Week 9 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 9 Survivor Pool Picks, Strategy and Best Teams to Use
Week 9 Survivor Pool Best Pick
49ers over Raiders
The 49ers finally suffered their first loss of the season in Week 7 against the Falcons. That was after a grueling first few weeks that included multiple divisional matchups, several key injuries and a trip to Australia. The 49ers got a much-needed bye week last week and should put forward their best effort against the Raiders in Week 9. While they got a nice win, the Raiders are coming off a cross-country road trip against the Jets. They are yet to have a bye week, and they could be wearing down at this point in the season.
Some key figures for the 49ers have a chance to return after the bye week. Deebo Samuel, Mike Evans, Nick Bosa and more key players all have a chance to play this week after missing time before the bye week. The return of Evans and Bosa in particular would be a massive boost on both sides of the ball. The Raiders’ defense has real issues, having given up 30 or more points in each of their past four games. The 49ers should score too much for the Raiders to keep up with in this game.
Week 9 Survivor Bold Pick
Texans over Chargers
The Texans are in desperation mode the rest of the season. At 2-5, they need to win almost all of their remaining games to get into the postseason. They do have a favorable run of games coming up, starting with the winless Chargers. Houston has had real issues so far this season, but it is coming off a bye week and should be more than prepared for this matchup. The Chargers’ offense has been dreadful this season, and the Houston defense should completely shut them down. It has been so easy for teams to play against the Chargers this season, and coming off the bye week, this is the matchup the Texans needed to get some momentum going.
Week 9 Survivor Favorite to Avoid
Bears over Buccaneers
The Bears are coming off a massive win on Monday Night Football over the Seahawks. However, that makes this a tough spot for Chicago. The Bears are at a rest disadvantage after playing on Monday night and traveling back from the West Coast. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers had an easy win on Sunday. So easy, in fact, that they became the first team to win without completing a pass since 1974. Tampa Bay is playing excellent defense at the moment, ranking second behind only the Vikings in defensive EPA/play this season. It should limit this great Chicago offense in what could be a flat spot. This is the time to hop off the Bears train after a big win.
