Survivor Pool Guides
Everything your pool will argue about, settled in advance.
What is a survivor pool? ›
The beginner's guide: what a survivor pool is, how it works in four steps, why it is so fun, and how it compares to fantasy football.
This week's survivor picks ›
Live and free: where the field went this week, real pick percentages revealed after each kickoff, and who survived once the games went final.
Week 1 slate and strategy ›
The season opener: the full Week 1 slate with kickoff times, six rules for a first pick that does not waste a top team, and how to get a pool in before Thursday night.
Week 2 slate and strategy ›
The morning after: the full Week 2 slate, how to pick whether you survived or not, and why a pool that starts in Week 2 is a fair fresh start.
Week 3 slate and strategy ›
The crowd problem: the full Week 3 slate, when to ride the consensus pick and when to fade it, what two weeks of results really tell you, and how to start fresh.
NFL survivor 2026 ›
The 2026 season fast track: key dates, two ways into a pool before Week 1, and the four habits that keep survivors alive past October.
Printable survivor grid ›
The printable pool tracker: a free PDF with an 18-week grid, a lives column for mulligan pools, and a teams-used sheet, plus the honest case for letting the app fill it in.
Survivor pool rules ›
The complete rulebook: core rules, every edge case (ties, missed picks, mulligans, void weeks), basic strategy, and a quick reference table.
Survivor pool strategy ›
How to actually win: spending teams like money, playing your pool size, surviving the mid-season meat grinder, and when to fade the crowd.
How to run a pool ›
The commissioner's playbook: the six jobs of running a pool, and the mistakes that kill pools by November.
Eliminator pools ›
Same game, sharper name: eliminator pool rules, why ESPN made the name famous, and how the eliminating actually unfolds week by week.
Suicide pools ›
The original name: suicide pool rules, where the grim name came from, and why the same game now answers to four different names.
Knockout pools ›
Boxing rules for football: how knockout pools work, the three kinds of pool you will meet, and why every round gets harder.
Last man standing NFL ›
The pub classic translated to Sundays: how NFL last man standing works and how it differs from the soccer original.
App vs spreadsheet ›
The honest comparison, job by job: where the spreadsheet genuinely wins, and where it quietly ruins seasons.
How many people per pool? ›
The no-limit answer: why survivor works with 5 players or 5,000, how size changes strategy and season length, and the real reason most pools stay small.
Free spreadsheet template ›
A free 18-week template with no email gate: download it for Excel or as a CSV for Google Sheets, and see the four jobs the sheet leaves on your desk.
Best survivor pool app ›
The whole field compared honestly: dedicated apps, real-money platforms, commissioner sites, media games, and the spreadsheet, with our bias disclosed.
Survivor pool names ›
120+ names for your pool and yourself: group chat jokes, football puns, office-safe picks, and names for the doomed.