NFL Survivor Pool: Week 18, 2026 pick from advanced computer model

Survivor pool options are slim, but Week 18 still offers a few good ones. Of those few who have gone through 17 weeks of upsets and bad luck, there is still a clear winning pathway. Week 17 had its share of drama as a number of favorites came up short, including the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

A popular choice this week is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who take on the Carolina Panthers in Tampa, Fla. Carolina (8-8) leads the NFC South, but is just 1-5 against the Buccaneers (7-9) in their last six meetings. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, can win the division with a win over the Panthers, but have dropped four in a row overall.

The Buccaneers enter as a 3-point favorite in the Week 18 NFL lines, among the slimmest lines this week. The other small lines for Week 18's games, include Seahawks (-1.5) vs. 49ers, Lions vs. Bears (-2.5) and Saints vs. Falcons (-2.5).

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Before making any Week 18 NFL survivor pool picks or NFL knockout pool picks, you NEED to see which team the SportsLine Projection Model is backing.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 18 on a 52-37 run on top-rated picks dating back to 2024. Anybody following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model can be used to crush the Survivor Pool format, which calls for picking one team to win each week but never using the same team twice.

This week, the model is shying away from picking the 8-8 Minnesota Vikings to defeat the 9-6-1 Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has been reeling, having lost three in a row and quarterback Jordan Love (concussion) may or may not be ready in time for the game. The Vikings enter as 6.5 favorites, and have won two of the last three meetings and three of the last four played in Minnesota. Green Bay posted a 23-6 win on Nov. 23, but have been devastated by injuries since.

The SportsLine model projects Green Bay to cover in well over 50% of simulations, making the Vikings a team to fade. Instead, the model is CONFIDENTLY backing a team that wins outright in over 80% of simulations! Picking this team will put you in the optimal position to win your NFL survivor pool. You NEED to see which team the model is backing before locking in your NFL survivor picks!

Which surprising team is the optimal Week 18 survivor pool play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see the SportsLine Projection Model's Week 18 NFL survivor pick, all from the model that consistently crushes the NFL and is up well over $7,000 since its inception! 

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