In Week 2, fading my own most strategic survivor recommendation saved me from going down on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' embarrassing loss to Cleveland. In Week 5, I should've avoided the Bucs again, because picking against them doomed me.
Though I actually recommended Houston as the most strategic pick last week, before watching the Texans roll over Tennessee. I foolishly trusted the Cowboys in my own pool and watched the combination of Jalon Daniels and Bucky Irving turn their defense into Swiss cheese.
I wasn't alone. Nearly half of the popular Circa Survivor contest was eliminated by Tampa's upset win. But now isn't the time to cry over what was. It's time to lick our wounds, jump into a second-chance contest and finish the season strong. These
are my picks for Week 6.
The Week 6 survivor pick most likely to win
- Los Angeles Rams (vs. Arizona Cardinals)
This might be a divisional game, but the Cardinals aren't close to the same caliber of team as the rams. Add to that how fired up LA will be to get back in the win column after letting Monday night's loss to the Bills slip away in overtime, and I don't expect this game to be close at all.
Rams, 49ers, Chiefs, Bills, Patriots
Record: 4-1
The most strategic Week 6 survivor pick
- New England Patriots (vs. New York Jets)
We still don't know how good the Patriots are, which is why it'd be smart to steal a win with them while we can. And I think we can feel comfortable saying they're better than the Jets. Plus, they have positive momentum after last week's beatdown of the Raiders where Drake Maye looked like his MVP-contending self from a year ago.
Record: 4-1
My Week 6 survivor pick
- San Francisco 49ers (vs. Washington Commanders)
Listen, I need a win after last week's loss. So, by taking the Niners, I'm attempting to strike a balance between a team most-likely to win and a strategic pick. I don't think the Niners are as likely to win as the Rams, but I do like their chances better than New England in a divisional game. And with how injury-prone the Niners can be, I don't mind burning this pick earlier in the season as much as I would mind using LA.
Record: 4-1
Already used: Jaguars, Eagles, Lions, Packers, Cowboys
This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL survivor pool Week 6 picks: The Patriots appear trustworthy again
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