Week 8 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 8 Survivor Pool Picks, Strategy and Best Teams to Use
Week 8 Survivor Pool Best Pick
Bengals over Titans
The Bengals are in a great position through seven weeks. They had a lot of hype coming into the season, but have flown relatively under the radar through the first several weeks. The AFC North is a tough division, but at 4-2, the Bengals are just behind the Steelers and Browns in the standings. With four divisional games left to play, Cincinnati completely controls its own fate. The Bengals’ offense ranks sixth in the NFL in EPA/play, while the defense ranks 11th in EPA/play allowed.
Whenever Joe Burrow is healthy, this offense is one of the best in the NFL. The things that have held the Bengals back in recent years have been injuries and poor defense. The defense now performing at a better-than-average level makes the Bengals a real threat moving forward. They should pick up a win at home against the Titans. After getting their first win of the season two weeks ago, Tennessee got back to losing ways last week against the Browns. The Bengals just have far too much offensive firepower to lose this game at home.
Week 8 Survivor Bold Pick
Commanders over Eagles
Typically, I would avoid a divisional matchup like this one in survivor pools – especially this particular matchup when you look at the disparity in win percentages of these two franchises over the past few seasons. However, this seems like a dead season for the Eagles. The loss of Jalen Hurts, the retirement of Lane Johnson and the injuries across the board have destroyed the Eagles’ offense. Philadelphia has some great defensive players, but the unit can’t stand up for 60 minutes with the lack of help from their offense. The Commanders are coming off a bye week and are quite fresh heading into this game. This is a big game for Washington, as this NFC East is wide open. They should take care of business at home and beat the banged-up Eagles.
Week 8 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Buccaneers over Falcons
This is a tough divisional matchup that I definitely do want to avoid. The Falcons got back to winning ways by handing the 49ers their first loss of the season last week. Since Michael Penix Jr. returned in Week 3, the Falcons rank third in the NFL in offensive EPA/play. They will be a tough test for the Tampa Bay defense. Last week’s game against the Panthers was quite fluky for the Buccaneers. They scored 43 points despite Baker Mayfield throwing 11 passes for 64 yards. It is still unclear how Mayfield will perform if forced to play a normal game. This game is a true coin flip, so it’s best to avoid, despite the Buccaneers’ performance last week.
