The NFL season is back, and one of the best ways to get in on the action is by joining a season-long NFL Survivor Pool. You can enter the DraftKings $1 Million+ NFL Survivor pool for just $10 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.
Here is a roadmap to follow for the entire 2026 NFL season.
NFL Survivor Pool Season-Long Strategy
Plenty of people play their NFL survivor pool week by week, which is fair enough, because the most important thing is always just to survive and advance. However, the people who win their survivor pools often have a roadmap for the season. Even if you survive 10 weeks just making your picks when the next week arrives, you could then be put in a spot in Week 11 where you have no good picks available to you.
This comes from a combination of looking at teams you want to back and looking for their best matchups of the season. This is often paired with fading the teams that you think will struggle. This is my roadmap for all 18 weeks of the regular season in NFL survivor pools. Of course, these picks could change. Injuries often present big opportunities in survivor pools. Also, some teams could be much better or worse than anticipated. However, this is a good roadmap to set up for the season, and you can adjust as it goes on.
Week 1 Survivor Pool Pick: Jaguars over Browns
The Browns still have a massive problem at quarterback. Jacksonville had a nice 2025 campaign and should start this season off with a comfortable win at home.
Week 2 Survivor Pool Pick: 49ers over Dolphins
The NFC West is a tough division. So, getting the 49ers at home against one of the worst rosters in football seems like an ideal spot to take them.
Week 3 Survivor Pool Pick: Lions over Jets
The NFC North is also a brutal division. Similar to the Week 2 pick, this is a good chance to take the Lions at home against an inferior opponent.
Week 4 Survivor Pool Pick: Bears over Jets
The Jets have back-to-back road games against tough NFC opponents. I’ll take my chances on the Jets going 0-2 during that stretch.
Week 5 Survivor Pool Pick: Patriots over Raiders
The Patriots might take a step back in 2026 after a special 2025. However, this is a good spot to take them at home against the Raiders. Las Vegas could still be trying to figure out their quarterback situation at this point in the season.
Week 6 Survivor Pool Pick: Rams over Cardinals
The Cardinals are clearly the worst team in the NFC West. They might be the worst team in the entire NFL. The Rams at home against the Cardinals could be one of the biggest spreads of the entire NFL season.
Week 7 Survivor Pool Pick: Texans over Giants
The Texans have been much better at home with C.J. Stroud. The Texans defense should also dominate against the Giants at home in this spot.
Week 8 Survivor Pool Pick: Cowboys over Cardinals
The Cowboys should have one of the best offenses in the NFL. They should take care of business against Arizona.
Week 9 Survivor Pool Pick: Seahawks over Cardinals
The Cardinals have to travel to the Super Bowl champions the week after a road trip to Dallas. The Seahawks should roll in this spot.
Week 10 Survivor Pool Pick: Colts over Dolphins
I don’t love the Colts this season, but in a tough survivor week, fading the Dolphins seems like the right call. The Colts should be able to run the ball and control the clock at home.
Week 11 Survivor Pool Pick: Chargers over Jets
The Jets need to fly across the country to face a tough Chargers team. This is an ideal spot to take Los Angeles.
Week 12 Survivor Pool Pick: Bengals over Saints
The Bengals typically struggle early in the season and then get hot down the stretch, assuming Joe Burrow is healthy. This is a good spot for the Bengals offense to flex and win big at home against the Saints.
Week 13 Survivor Pool Pick: Broncos over Dolphins
The Broncos have one of the best home-field advantages in football. They should defend it at home against Miami.
Week 14 Survivor Pool Pick: Eagles over Colts
The Eagles have a great run defense and should be able to slow down Indianapolis. The Eagles are underrated heading into this season and should win in a spot like this.
Week 15 Survivor Pool Pick: Packers over Dolphins
This is another tough road trip for the Dolphins. Heading to Lambeau Field in late December is a disaster for a team from Florida, especially one with all the issues the Dolphins are likely to have.
Week 16 Survivor Pool Pick: Ravens over Browns
The Browns are clearly the worst team in the AFC North. Getting them at home is a good spot to use Baltimore.
Week 17 Survivor Pool Pick: Bills over Dolphins
The Bills could still be competing for the division or playoff seeding in Week 17. If so, this is the rare time that I am willing to use a road team in survivor. There won’t be much of a home-field advantage for Miami this time of year. The Bills should find the win if they need it.
Week 18 Survivor Pool Pick: Chiefs over Raiders
Ending the season with the trio of the Ravens, Bills and Chiefs, the three best teams in the AFC over the past few years, is a great way to finish strong in your survivor pool. The Chiefs are in a very competitive division with the Broncos and Chargers. They could still be fighting to win the AFC West or to secure a playoff spot in Week 18. If that’s the case, getting Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead in a must-win is a great Week 18 pick.
