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NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 18: Advice and Predictions

by Spencer Toth - 1/2/2025

NFL survivor pool picks Week 18 Kyler Murray Arizona Cardinals

It is the final week of the NFL season, and it all comes down to this in your survivor pool. Only 18 remain of the 14,266 entries at the Circa survivor pool, with a grand prize of more than $14 million. We were eliminated by the Indianapolis Colts last week after they lost to the New York Giants 45-33. They were the only favorite to lose outright in what was otherwise a straightforward week of the season. Motivation will play a major factor in the final week of the season and must be kept in mind when making your final survivor pool pick. Here are your Week 18 survivor pool picks ranked from most to least confident.  

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Baltimore Ravens (-17.5) Over Cleveland Browns

The Ravens will be looking to win to lock up the NFC North, and it would be shocking to see the Browns upset them this week. Baltimore is better on both sides of the ball, and Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has the worst TD-INT ratio in NFL history. This one will be very one-sided, and is the top play of the week. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-13.5) Over New Orleans Saints

Another lay-up is available this week, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a ‘win and in’ situation against the Saints. The Buccaneers are miles better than New Orleans, and Baker Mayfield will carve up a vulnerable Saints secondary. New Orleans isn’t as defensively sound as they were earlier this season, and the Buccaneers will punch their ticket into the postseason with a victory. 

Washington Commanders (-4.5) Over Dallas Cowboys

The spread isn’t wide in this one, but the Commanders are a very safe pick to make this week. Washington will be desperate to avoid the Eagles in the postseason, and they can do that by winning their season finale against the Cowboys. Dallas has nothing to play for, their entire offense is injured, and they will look to wrap up another devastating season as soon as possible. Washington has a bright future and will finish off their best season in decades with a win over their biggest rivals. 

Green Bay Packers (-10) Over Chicago Bears

This one may be closer than expected, but anything other than a dominant Packers win would be a huge shock. Green Bay doesn’t have much to play for, but a big first half will be enough for them to build an insurmountable lead. Chicago is already looking ahead at next year, and will finish the season on an 11-game losing streak. 

Atlanta Falcons (-8) Over Carolina Panthers

Fading the Panthers has been a very effective survivor pool strategy for the last two years, and there is another opportunity to do so this week. Atlanta will need a miracle from the Saints over the Buccaneers to make the playoffs, but they will do their job nevertheless. Bryce Young has seen a miniature career resurgence in the second half of the season, but it won’t be enough to get the upset over Atlanta. 

Arizona Cardinals (-4.5) Over San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy’s injury is the icing on the cake for a very disappointing season for the 49ers. The 49ers are banged up, they have underperformed, and have nothing to look forward to in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are on the outside looking in, but there will be plenty of positives to take away from this year. Arizona finishes off the season on a positive note, and is a sneaky good survivor pool pick for this week. 

Denver Broncos (-10.5) Over Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with a victory, but they are still relatively far down on my list this week. Denver will be feeling the pressure after failing to clinch last week against the Chargers, and I don’t feel like this is an automatic victory. Bo Nix is still a rookie, and the entire roster is relatively inexperienced. They are of course higher than many of the meaningless games. However, if you have better options further up this list do not hesitate to use them over Denver. 

Philadelphia Eagles (-3) Over New York Giants

Even though the Eagles will be resting their starters, they are still good enough to beat the Giants. There wasn’t much of a reason to save the Eagles until now, but they are still a decent pick this week in the NFL. The Giants coaching staff will have been told to execute a conservative game plan this week, and the Eagles will still be looking to end off the year on a high note. 

Detroit Lions (-3) Over Minnesota Vikings

The Lions offense has put up the 11th most points of all time and can add to that total against the Vikings this week. Even a solid Vikings defense will not be able to slow down the mighty Lions, who will be desperate for the number one seed and the rest that goes with it. Minnesota’s Cinderella story will have a chance to continue in the postseason, but it will have to be from the fifth seed rather than the first. 

New York Jets (+1) Over Miami Dolphins

As miserable as the Jets season has been, they can offer you some hope in Week 18. Miami is preparing to play Tyler Huntley at quarterback this week, and the cold New York air will give the Jets an advantage. While unlikely, this could be the final game of Aaron Rodgers’ career and he will want to end off on a high note. 

Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) Over Los Angeles Rams

Don’t fall into this trap this week. While I still give the slight edge to Seattle, they are by no means a lock to beat the Rams on the road this week. Seattle makes too many mistakes to be trusted with your survivor pool life against a competent NFL team. 

Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5) Over Las Vegas Raiders

This one is better left alone. If the Steelers beat the Bengals on Saturday, this game becomes meaningless for the Chargers. If Justin Herbert doesn’t play, the Chargers instantly become a bottom 10 team in the NFL, and that is not someone I’d want to rely on at this stage of the season. 

Buffalo Bills (-2) Over New England Patriots

There are more duds than usual this year in the NFL, and this is another example of a game where we don’t exactly know what to expect. The Bills have nothing to play for, but it still doesn’t compare to the Patriots motivation to lose. Buffalo’s reserves are better than the Patriots starters, and the slight edge goes to the team with a winning attitude behind closed doors. 

Indianapolis Colts (-4.5) Over Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts were eliminated last week but are still far better than the lowly Jaguars. They have strong tacklers up the middle of the field and will still want to wrap up the season on a victory. Jacksonville will not want to jeopardize their draft position and will happily take another loss on their record. 

Tennessee Titans (+1.5) Over Houston Texans

Even though the Texans have won their division and are in the playoffs, the vibes are low surrounding this team. Injuries to their key receivers have derailed a promising start to the year, and a soft schedule has most people overlooking Houston. The Titans have been dreadful this season, but they still have their roster spots to play for and will edge out a narrow victory against the Texans. 

Pittsburgh Steelers (+1.5) Over Cincinnati Bengals

Just stay away from this one. This has all the makings of a classic NFC North battle, and a Week 18 survivor pool pick on either of these teams would be a mistake. 

Survivor Pool Pick of the Week: Arizona Cardinals Over San Francisco 49ers

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