NFL Survivor Pools Rules and Tips for Players
NFL survivor pools offer a fun and exciting way to enjoy the NFL season every year. From free survivor pools run by online sportsbooks to office football pools, these contests are all about making accurate predictions. To do that, you need to understand the rules and develop a strategy that works for you.
In this comprehensive NFL survivor pool guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make the most of your experience. We detail how survivor football pools work, our top tips for players, and even some ideas for funny survivor pool team names.
What is a Survivor Pool — NFL Survivor Pool Rules?
An NFL survivor pool is a contest in which participants attempt to “survive” by correctly picking an NFL team to win its game each week. If the NFL team the participant selects wins, they survive that week and continue on to pick a winner the next week. If the selected team loses though, that participant is eliminated from the survivor pool.
You can play survivor pools with college football or other sports, but they’re mostly run for the NFL season. Learn more about NFL survivor pool rules and details in this section.
Alternative Names for NFL Survivor Pools
- NFL Suicide Pool
- NFL Eliminator Pool
- NFL Knockout Pool
- NFL Last Man Standing Pool
- NFL King of the Hill Pool
- NFL Winner Pool
The word “challenge” or “contest” is sometimes used in favor of “pool” as well, such as the NFL Eliminator Challenge or NFL Survivor Contest.
How To Play Football Survivor Pool Contests
There are many ways to play in football survivor pool contests. You can sign up for one online, enter one offline with your friends or co-workers, or even run one yourself.
NFL Survivor Pools Online
Online NFL survivor pools are usually either free to play or have real money buy-ins toward huge prize pools. For an in-depth look at the best free and real money options available, browse through The Sports Geek’s NFL Survivor Pools blog.
Survivor Pools for NFL Offline
If you work in a big office or attend college with other sports fans, chances are someone is running a survivor pool you can enter. If there isn’t one, maybe you can be the one to get it started.
How To Run an NFL Survivor Pool Contest
Running a survivor pool can be a fun and rewarding experience if you are up to the task. Here are some tips on how to run your own NFL survivor pool contest.
Gauge Interest — Before deciding to run a survivor pool, check whether your friends and coworkers are interested in participating. Ask what buy-in amount they’d be comfortable with. If enough people commit to entering, you can move forward with planning.
Rules — Consider what rules you want to use and let players know if you plan to add any unconventional rule variants. Lock in important details like prize pool distribution before the season begins, so there’s no confusion towards the end.
Choose a Platform — Free sites like Yahoo Fantasy Sports and the ESPN Eliminator Challenge take most of the work out of running your survivor pool. Simply collect entry fees and guide people to sign up, then let the platform take care of the rest.
NFL Survivor Pool Tips for Beginners
A successful NFL survivor pool strategy starts with the basics. Familiarize yourself with these beginner tips before moving on to our more advanced strategies in the next section.
Understand Your Survivor Pool’s Rules
Is your survivor pool contest single or double elimination? How many teams are participating? Understanding your pool’s rules and details helps you avoid confusion and decide on your strategies. For example, you can afford to take more risks in a double-elimination pool than you can in a standard single-elimination format.
Be Careful With Road Teams and Rivalry Games
A common beginner mistake is ignoring the home-field advantage and division rivalry games. You can still take road teams or teams facing a rival. Just keep in mind that factors like travel fatigue or emotionally charged games can lead to poor performance from a favorite.
Keep Up With Injuries and News
Some survivor pool players lock their picks in early the week before a game and don’t keep up with current events. An injury to a key player, a trade, or even locker room drama can turn a pick that looked strong a few days ago into a shaky pick on game day. It may also make a different team available for you to use, so keep an eye on big news around the league.
Use Resources Like Expert Picks
Take advantage of free NFL survivor pool picks and analysis whenever possible. You can use expert picks yourself or get an idea of what popular teams your opponents might choose that week. You can check out AI and expert picks for NFL games all season long here at The Sports Geek.
Advanced NFL Survivor Pool Strategy: How To Win Survivor Contests?
