Survivor Pool Picks Today: Week 10 NFL Survivor Strategies, Safest Pick

Advancing to Week 10 by nailing our safest NFL survivor pick and survivor strategy pick, our NFL survivor pool picks avoided all of last week's upsets. 

We're back to offer our expertise, highlighting the safest survivor pick, best survivor pick, team to avoid, and more for today's Week 10 slate. There is an opportunity to utilize teams in survivor pools that you might not usually consider, as a one-win team is often a betting favorite. As part of the Week 10 NFL predictions, here are my best survivor picks this week.

🎯 Best NFL survivor pool picks: Week 10

See all of our experts' NFL picks for Week 10 based on the latest NFL odds.

🐎 Safest NFL survivor pick: Broncos (83.87%) over Raiders

Denver is tied for the AFC’s best record at 7-2 but has been living on the edge of late with three wins by three or fewer points over the last four weeks. It should not have as much difficulty beating a Raiders team at home that has lost six of its last seven games.

The Broncos have won nine straight home games and should be a decent bet to cover this 10-point spread, as they have covered four straight games as favorites over divisional opponents. While the Raiders have won three of the last five matchups, none of those wins were with Bo Nix under center for Denver, as the Broncos won both meetings last year by double digits. 

Denver plays at Las Vegas a month from now, but it will not be as big of a favorite in any of its remaining games, making this the best time to use it in survivor pools. Our Gary Pearson is backing Broncos -9.5 with his early Raiders vs. Broncos prediction for Thursday Night Football, along with his NFL picks against the spread this week.

🐾 Best NFL survivor pick: Panthers (71.43%) over Saints

Most weeks using the Panthers in survivor pools would be considered a contrarian strategy play, but it makes the most sense to use them as the best NFL survivor pick this week.

Carolina impressively won at Green Bay as a 13.5-point underdog last week and has now matched its win total from last season (five wins). QB Bryce Young has won four consecutive starts, and New Orleans has already started to sell off pieces at the trade deadline, as it is off to its worst start (1-8) since 1980.

Making the move to backup quarterback Tyler Shough did not invigorate the offense as much as the Saints coaching staff would’ve hoped. New Orleans has averaged just 11.5 points during a four-game losing streak.

Carolina’s home schedule is littered with playoff contenders down the stretch (Rams, Buccaneers, Seahawks), so it is a great play to use now while saving more of the top-tier teams for the stretch run of survivor pools.

🐻 NFL survivor strategy pick: Bears (65.99%) over Giants

Chicago has won five of six games and is facing a Giants squad that has allowed 35 points per game during a three-game losing streak. 

New York’s injury-ravaged secondary was burned by San Francisco’s Mac Jones last week, as the backup quarterback completed his first 14 passes. That does not bode well when facing Chicago signal caller Caleb Williams, who became the first Bears player with three touchdown passes and a touchdown reception in a single game since 1985.

The Bears are coming off a 47-point outburst, their highest scoring total since 2018. There is little to suggest the Giants will stop a three-game streak of allowing 30-plus points.

❌ NFL survivor pick to avoid: Jets (56.52%) over Browns

There will be several survivor pool contestants looking to get cute and gain a huge leg up on the competition by advancing to Week 11 after using the one-win Jets in survivor pools this week. If it works out, it is a brilliant move, but I wouldn’t have the stomach of using New York against anyone if I made it unscathed through the first nine weeks of survivor pools - especially after the team sold off key pieces at the deadline.

Both New York and Cleveland are coming off bye weeks. And while the Jets have five losses by seven or fewer points, the Browns defense, which ranks second in yards per game allowed, can easily lead the way to a road upset against New York’s 25th-ranked scoring offense.

💵 Circa Survivor contest update entering NFL Week 10

Three of the four most used teams in the Circa Sports Survivor contest in Week 9 all won outright, while Green Bay’s loss eliminated 12.8% of the 2,057 entries that began the week. There are 1,769 entries remaining entering the Sunday slate, with the Carolina Panthers (27.7%), Seattle Seahawks (14.8%), and Buffalo Bills (14.8%) the most popular picks. The Denver Broncos won on Thursday Night Football to advance 24.3% of contestants.

💡 NFL expert picks for Week 10

Follow all of our NFL analysis for Week 10 throughout the week.

• NFL picks against the spread Week 10
• NFL QB clutch player ratings Week 10
• NFL survivor picks Week 10
• NFL AI predictions Week 10
• NFL weather report Week 10
• NFL upset picks Week 10
• NFL player props Week 10
• NFL expert picks Week 10
• NFL best bets Week 10
• NFL moneyline picks Week 10
• NFL anytime touchdown scorer predictions Week 10
• NFL first touchdown scorer predictions Week 10
• NFL 2+ touchdown scorer predictions Week 10
• NFL anytime touchdown scorer parlay Week 10
• NFL long-shot parlay Week 10