NFL Survivor Pools: Everything You Need To Know To Play In 2025
NFL survivor pools are annually one of the most popular contests at sportsbooks. When played correctly, they can present a challenging and exciting week-to-week knockout competition that can have some serious payouts. If tense, strategic games sounds like a good time to you - read on. Below, we'll lay out what NFL survivor pools are, how to play them, and where you can find them during the 2024 NFL season.
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TheLines' Free Pro Football Survivor Contest
Our in-house Pro Football Survivor Contest is back for 2024! This year, our pool is sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook and boasts a $10,000 cash prize pool.
Play TheLines' Free Pro Football Survivor Contest Now!
Playing our Pro Football Survivor Contest is simple. All you have to do is pick one team to win their game each week. Of course, you can only pick each team once during the course of the season. If you pick correctly each week, you "survive" to the next week.
If all players are eliminated before Week 18 of the NFL season, the prize pool will be divided evenly among the group of players who made the most recent correct picks. If more than one player makes all 18 picks correctly, the prize pool will be divided evenly among all the winning entries. You must be 21-years-old to play in our NFL Survivor Pool. Players also must be a resident of the US (except Washington, D.C.) or Canada (except the province of Quebec) to win prizes.
$1.5 Million DraftKings Survivor Pool
DraftKings is back with its $1.5 Million Main Event NFL Survivor Pool. You must pay a $100 fee to enter the contest. The max number of entries per user is 150.
Sign up now for the $1.5 Million DraftKings Survivor Pool.
The goal is to correctly pick one team to win each week of the season. If you pick wrong, you're out. If you pick correctly, you survive to make a pick the following week.
As is the case in most survivor pools, you cannot pick a team twice during the season. For instance, you could not pick the Chiefs to win every week. Once you "use" your pick on the Chiefs, you cannot use them for the remainder of the time you are in the survivor pool.
This particular DraftKings Survivor Pool is a winner-take-all pool and the prize pool will only grow as more people enter the contest.
$400,000 DraftKings Mini NFL Survivor Pool
The entry fee for this DraftKings Survivor Pool is a little more reasonable for the casual user as it is set at $10. This pro football survivor pool is also a winner-take-all contest but in the event of a tie, the pot will be divided among the winners.
Play the DraftKings Mini NFL Survivor Pool.
Free NFL Survivor Pool from BetMGM
Editor's Note: The BetMGM Survivor Pool for the 2024 season is not yet live.
BetMGM has a free entry NFL Survivor Pool this year. All new and existing sportsbook users are eligible to play the BetMGM Football Survivor Pool Challenge presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
Play the free BetMGM Survivor Pool now.
All you have to do is:
- Log in to your BetMGM account or register for a new account.
- Pick one team to win Week 1 (September 7 -11)
- If your team wins you are still alive in the challenge
- Each subsequent week you will pick a different team to win. You may not select the same team multiple weeks of the season.
- The grand prize is $100,000 and goes to the last remaining entrant after Week 18 of the regular season. If there is more than one winner the pot will be split equally.
Free NFL Survivor Pools
Free NFL Survivor Pools are trickling in at NFL betting sites. Expect there to be many free NFL Survivor Pools available to play for the 2024 season as we get closer to Week 1 kickoff.
One that is already live is the DraftKings Free $30,000 Football Survivor Pool. The rules for this pool are pretty much the same as the DraftKings pools listed above but this pool is one entry per user.
Play the free $30K DraftKings Survivor Pool now.
DraftKings also has small fee Survivor Pools available to play in now. There is the Micro NFL Survivor Pool that cost just $1 to play. It has a prize pool of $25,000. DraftKings will also run a Mini NFL Survivor Pool that has a $10 entry fee. The prize pool for that one is $100,000.
Free FanDuel $100,000 survivor pool contest
Editor's note: FanDuel has not yet announced details on its annual NFL Survivor Pool for the 2024 season. Check back closer to the start of the regular season for updated info.
Sign up now for FanDuel and bet on the NFL.
One of FanDuel's most popular pools each year is their $100,000 survivor pool. The best part about this one is that it's 100 percent free. The $100,000 prize pool is guaranteed to pay out to the player that makes it the longest. In the event of a tie, FanDuel will split the prize pool among the winners.
NFL Survivor Pool: What are survivor pools?
Survivor pools are a cousin to weekly pick 'em pools. Each week, a player picks a team they believe will win. If that team wins, the player moves on to the next week where the process is repeated – simple!
Those who pick incorrectly are out or may have to buy back in, depending on the rules. Players continue picking one team each week until there's only one player standing.
Typically, once a team is used, the player cannot select that team later on in the season. For example, if a player sees a layup win for the 49ers over the Bears in Week 1, the 49ers will no longer be available in the weeks following. This affects strategy in a big way, which we'll get into later.
Best survivor pool practices
Successful survivor players don't just blindly pick teams each week. There's delicate strategy in place that greatly increases the odds that a prepared player will win. Of course, that doesn't eliminate bad beats and the luck factor - but it minimizes it.
First, look at all 18 weeks. Do you go with the Bengals in Week 1 against the Patriots? You could wait until NFL Week 2 odds are released. This is bound to be one of the more popular picks for the first week. Perhaps you "save" the Bengals for Week 4 when they play the Panthers, who are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league along with the Patriots.
Hand-picking weeks where mediocre teams play the worst teams in the league also offers an advantage. For example, the Falcons take on the Panthers in Week 6. Atlanta is expected to be good, not great, but they should be able to take care of the Panthers, who are slated to be one of the worst squads in the NFL. This would be a decent spot to "use" your Falcons selection.
Basically, selecting the more difficult teams earlier on allows you to hold onto elite teams like the Chiefs, Bengals and Bills for when the pool thins down and things get tougher.
Keeping a close eye on implied win percentage each week can help players make their picks and give themselves a higher win probability.
Pool Genius
Picking the correct team each week in a survivor pool is a harrowing task. Rarely does the survivor pool player who picks blindly come out on top. Lots of study is required.
Rather than going to multiple websites for valuable NFL survivor information, it is incredibly beneficial to have all of the key metrics in one place. That is where Pool Genius comes in.
Pool Genius gives you each NFL team’s odds percentage to win each week. In addition, it gives you pick percentage, expected value and future value for each team.
Pool Genius also gives you its own power ratings for each NFL team as well as records and stats to help you finalize which team you want to pick.
Click on the banner above to get all of the Pool Genius information before you make your next Survivor Pool pick!
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