The NFL season rolls on, and with each passing week Survivor gets much more difficult. There are fewer teams to work with, and now the dreaded bye weeks begin. That instantly takes a handful of teams off the table. Week 4 didn’t produce a ton of upsets, so the large majority of Survivor teams advanced. This week the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks and Buccaneers all are on byes, so cross them off the list. Let’s dive into the matchups, teams and spots to consider as you make your Week 5 NFL Survivor Pick.
NFL Survivor Pool Picks for Week 5
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Commanders (-6.5) vs. Bears | NFL Survivor Week 5
For the Thursday Night Football game, the Commanders welcome in the winless Bears to Washington. One of the keys of Survivor is getting through a week without burning the elite teams, and Washington absolutely helps there. Now, the Commanders aren’t a great team themselves, so you run the risk of getting knocked out with a pick like this, but that sort of risk is the name of the Survivor game.
If you didn’t use Washington against Arizona, then this is probably the last realistic chance to find it around a touchdown favorite. Nearing -300 in the moneyline is a pretty sizeable favorite, and the Commanders will not reach this price again this season. That doesn’t mean you need to force them in, but if you are planning for the long haul, then getting through Week 5 with Washington is a huge steppingstone to going deep into pools.
Dolphins (-10.5) vs. Giants | NFL Survivor Week 5
It’s never bad to consider the biggest favorite on the board, and the Miami Dolphins are that team this week. They draw a home matchup with the Giants, who come off a short week and are in disarray. They gave up double-digit sacks to the Seahawks at home, and the offensive line cannot protect anyone. Add in that Saquon Barkley’s status is still unknown, and there are a ton of problems without many solutions for New York.
It has been a great start to the season for the Dolphins, even with a loss last week in Buffalo. That’s a difficult spot for a team, and now coming home against this Giants secondary is absolutely a bounce-back spot. The markets agree, with Miami north of -500 on the moneyline, giving them the best chance to win the game among all teams this week. In division they’ll get the Jets twice and a few other easier opponents, but there is not a tone of opportunity cost here. If you want the biggest chance to move on to Week 6, then the Dolphins are probably the team to go to.
Lions (-8.5) vs. Panthers | NFL Survivor Week 5
It’s not quite to the Dolphins moneyline level, but the Lions have a dream matchup at home against the winless Panthers. This is surely going to attract a lot of people in Survivor, but it is warranted. It is still unclear how lucrative the Lions are to stash for future weeks, even though they do have matchups with teams like the Broncos in their future. The opportunity cost is lower than people might realize, and they should be able to handle Carolina at home. If they start to run away with the NFC North and battle for a top seed in the playoffs, then using them this early might hurt, but given the other options, the Lions are the best pick for Week 5 NFL Survivor.
NFL Week 5 Survivor Pick: Detroit Lions
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