Week 17 straight-up picks, NFL survivor pool strategy

Well, we are finally here. The final week of the 2017 NFL season. The San Francisco 49ers got off to a bad start, but after nine straight losses, they have won five of six, and four straight Jimmy Garoppolo starts. They are 5-10 heading into their season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, and I don’t know any non-troll that isn’t excited about this team.

The NFL wraps things up with a full 16-game slate on Sunday. There is no primetime football this week, with Sunday Night Football removed so that all the teams playing for a playoff berth are going at the same time. There are not many playoff berths left, but there should be some fun action on Sunday.

I am indeed prepared to pick the 49ers again, and will take them as well in my SuperContest picks. The Rams are sitting some of their key starters this week in preparation for their wild card round playoff game. We won’t see Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, or Aaron Donald, among others. This has swung the line from 49ers +6.5 to as high as 49ers -3.5. This could end up closer than expected as divisional games can be, but I think this is a very winnable game for the 49ers.

In the meantime, it’s time once again to ponder options in NFL Survivor pools. I was knocked out of my own double elimination pool way back in Week 7, but I’m still here to help you sort through your options. If you’ve made it this far, congrats! It’s the final week, unless your pools roll over into the playoffs. It’s time to “shoot your shot” if you have a big name available. That means New England Patriots or Minnesota Vikings or Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a touchdown favorite against Cleveland, but there are rumors they will sit Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell this week. That will be something to track.

We don’t have a TNF game to pick against the spread. I’ll have my full list of ATS picks on Saturday, but in the meantime, here are all my straight up picks for this week.

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