Now that we’ve covered the basic NFL survivor pool tips, let’s dive into the more advanced tips to give you the best chances of surviving the entire season.
1. Take Calculated Risks To Save Top Favorites
It’s tempting to pick elite teams like the Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers, but remember, you can only pick them once per season. It’s handy to have a team like that still available late in the season when most or all the other players in your pool have already used them.
Before burning a valuable team, examine other alternatives. Are there any home favorites on the board that you are confident in? Or a decent team playing against this season’s worst squad? Even if the alternative to the top team is a bit riskier, these calculated risks can pay huge dividends if they are successful.
2. Plan Your Survivor Picks Weeks in Advance
Every decision you make in your survivor pool will greatly impact the rest of the season. With that fact in mind, it’s a good idea to see what kind of implications a pick you are making this week will have for future weeks.
Example:
Let’s say, in Week 8, you are deciding between taking the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins. You pull up each team’s remaining schedule for the rest of the year and notice that both teams have two more games they figure to be heavy favorites in. One of those games is against the Steelers in Week 10, and looking at the rest of the game that week, you don’t have any other strong choices left.
Knowing this information in advance, you can take the Dolphins in Week 8 and save the Steelers for Week 10 when you need them. Survivor Grid is a great tool for looking ahead that includes projected spreads for each game.
3. Study Advanced Statistics To Gain an Edge
NFL fans have greater access to advanced statistics now than ever before. Sites like NFL Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Reference help fans know what to expect in future games. They provide team and player stats, which paint a much clearer picture than points scored or win-loss records.
DVOA:
One crucial team stat is defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA). DVOA quantifies how well a team performs offensively or defensively. It also adjusts for game conditions, such as the opponent’s strength and the weather.
Analyzing advanced team stats like DVOA or player-specific stats can help you identify overvalued or undervalued teams. Learning new statistics takes some effort, but improving your NFL survivor pool selections and overall football betting strategies is worth it.
4. Analyze Teams Available to Opponents Late in the Season
Through the first half of the NFL season, all you need to worry about is making the best selection each week, considering all the tips we’ve covered. But as the number of remaining contestants dwindles, start studying your remaining opponents to anticipate what teams they might select next.
Example:
For example, imagine you are in Week 12 and only you and one other team remain. Your top two choices for this week are the Baltimore Ravens or the New Orleans Saints. Your opponent used the Saints in Week 4 and didn’t have any viable options besides the Ravens.
With this knowledge, you can confidently predict that your opponent will choose Baltimore. You can use this prediction to influence your decision. Do you want to take Baltimore, too, knowing that if you both lose, you’ll split the money or start up again next week (depending on your pool’s rules)? Or do you want to take New Orleans and have Baltimore to yourself in Week 15 when they have another favorable matchup? Anticipating your opponent’s next move can help you weigh your risk and reward potential.
Funny Survivor Pool Names
Coming up with a funny survivor pool name is a great way to flex your creativity. Most great NFL knockout pool names include a pun or play on words that combine a star player or team name and a famous phrase or pop-culture reference. Use the examples below for inspiration:
- Lamar You Serious? (Lamar Jackson)
- Easy as A B CeeDee (CeeDee Lamb)
- Dak to the Future (Dak Prescott)
- Chillin’ with Mahomies (Patrick Mahomes)
- How I Metcalf Your Mother (DK Metcalf)
- Mayfield of Dreams (Baker Mayfield)
- Hurts So Good (Jalen Hurts)
- Diggs Deep to Survive (Stefon Diggs)
- King of Tyreek’s Hill (Tyreek Hill)
- No Punt Intended (General)
Football Survivor Pool Contests — Key Takeaways
Football survivor pools are one of the most fun and easy betting opportunities out there. Our guide on NFL survivor pools gives you the tools to enjoy these thrilling contests this season and beyond. We’ve covered the basic rules and strategies to give you a better chance at surviving longer than the competition.
Check out our NFL survivor pools blog for a list of this season’s top free and real money contests today, and visit The Sports Geek throughout the NFL season for free expert picks all year long.
