointing effort against the Bengals, but those other three losses came by a combined 11 points. If Houston is going to have any shot at making the postseason, they need to win this game against the lowly Titans.
Tennessee looks awful through the first month of the season. They are also 0-4, but instead of losing to some of the best teams in the NFL, they have lost to the Jets, Giants, Eagles and Ravens (without Lamar Jackson for a chunk of the game). Tennessee ranks 27th in the NFL in offensive EPA/play. The Houston defense has had some struggles against the elite offenses that it has faced, but still ranks fifth in the NFL in defensive success rate. The Texans’ defense should shut down the Titans’ offense. This is a must-win for Houston, and it should get the job done.
Week 5 Survivor Bold Pick
Falcons over Ravens
This is a bit of a tough week in survivor pools, especially if you have already used the Cowboys and/or Bengals. It could be the week to make a bold pick and hope for upsets in some of the other games that will have popular picks. The bold pick that I would make is on the Falcons over the Ravens. Atlanta has looked excellent since Michael Penix Jr. made his season debut. Over the past two weeks, Atlanta has by far the best offense in the NFL by EPA/play and success rate. The passing game has kept defenses honest, which has allowed Bijan Robinson to show that he is the best running back in the NFL.
The Falcons defense has also looked great. Atlanta leads the NFL in defensive EPA/rush so far this season. It looks like Lamar Jackson is going to miss this game for the Ravens, which is of course a massive reason for taking the Falcons in survivor pools this week. If Jackson is out, the Ravens will want to rely heavily on the run game. It has been nearly impossible to run against the Falcons this season. If Atlanta can keep the offense rolling, they should win this game against the Tyler Huntley-led Ravens.
Week 5 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Jaguars over Eagles
The Jaguars have looked great to start the season. Jacksonville is 3-1 and headed off to their second home, London, for a battle with the Eagles. While the Jaguars are more familiar than any other team in the NFL when it comes to traveling to London, that travel is always a big variable. Typically, I will always try to avoid international games in survivor pools because of that big variable. Also, despite the Eagles’ struggles to start the season, they are still a veteran team with a lot of talent. Philadelphia just held a double-digit halftime lead against arguably the best team in the NFL last week. They play tough defense and keep games close and lower-scoring. This is not a spot where I want to ride with the Jaguars.
