NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 11: Opening Lines Report

What a crazy week in the NFL for Week 10. Eleven of 14 underdogs won outright, including some huge upsets. NFL Survivor Pools were thinned out earlier in the season as there have been more big upsets than normal, but after Week 10 even second-chance pools have probably already been completed. After the crazy day we saw Sunday, you just had the feeling Houston was going to get the upset at Cincinnati on Monday Night Football, and of course they scored the 10-6 win. What was in the water this week to cause the underdogs to bark so loudly?

Even though most Survivor Pools are over, we will still offer picks and predictions for the remainder of the NFL regular season. This week looks very tough on paper as many of the biggest favorites on the board have already likely been used in most Survivor Pools. Here in this space I will look at the biggest favorites on the betting board and then at the end of the article I will give my predictions for the week for some teams that may likely be available to more Survivor Pool contestants.

NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 11: Opening Lines Report

Carolina -7 vs. Washington

Again, this team is probably not available to you if you are still alive in your Survivor Pool. Carolina is tied with New England for the second-biggest favorite on the board this week. And this just goes to show you how tough Week 11 is for NFL Survivor Pool players. But, hey, if you are still alive then you know what you are doing! Might the Panthers be the second-best team in the NFL behind the Patriots? The other two candidates for that distinction, Green Bay and Cincinnati, both suffered embarrassing losses over the weekend. The Panthers keep quietly playing excellent team football and are staying under the radar for the most part. The Redskins seem overmatched here even though they put up a ton of points on New Orleans on Sunday. However, they will be facing a much tougher defense here. If you have Carolina available, I would suggest you take them here as this looks like another notch in the win column for the home team.

Atlanta -6 vs. Indianapolis

The Falcons are a team that may be available to you this week. However, this is about as shaky of a favorite as you can come across. They have lost three of four, with their only win coming against Tennessee, and that was a slim one. Since then they have lost to Tampa Bay and San Francisco, two of the worst teams in the league. The Colts are coming off a bye and have played well as a team recently, although they will be without QB Andrew Luck in this one. I would say avoid the Falcons here and look to some of the smaller favorites for your pick this week.

Philadelphia -5.5 vs. Tampa Bay

The Eagles have been horribly inconsistent and have undoubtedly knocked many out of their Survivor Pools this season. They had another head-scratching loss on Sunday to the Dolphins at home. Another quarterback injury here that’s notable as Sam Bradford is likely out in place of Mark Sanchez. Tampa Bay is improving for sure and has won three of their last five games. The Eagles really need this game, however, and I think they find a way to get the job done here. This line is low because of the QB situation for Philly, but if Bradford was in there I’d bet that the Eagles would be more than a 7-point favorite. I like them this week a lot more than Atlanta even though the line is shorter here.

Seattle -12.5 vs. San Francisco

What once was must-see TV when these two teams played for the past several years is now pretty much a dud. The Niners stink, and Seattle is having a down year and may be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Although most Survivor Pool players have already used Seattle (most likely been knocked out by them), they would probably be my top pick for the week for those that haven’t. They are a desperate team here after blowing that game against Arizona on Sunday, and they are the much better squad in this matchup. They won’t overlook the Niners because of the rivalry and will probably enjoy stomping all over their nemesis while the team is having a down year.

New England -7 vs. Buffalo

Once again a team everyone has used long ago. I actually think Buffalo comes to play this week. Coach Rex Ryan loves to play the Patriots, and his teams normally respond. This line seems a little fishy at just 7 points and that tells me some smart money has gone on the Bills against an injury-riddled Pats team.

Top Picks for the Week:

Dallas

Chicago

Philly