NFL Survivor pool, Week 9: Strategy and safe, value, trap picks

Welcome to Week 9, and we’ll see if it’s quite as rocky as Week 8 was. If you were still alive in your Survivor pool, odds are pretty good you took a hit this past weekend because you chose the Bengals to beat the Jets. Plenty chose other teams, but in my own Survivor pool, the vast majority of folks remaining took the Bengals. That’s gonna sting! It’s worth noting that the pool I participate in is a double elimination, so a lot of folks — including myself — remain alive in spite of the Jets upset.

If you’re reading this in Week 9, you probably know how NFL Survivor pools work. If not, a quick rundown. You pick one team each week that you think will win. If your team loses in Week 1, you’re eliminated (unless it’s a double elimination pool). If your team wins in Week 1, you can make a pick in Week 2. If your team wins in Week 2, you can make a pick in Week 3, and so on. The catch is that you cannot pick the same team twice. You could use a heavy favorite in Week 1, but you would not have access to them later in the year if you’re alive in the closing weeks.

DK Nation is here to help with a look at safe choices, value choices, and potential traps. In last week’s advice, the Bengals bit me, and the Chiefs came close to costing folks. At the same time, I was correct in calling Bucs over Saints a trap game! We’ll see how this weekend goes.

Safest picks

Bills over Jaguars
Cowboys over Broncos
Rams over Titans

ManningCast curse aside, the Bills should have no trouble with the Jaguars. Jacksonville is atrocious and nothing indicates they’ll be improving anytime soon. Meanwhile, if Dak Prescott is back, take the Cowboys.

Best value picks

Colts over Jets

The Jets stunned Cincinnati last week, but I’ll take my chances on a letdown game when they head to Indianapolis.

Trap pick

Saints over Falcons
Steelers over Bears

I wouldn’t touch a Saints-Falcons game in Survivor, regardless of who is favored. As for the Steelers, they remain a team I find difficult to believe in, so I’m staying away.