If you are unaware of what NFL survivor picks are, the basic concept is you make NFL picks throughout the season, but you can only pick a team once. Once you lose, you’re knocked out, so choose your Week 17 NFL Survivor Pool picks wisely.
If you are new to reading my survivor articles, what I do is outline my “lock of the week,” my “value of the week” and my “high-risk, high-reward pick.”
The lock of the week details what team I think has the best chance of winning their matchup. This would most likely be a good team that plays a bad team. The lock is also the official pick for NFL Survivor Pools, meaning we will not reuse a “lock.” My value pick of the week details a mid-tier team that has a good matchup. And finally, my high-risk, high-reward pick details a bad team that has a good matchup. It may be worth it to look at the NFL betting odds for these games and place some bets as well.
Teams Used:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Detroit Lions
- Miami Dolphins
- Seattle Seahawks
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tennessee Titans
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Rams
- Denver Broncos
Week 17 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Lock of the Week | Best Pick for NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 17
Indianapolis Colts vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Many people wrote the Colts off this season when rookie Quarterback Anthony Richardson went down with his injury. But in typical Gardner Minshew fashion, he has steadied the Colts and with the help of an alright defense, the team has found itself alive and vying for a division win. For the Colts, their best player – Jonathan Taylor should be 100% and fully healthy. Against a Raiders team that has given up 1,833 yards on the ground this season, Taylor should be able to get going early. That only spells good fortune for Minshew, who can play his best off of the play action. While the Raiders are still technically alive in the playoff hunt, realistically it is going to take a lot for them to make the playoffs. I think the Colts have a little better incentive to play, as they are currently tied for the division lead in the AFC South.
As of right now, as I am writing this, both Josh Jacobs and Max Mayer have not practiced and are projected to miss Sunday’s game. With an already weak core, not having two of their top playmakers should only help the Colts. I think that the Colts’ star power should outweigh what the Raiders have and with a bad set of games for the survivor pools this week.
Lock of the Week: Indianapolis Colts
Value Pick of the Week | Week 17 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Carolina Panthers
The Jacksonville Jaguars have sold their chances at locking up a division win and taking the last couple of weeks easy. With 4 losses in a row, the Jaguars now face a matchup against the team with the worst record in the league. That gives them as good of an opportunity as any to right the ship and get back on track. Carolina had the best performance of their season last week against the Packers and I think that those opportunities have exhausted. While it’s questionable if the Jaguars have a better defense than the Packers, I think that it is undoubtedly true that the Jaguars have a better coaching staff on the defense. That alone should hold the Panthers to under the 30-point threshold that it saw last week against Green Bay. While Trevor Lawrence is banged up, the Carolina Panthers are dead last in sacks this season. If the Jags can keep Lawrence upright, then he should be able to settle in and get this ship back on track.
Value Pick of the Week: Jacksonville Jaguars
High Risk, High Reward Pick of the Week | Week 17 NFL Survivor Pool Picks
Atlanta Falcons vs. Chicago Bears
Much like the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Falcons are in the mix to win their division. They need to win this week to keep pace with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Going against one of the lesser teams in the NFL, the Falcons have the opportunity to win and boost their playoff resume. Weirdly, the cold weather in Chicago this week should play into the Falcons’ play style. I would imagine even against the Bears’ good run defense, Bijan Robinson should be heavily involved and with him being the best player on the team that can only spell good results. It seems the Falcons have made it a point to get their playmakers involved, as proved by Kyle Pitts reaching the endzone multiple times in the past couple of weeks. With Taylor Heinicke starting this week, chaos should ensue, which he thrives in. Look for this to be a hardcore run game, almost big ten like, and the Falcons coming away with a Younghoo Koo game-winning field goal.
High Risk, High Reward Pick of the Week: Atlanta Falcons
