Week 5 of the NFL season is upon us, and it’s not too late to join an NFL survivor pool. You can enter the DraftKings $50K+ 5th Chance NFL Survivor pool for just $10 here.
Whether your pick lost in Week 4 or you just didn’t get the chance to join a survivor pool, you can join this survivor pool. 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 $50,000.
Week 5 Strategy
It was a brutal week for many survivor pool players. The Chargers’ loss to the Giants knocked out a big chunk of entries, as did the Packers’ tie against the Cowboys. Luckily, both of my picks survived Week 4, with my best pick being the Texans and my bold pick being the Rams. Heading into Week 5, there are some interesting options to consider. So far this season, I have used the Packers, Broncos, Cardinals and Texans for my best picks.
Here are my Week 5 survivor pool picks:
Week 5 Survivor Best Pick
Bills over Patriots
The Bills have been incredible through the first month of the season. They had an incredible Week 1 comeback over the Ravens and have not slowed down since. They have not even really had to challenge themselves, beating the Jets, Dolphins and Saints. This will be the fourth straight game against vastly inferior competition for the Bills. The Patriots played well in their win over the Panthers last week, but they are yet to face a great team this season. Buffalo’s schedule gets much harder on the back end, so this is a great chance to take them while they are still motivated and facing inferior competition. At home against a divisional rival on Sunday Night Football should ensure that this is a maximum effort from the Bills. They rank first in the NFL in offensive EPA/play and should be able to outscore the Patriots with ease.
Week 5 Survivor Bold Pick
Vikings over Browns
The Vikings have a massive advantage over the Browns in Week 5. Despite losing last week against the Steelers in Dublin, the Vikings have the advantage of spending their second straight week across the pond. The Browns had to play a road game against the Lions, travel back to Cleveland, and then fly over to London, all while trying to prepare for this game. Meanwhile, the Vikings will already be adjusted to the time change and have a smoother transition to playing in London. There is also a chance that Dillon Gabriel gets his first career start for the Browns. All the variables of a London game would make that even harder for Gabriel, not even considering the incredibly difficult matchup that Brian Flores’ defense would pose. Even if Joe Flacco starts, the Vikings’ defense should shut him and the Cleveland offense down. As long as Carson Wentz can avoid mistakes, this is a great chance for the Vikings to get above .500 on the season.
Week 5 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Rams over 49ers
The Rams and 49ers face off on Thursday Night Football this week. Typically, I always try to avoid playing a Thursday Night Football team in survivor pools. The limited rest gives coaches less time to prepare and players less time to recover from injury. That increases the variance, making an upset more likely. This being a divisional game with so much familiarity between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay only makes that variance even higher. The Rams are playing much better than the 49ers so far this season, despite the teams having the same records. However, I am avoiding the Rams in survivor pools this week with too many variables in the mix.
