NFL picks, Week 6: Straight up, and considering Survivor pool strategy

Welcome back to another week of NFL football! The San Francisco 49ers travel east in Week 6, facing Washington to close out a three-game road trip. The 49ers continue to look for their first win of the season, and will look to do it against former Kyle Shanahan protege Kirk Cousins.

While we wait for the 49ers on Sunday, it’s time to ponder options in my NFL Survivor pool. I am in a double elimination pool, which is kinda helpful as my Pittsburgh Steelers pick got blown up last week by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a Survivor pool, you pick a different team each week. You can only pick a team once. If your team wins you stay alive. I have set it up so you get two strikes. If you lose once, you get another chance. If you lose twice, you’re out. Once you pick a team, you can no longer pick them this season.

Now that I have one loss under my belt, I can’t really afford to get cute. I have used the Bills, Raiders, Eagles, Seahawks, and Steelers. My biggest choices are all home teams. I’m considering the Broncos (vs. NY Giants), Houston (vs. Cleveland), and Washington (vs. 49ers). I don’t really want to pick against the 49ers, but it could be a good reverse jinx, and if Washington does win, there are not a lot of great uses of them left.

Tonight, things get going with the Eagles and Panthers on Thursday Night Football. The Panthers are a 3.5-point favorite, according to Odds Shark. Both teams are playing solid ball, sitting at 4-1 and atop their respective divisions. We have not had a lot of great TNF contests, but this could be an intriguing one. Philadelphia is a little more banged up, and while I don’t like losing that 0.5-point hook, I’m inclined to take the Panthers.

Who are you taking?

Eagles @ Panthers: Panthers
Dolphins @ Falcons: Falcons
Packers @ Vikings: Vikings
Lions @ Saints: Saints
Patriots @ Jets: Patriots
49ers @ Washington: Washington
Bears @ Ravens: Ravens
Browns @ Texans: Texans
Buccaneers @ Cardinals: Bucs
Rams @ Jaguars: Rams
Steelers @ Chiefs: Chiefs
Chargers @ Raiders: Raiders
Giants @ Broncos: Broncos
Colts @ Titans: Titans