NFL survivor picks 2024: Top football knockout pick, pool strategy, schedule breakdown, optimal grid

NFL survivor picks can be one of the most exciting ways to get involved each week of the season, but you also need a winning NFL survivor strategy to stay alive. Fans have to pick one team to win each week in order to advance since a loss eliminates you from the survivor pool. Picking the best teams in the league might be the most enticing move early in the season, but with 18 weeks in the year, it is important to find spots to use mid-tier options. There are not any double-digit favorites in the Week 1 NFL odds, so there could be difficult decisions to make from the jump.

Several of the best teams in the league are facing each other in Week 1, including games like Chiefs vs. Ravens, Eagles vs. Packers and 49ers vs. Jets. Should you avoid all those teams with your NFL survivor pick? Before locking in any 2024 NFL survivor picks, be sure to check out the NFL survivor strategy from Vegas NFL expert R.J. White.

White has been SportsLine’s No. 1 NFL against-the-spread expert over the last seven years, going 636-534-34 against the spread to put him up more than 48 units on those picks at SportsLine since 2017. He has also delivered a 56.7% hit rate on his Vegas contest picks over the last nine seasons and has two finishes in the money, including finishing 18th out of 2,748 entries back in 2017.

Now, White has turned his attention to the 2024 NFL schedule and locked in his top NFL survivor pool picks and alternative strategy for the entire season. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top 2024 NFL survivor picks and strategy

One part of White’s 2024 NFL survivor strategy: He is not choosing the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, whom he considers the consensus play. The Bengals are 9-point favorites, which is the most they have been favored by in an opener since 1990. There have been just 12 teams in the last 12 years to be favored by at least nine points in the season opener, but 10 of the previous 11 were coming off a playoff appearance.

Cincinnati could be overvalued, as it missed the playoffs and finished at the bottom of the AFC North last season. Additionally, teams that have been favored by at least nine points in season openers are just 12-24 against the spread over the last 24 years. White has several reasons to expect a close game between these teams, so he is avoiding the Bengals with his Week 1 NFL survivor strategy. See the rest of White’s NFL survivor contest picks right here for every week.

How to make survivor pool NFL picks for the 2024 NFL season

White is taking a little more risk in Week 1 “by playing a lower-tier team.” This team will not be on many survivor players’ radar, potentially giving its backers a huge boost. This pick could be the difference between winning your survivor pool or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here. 

So which NFL survivor picks should you make for the 2024 NFL season, and which Week 1 pick could separate you from the pack? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL survivor pool picks and advice from an expert who has gone deep in one of the most prestigious betting tournaments, and find out.