We're approaching the quarter mark of the 2024 NFL season, and so far the Survivor pool has been a mess.
Through three weeks of football, the most popular team each week lost: the Bengals lost to the Patriots in Week 1, the Ravens lost to the Raiders in Week 2, and the Buccaneers lost to the Broncos in Week 3. There were many other upsets each week, and in most games, fewer than half of the initial entry pool likely survived.
I play in a variety of pools, some of which are multiple-entry pools. In last week's Survivor advice column, I suggested the Buccaneers beat the Broncos and the Browns beat the Giants as value picks, but both came up short for me. I did pick the Seahawks beat the Dolphins as one of my picks in the multiple-entry pools, so I'm still thinking about that one.
We're back with another round of picks to get us through Week 4 of Survivor Pools. There are a lot of options to consider, and each week this season we'll be breaking down the safest picks, the most valuable picks, and the picks that are potential traps.
The safest choice
Texans Jaguars
Cowboys beat Giants
Houston is likely saving it for their game against the Titans in Week 12, if they even get that far, but Jacksonville is a disaster right now, so it's worth considering.
The Cowboys are on the road this week and are worth saving for their home game against the Giants, but they should bounce back and are one of the safer options.
Best value product
Jets beat Broncos
The Jets are playing pretty good football, but there aren't many great options for the rest of the game. I expect I'll be a moderately popular pick this week, but I don't want to go along with the crowd entirely, as many people were picking the Jets last week.
Trap Pick
49ers From the Patriots
Bengals beat Panthers
It's probably safe to say that you should stay away from the 49ers for the time being. There will be some very popular picks this week, but the top favorite has lost in the first three weeks. Avoid the crowds and avoid teams that have been hurt heavily by injuries. I won't blame you for using the 49ers this week, but try to stay away as much as possible.
There are plenty of people who have been beaten by Cincinnati on multiple occasions, and there's no reason to go that hard this week against a Carolina team that's even better with Andy Dalton in the mix. It's unclear how much better they are, but they're dangerous.
