Week 17 NFL Survivor Pool Tips: Best Picks and Strategies to Stay Alive

Only two weeks remain in the 2024 NFL season, which means survivor pool participants are likely running out of top-tier teams. The fact that several of the league's best teams are battling injuries or will face difficult matchups this week doesn't help matters.

If you've managed to survive to this point, congratulations. It's been a wild NFL season filled with upsets, surprises and dramatic finishes. Week 17 is likely to follow the scripts, though fans can still find some enticing plays.

Here, we'll examine some top picks for Week 17 survivor play and run through a few general tips, using the latest odds as a guideline.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

It's Christmas Week, and the NFL is giving fans a pair of games on Christmas Day. One, we'd consider for survivor play. We'd avoid the other.

The Kansas City Chiefs (-3) are set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the week. While Kansas City is at home, has been notoriously tough to beat and has a knack for pulling out one-score games, this is far from a gimme.

Pittsburgh has a tremendous defense and will likely see the return of No. 1 receiver George Pickens, who has missed time with a hamstring injury. The Steelers could be getting other reinforcements as well.

"Some guys that didn't play yesterday who have a real chance this week: Justin Fields, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, George Pickens and Larry Ogunjobi all have an opportunity to play this week," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor.

While the Chiefs and Steelers may be off the table anyway, we'd look to avoid this one if possible.

The Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) will visit the Houston Texans in Wednesday's second matchup. The Ravens are a more enticing option because of their strong pass rush and dynamic offense, led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. The Texans just lost receiver Tank Dell to a torn ACL, and their offensive line has been a significant issue.

We'd also be a bit leery of the Buffalo Bills (-8.5) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8) even though both are heavy favorites this week.

The Bills will host the rival New York Jets. While Buffalo has a much better team than New York, its defense has struggled mightily as of late. Everything will hinge on the Bills getting a clean game out of quarterback Josh Allen.

If Allen stumbles at all, the Jets could pull off the upset—something the New England Patriots nearly did against Buffalo in Week 15.

The Buccaneers defense has also been an issue, and it cost them in last week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Up next are the scrappy Carolina Panthers, who took Tampa to overtime in the first meeting of 2024.

Carolina isn't an overly talented team, but it's playing good complementary football and is getting steady quarterback play from Bryce Young. The Panthers have become a serious threat to provide the upset in any given week.

Look, at this point in the year, you're probably going to have to trust some teams you'd prefer not to back. That's simply the nature of survivor play. The inconsistent Indianapolis Colts (-8) are worth strong consideration because of their matchup.

Indianapolis will visit the struggling New York Giants. New York has become, arguably, the worst team in football.

Is there a chance that the Giants force Anthony Richardson into repeated mistakes, get a huge game from rookie receiver Malik Nabers, and steal a win from the Colts? Absolutely, but Indy should be able to grind its way to a victory on the ground.

Jonathan Taylor is coming off of a 218-yard rushing performance and is about to face a very underwhelming Giants run defense. New York ranks 28th in yards per carry allowed (4.8) and 31st in rushing yards allowed.

A run-oriented attack should allow the Colts to limit mistakes and sneak out with their eighth win of 2024.

Survivor participants may need to take risks in Week 17, and backing the Las Vegas Raiders is a risk worth considering.

The oddsmakers don't think highly of the three-win Raiders, who are one-point favorites over the New Orleans Saints However, Las Vegas does have a prime opportunity to pick up their fourth win of the season.

The Saints looked like a lifeless team against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Their defense continues to stumble, and injuries to Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave limited their offense significantly.

There's no guarantee that New Orleans will be any healthier this week.

The Raiders, meanwhile, saw the return of quarterback Aidan O'Connell in Week 16. The second-year pro hasn't been great, but he's the best signal-caller on Las Vegas' roster by a large margin.

Las Vegas has been a much more competitive team with O'Connell behind center. The Raiders beat a bad Jacksonville Jaguars team in Week 16. They can beat a bad and severely banged-up Saints team too.

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