NFL Survivor Pool Week 14 strategy: Don't back the Steelers, and breaking down every worthy option
Which team should you use in your survivor pools in Week 14? We analyze the remaining schedule and share the best options.
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Last week in this space, we talked about why it made sense to be a little cautious with the Browns as an NFL survivor pool pick, reasoning that as talented as Deshaun Watson is, there's a chance he looks like a quarterback who hasn't played in two years and the offense looks bad. That certainly ended up being the case, but it didn't matter as the Browns scored three non-offensive touchdowns to win 27-14. We had three options we liked more than the Browns with Watson in wait-and-see mode, and all three were close into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys pulled away from the Colts, the Ravens barely got the win behind a backup QB, and the Seahawks played just enough defense to hang on.
Each week, I break down several options you should consider and lay out the other spots where you might end up wanting to use each team later in the season, along with your other options on those weeks. That format should allow you to tailor the advice specifically to the size of your survivor pool remaining as well as the teams you've already burned. This week is one we'd planned for long-term with six teams on bye and only one or two quality options as we looked ahead, but not everyone has been saving a top-tier team to use in this spot. If you're stuck with choosing between a bunch of short favorites, one I'd try to avoid is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There haven't been many spots where you'd even thought about using Pittsburgh and did so successfully, so I'm guessing most survivors still have them available and are considering them at home with a Baltimore offense missing its star quarterback coming to town. The Pittsburgh defense has also stepped its game up since the return of T.J. Watt, and after watching Baltimore barely eek out a 10-9 victory against an awful team, it seems like they're a ripe fade option.
But fill-in Ravens starter Tyler Huntley acquitted himself well in similar duty at the end of last season, beating the Bears on the road in his first start, then losing to the Packers, Rams and Steelers by a combined five points. Those were three playoff teams, including two that were among the best in the NFC, and he wasn't overmatched by the moment. He also rushed for nearly 200 yards in those final three starts, so it's not like the offense will need to change drastically this week to accommodate his skill set. Additionally, the Ravens defense has played very well since adding Roquan Smith at the trade deadline, with the fourth quarter against Jacksonville being the only exception. This should be a low-scoring game that goes either way, hinging on one or two big plays, and that makes it a risky survivor play for me.
Why listen to me? Well, I'm 445-378-24 on against-the-spreads picks over the last five years and even better with my top five picks each week, going 329-250-21 (56.8%) over the last seven years in the Westgate SuperContest. While this doesn't involve picking against the spread, I do believe by applying the strategies I've developed to have long-term success on those picks to survivor pools, we'll be in the best position to outlast the competition.
What are the best options to use in survivor pools in Week 14? And which teams should be saved to use later in the season? ... Join SportsLine right now to see NFL Survivor Pool strategy from the expert who's 445-378-24 on ATS picks from 2017-21, returning $2,542 to $100 players!
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