Week 5 NFL Survivor pool strategy with safe, value, trap picks

Bye weeks are officially here and that is going to start making Survivor a little bit harder. The Falcons, Bears, Packers, and Steelers are all getting this week off, and it will be a while before we get through the byes. That limits your options each week in Survivor pools, but there are still some solid options.

Survivor pools are starting to thin out thanks to some big upsets. Last week saw the Packers finish in a tie against the Cowboys. For some pools a tie advances, but for most it counts the same as a loss. Green Bay was a popular pick, even going on the road against a struggling but dangerous Dallas squad. The Giants stunned the Chargers in Jaxson Dart’s debut and that threw out quite a few more participants.

This week, the big news is the drastic movement in the 49ers-Rams line for Thursday Night Football. The Rams opened as 3.5-point favorites, but as it became clear Brock Purdy wasn’t going to play, the line moved. By the time the 49ers declared Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings out for Thursday, the Rams were 8.5-point favorites.

We’re back for another week of Survivor picks with some safe, value, and trap picks. Last week, I warned y’all about Green Bay, and otherwise did well. On to Week 5 picks!

Safest picks

Bills over Patriots
Lions over Bengals

I’ve said you should avoid divisional matchups, but Buffalo is the best team in the AFC right now. You should probably save them, but they’re a safe play if you’re just looking to last a little longer. As for the latter game? The Bengals stink and it’s as simple as that.

Best value picks

Cardinals over Titans
Colts over Raiders

Arizona has some maybe games later this season for Survivor, but they’re probably worth using now to save better teams for later. Similarly, the Colts are playing solid football and get a bad Raiders team. You could save the Colts for Week 8 against the Titans, but nobody would fault you for taking them this week against the Raiders.

Trap picks

Rams over 49ers

The 49ers will be without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings. This also comes with them missing George Kittle and Nick Bosa. The Rams are the superior team in this matchup, but NFC West divisional games on a short week are something you should never touch.