NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 17 Opening Line Report

Thanks to all those that have followed our blog all year, and even though we were knocked out of our Survivor Pool competitions too early this year we hope that we were able to provide you with some solid advice that helped you in your contest.

Week 17 is a real tricky one because of the differing motivations for teams around the league. Some are looking forward to the golf course and the offseason. Other teams want to play spoiler. Some are fighting for their playoff lives, while other are trying to improve their seeding.

This is a real important week to consider the NFL betting lines. The oddsmakers know more than we do, and you can tell by the lines which teams have more motivation in Week 17 matchups.  A quick glance at the numbers shows some wacky spreads. Dallas is laying three points in Philly is one example. That is because the Eagles have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and thus will probably give many starters the day off. There are a couple other spreads that reflect the same motivation throughout the Week 17 schedule. While this creates a headache for bettors, it’s pretty good for NFL Survivor Pool players as they may have more good options here in Week 17 than they have had in the last few weeks with all the good teams already used up in most competitions.

In this spot each week I normally run down the favorites of more than three points with analysis on each matchup, but since most of the good teams have been used I will instead focus on the teams that may be available to those still alive in Week 17 Survivor Pools.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 17

Baltimore -9.5 vs. Cincinnati: If the Ravens are still available then take them. It’s that simple. This is one of the teams that needs to win to make the playoffs, and the Bengals have a lame-duck coach and they have basically thrown in the towel on the season. I feel very confident that Baltimore will take care of business on Sunday.

Detroit -7 vs. Green Bay: The Lions are out of the playoff hunt and have nothing to play for but pride on Sunday. But they are the better team since the Packers are without Aaron Rodgers, and they will no doubt want to end the season on a high note against a major rival. Detroit will take this one.

Buffalo -3 at Miami: The Bills need to win and need a lot of help to make the postseason. So if you have them available and there aren’t many other options available then you can rest assured that they will at least try hard. Just not sure that this team has the talent to win on the road against a Miami team that can look great one week and awful the next. You know they would love to play spoiler and end the season on a positive in front of the home fans.

Tennessee -3.5 vs. Jacksonville: This is an interesting game because these teams could play next week in the Wild Card Round. You would think that the Jags might not show a lot here as they would want to bring the playbook out in full force for the playoffs. Might they just lay down and let the Titans win this game? I would think they would rather play a familiar team like Tennessee instead of a hot club like the Chargers.

Indianapolis -4 vs. Houston: Yuck. I don’t like this matchup at all and don’t think the Colts should be favored by more than three against anyone except maybe the Browns. Houston has looked really bad the last couple weeks, but maybe they want to end the season on a high note?

Washington -3 at NY Giants: Washington has played one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season. I think that this team is better than their record would indicate. They face a Giants team that is just a mess, and there are a lot of internal problems with this squad. Even though the Skins are on the road I think they are a viable option for Survivor Pools in Week 17.

LA Chargers -8 vs. Oakland: I like the way the Raiders played overall on Monday against the Eagles, and they were in that game despite a lot of mistakes. It would be so Chargers for all the help they needed to make the postseason to come through and for them to lay an egg in this game to miss the playoffs anyways.

Denver -4 vs. Kansas City: The Chiefs have owned the AFC West for the last couple of years, but Denver has always been a place where they have had troubles. Chiefs rookie QB Pat Mahomes will be starting this game for KC as they are locked into the No. 4 seed and will rest many starters. But the Chiefs backups are probably strong enough to beat Denver anyways, and the rookie QB for KC looks like the real deal and will want to play well in his NFL debut.

San Francisco -3 at LA Rams: This line tells us that the Rams are resting starters. San Francisco has been playing very well with their new QB, and they are definitely a team that wants to finish the season strong.