Survivor Pool Picks Week 12: NFL Survivor Strategies & Safest Pick This Week

If you followed our NFL survivor pool picks last week, you either easily advanced the Patriots, got through with the Texans, or earned a big leg up on the competition with our survivor strategy pick of the Dolphins.

We dive into the Week 12 NFL slate to identify our safest pick, best survivor pick, best strategy play, and team to avoid, as part of the NFL Week 12 predictions.

🎯 Best NFL survivor pool picks: Week 12

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

🐦‍⬛ Safest NFL survivor pick: Ravens (92.3%) over Jets

Baltimore’s schedule opened up tremendously over the last four weeks, allowing the team to roll off four straight wins after starting 1-5. 

Those that still have the Ravens available in survivor pools should not be worried that Lamar Jackson is coming off his first career game with zero touchdown passes and two or more interceptions. 

First, the Jets defense does not have a game-wrecker like Myles Garrett, who turned in his third career game with four-plus sacks last week for the Browns. Second, New York is the only team in the league without an interception this season. 

Baltimore has four division games, along with games against the Patriots and at the Packers to end the regular season, so the best time to use the Ravens, if you haven’t done so yet in survivor pools, is now.

🟢 Best NFL survivor pick: Seahawks (90%) over Titans

The Seahawks do not have the most optimal scheduling scenario entering this week, traveling across the country for their second road game in as many weeks to face a Titans team that is home for the second straight week. But Tennessee is off to its worst 10-game start since 1994 when it was the Houston Oilers, and its nine-game home losing streak is the longest active home losing streak in the NFL.

Seattle entered last week ranked in the top three in yards per play, points per game, and passing touchdown percentage. 

A 2-point road loss at the Rams does not change my opinion of the Seahawks as a contender in the NFC. And with their last four games coming against teams with a winning record, this is the best opportunity left to use Seattle in survivor pools.

⛏️ NFL survivor strategy pick: 49ers (78%) over Panthers

A week after I cashed the Panthers as one of my top upset picks, I am advising survivor pool contestants to fade a 6-5 Carolina team as a survivor strategy pick. Our Gary Pearson is also backing San Francisco with his NFL picks against the spread this week.

San Francisco is getting healthy again, as Brock Purdy made his first start since Week 4 in last week’s 41-22 drubbing of Arizona. The 49ers are 2-1 in Purdy’s three starts, and the team is getting outstanding production from Christian McCaffrey, who is coming off his 17th career game with at least one rushing and receiving touchdown (most in NFL history).

Carolina is coming off its first season sweep of Atlanta since 2013, while Bryce Young threw for a franchise-record 448 yards last week. But while San Francisco is 1-15 ATS in its last 16 games after an outright win, I am not fading a 49ers team that is 22-8 SU as home favorites since 2022, Purdy’s first year as a starter (he started five games that year).

Phil Wood has Under 47.5 as his early Panthers vs. 49ers prediction for Monday Night Football.

❌ NFL survivor pick to avoid: Raiders (63.8%) over Browns

It is Week 12, which means many survivor pool contestants will not have any of the five teams that are favored by a touchdown or more available for use. But if prior selections require one to search deep down on the odds leaderboard this week, I would avoid picking the Raiders to beat the Browns.

Las Vegas is coming off a short week after having played on Monday night, while Cleveland just forced Lamar Jackson into his worst QBR of the season (25.7) and one of the worst statistical games of his career.

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders did not inspire much confidence in Cleveland fans after completing 4-of-16 passes in relief of Dillon Gabriel last week. But perhaps Sanders comes back rejuvenated to play well against a Raiders team that many had him linked to in the first round of last year’s draft.

Meanwhile, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith entered the Week 11 Monday Night Football contest 4-14 SU in primetime games, and the fourth-worst quarterback on the moneyline out of 138 quarterbacks to make a primetime start since his first such start in 2013.

💵 Circa Survivor contest update entering Week 12

The top five most widely used teams in the Circa Survivor pool hosted by Circa Sports all advanced in Week 11. The biggest casualties on Sunday of Week 11 were those contestants who used the Falcons (4.3% of remaining entries) and the Vikings (11 total entries). There are 939 entries remaining and vying for the grand prize.