Week 13 NFL Survivor Pool Picks: Opening Line Report

After a couple crazy weeks for NFL Survivor Pools, with lots of upsets across the board, Week 12 was very straightforward. There were only three upsets over the holiday weekend, and none of them were big upsets. There probably wasn’t much of a shakeup in your original or second-chance pools last week, but there might have been a couple knocked out if anyone took Pittsburgh, Carolina or Jacksonville.

There are five weeks left in the NFL season. I’m out of my original pool but have two of three cards remaining in my second-chance pool. There are still a bunch of people alive in that one, and I have a feeling with some of the big NFL spreads we are starting to see every week that if I make it through Week 17 that I will be splitting the prize with a good number of other competitors.

Since we are getting close to the end of the season, I will give a quick rundown of the biggest favorites on the Week 13 NFL odds board then give my Top 5 picks ranked below that.

There are tons of big lines out there this week, so let’s get started.

New Orleans -7.5 at Dallas: This one goes against a few of my Survivor Pool rules. Road team. Thursday Night Football game. And going against Dallas as an underdog, a role in which they normally play their best (and they disappoint as a favorite).

Indianapolis -4 at Jacksonville: I do kind of like this pick because the Jags seem to be a team to fade down the stretch, but the Colts are a team I don’t 100 percent trust, either. Jacksonville is making a QB change, and Leonard Fournette has been suspended.

Pittsburgh -3.5 vs. LA Chargers: Two very good teams. This one looks like a coin flip. No interest here and might bet Los Angeles simply because they are getting the “hook” (extra half point off 3).

Carolina -3.5 at Tampa Bay: I like this one, too. But I have been wrong on the Panthers lately as I thought this team was better than they have been playing. I think they do enough to get the win, and a blowout would not be shocking. The Panthers need this one badly.

Houston -6.5 vs. Cleveland: I would probably use this matchup if there weren’t some other teams with better matchups that look more appealing for Week 13. Houston is one of the hottest teams in the NFL, but they come in on a short week. They looked awesome last night on Monday Night Football, however, against a Titans team that just destroyed the Patriots.

Miami -5 vs. Buffalo: The Bills have shown they can put a good game together at any time this season. They knocked a ton of Survivor Pool players out in Week 3. Miami is a team I can’t trust at all. Ugly, ugly game. I am just going to pretend this one doesn’t exist for Survivor Pool and betting purposes, and I will probably flip a coin for my pick’em pool.

Chicago -4.5 at New York Giants: The Bears have really surprised me this season. They are much better than I expected. Still, not sure I trust them here on the road, even against a team as lousy as the Giants.

Denver -3.5 at Cincinnati: The Bengals will be without Andy Dalton in this one and possibly without A.J. Green again. I couldn’t make a big argument against the Broncos in this spot, but I will be looking elsewhere for my Week 13 picks.

LA Rams -10 at Detroit: If you haven’t picked the Rams yet, then you are doing this all wrong! That being said, I think there might be a letdown for the Rams and Kansas City after that epic Week 11 Monday Night game then a bye. They should do enough to win, but I might bet Detroit against the spread since this seems like too many points in this situation.

Green Bay -14 vs. Arizona: The Packers stink this year. But the Cardinals are much worse. I don’t buy into this big spread at all, and I think they should be closer to -9 this week. However, I am most likely taking them as they have Aaron Rodgers, and the QB edge should be enough for a Packers win.

Kansas City -15 at Oakland: See Rams/Detroit writeup above.

Tennessee -9 vs. NY Jets: Short week here for Tennessee. Which Titans team will show up? Many might be tempted to take the Titans here as there aren’t many options left in some pools. This game makes me nervous, and the Titans didn’t look good on MNF (maybe a hangover from the Pats win?).

New England -6 vs. Minnesota: The Pats haven’t looks great lately, and Minnesota needs to start winning more games if they want to make the playoffs. Tough game to call.

Seattle -10 vs. San Francisco: This is a pretty heated rivalry. But Seattle has dominated it recently, and they are playing their best football of the season. I get a bad gut feeling about this one, but I have to think the Seahawks win here.

Philadelphia -6.5 vs. Washington: Alex Smith is done for Washington, but Colt McCoy isn’t that bad. I thought they were decent against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and they have had extra time to prepare for this game. The Super Bowl hangover is real, and the Eagles look a lot worse this season. This one is a tossup and I have no interest in Philly here from a Survivor Pool perspective.

Week 13 NFL Survivor Pool Picks Top 5 Picks:

No. 1: Green Bay

No. 2: Seattle

No. 3 Houston

No. 4 Carolina

No. 5 Indianapolis