Survivor Picks For NFL Week 5 (2024)

Week five of the 2024 NFL season is here. As always, I will start by discussing the rules for a survivor pool. It is a weekly contest where people select one team per week, straight up, to win their game. If a chosen team wins, they advance to the next week but remember that the selected team can't be used for the rest of the season. If a team they chose for that week loses, they are eliminated from the pool.

Now that the rules are set, it is time for me to give my top three options, a risky pick, a trap pick, and a survivor pick that I would have made if I were still alive in Survivor. It would have been nice for Cincinnati to prepare for their first regular season game.

1. Seattle Seahawks vs New York Giants

This is the obvious pick of the week. While the Giants have had more time to prepare for this game, it's not going to be easy for an east coach team to go to the West Coast to play a football game. To make it worse for the Giants, they are likely going to be without WR Malik Nabors who suffered a concussion against the Cowboys. That's not all, Devin Singletary popped up on the injury list with a groin injury and he might not be available for this game. This sucks for the Giants, as Seattle is not great on the road, and if he is out that is a big problem. Who is Daniel Jones going to trust on this offense? Without Nabers and Singletary, he legit has no great weapons. By the way, where the hell has Jalin Hyatt been? Wasn't he supposed to have a bigger role on this offense?

Seattle should take advantage of the mediocre Giants' defense. Especially with how disappointing the pass-rushing core has been with Giants and now Brian Burns is banged up. The Giant's run defense is still good and should handle Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. The secondary is a problem still and Geno Smith should have a big game. This could be the last chance to use Seattle, as they don't have a ton of future value in Survivor.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (vs Dallas Cowboys)

Dallas is in deep trouble. While the team currently has a 2-2 record the team has regressed compared to last year. Especially that defense which is one of the worst defenses in the league. It also hurts that DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons are dealing with injuries and will likely be out for a while.

A big injury for Pittsburgh could be James Daniels on the offensive line, but with the depleted injuries Dallas has at pass rush, it shouldn't be a problem. It also helps Dallas's run defense is awful. While Pittsburgh's offense is sloppy, they should handle themselves well against Dallas.

Worst case scenario, Pittsburgh's defense will just dominate as they have one of the best in the league. It helps that Dallas's line has been a mess and Tyler Guyton has been terrible as the replacement for Tyrone Smith. Dak can't get help at running back as Rico Dowdle stinks, Ezekiel Elliott is past his prime, and Deuce Vaughn hasn't impressed either.

Pittsburgh would be a really good option to choose in Survivor. They are the healthier team, better coached, and will be the home team in this matchup.

3. Green Bay Packers (at Los Angeles Rams)

For the past few weeks this season, the Packers have been impressive. Jordan Love returned last week and while looking rusty in the first half, he played much better in the second half. Lucky for him he gets to face the Rams Defense which is one of the worst in football today. Their secondary has a ton of injuries and their run defense is horrendous.

With how bad the Rams are on defense and the amount of injuries on offense, the Packers should take care of business this week. The Packers likely will not have WR Christian Watson and aren't the home team but are a solid selection to make in Survivor.

Risky Pick of the Week - New England Patriots (vs Miami Dolphins)

It's time to face the facts, the Miami Dolphins suck without Tua Tagovailoa. Last week proved it as they were horrendous against a terrible Tennessee Titans squad. The Titan's defense was banged up and Will Levis got hurt mid-game, but they looked dominant.

It gets worse for Miami, DE/EDGE Jalen Philips has revealed that he will be out for the rest of the season due to an injury. That's a massive blow to the Dolphins defense. New England's offensive line sucks but with Miami's depleted pass-rushing core they should do better this week.

Tyler Huntley will likely get the start again and he looked horrendous against Tennessee. Then again blame the coach who decided to start Huntley who had a few days to prepare for this game. The run game is going to be an issue because New England does a great job stopping the run and Miami's line has not been great.

Miami is in trouble and it doesn't help that this Dolphins team was unmotivated the past few weeks. With all the injuries they got to deal with it might be a long season for the Dolphins.

This is legit the only week that the Patriots can confidently be used in Survivor. An argument can be made in Week 7 against the Jaguars, but the Patriots are not home in that game like they are now. If you want to risk it this week, then the New England Patriots would be a sneakily good choice.

2024 Risky Survivor Pick History (3-1) - Week 1: Minnesota Vikings, Week 2: Washington Commanders, Week 3: San Francisco 49ers, Week 4: Tennessee Titans

Trap Pick of the Week - Chicago Bears (vs Carolina Panthers)

It's tempting to pick the Chicago Bears this week. Especially as they are the home team, it's not a divisional game, and Carolina just lost another defensive star in Shaq Thompson. Here's the issue, this game has trap written all over it.

Yes, the Bears beat the Rams last week, but the problem is the Rams' defense legit might be the worst in the NFL. At least with Carolina, their secondary is solid, but Ram's defense isn't. That's gonna be a problem for Caleb Williams who has shown flashes of brilliance, but he’s mostly been erratic with his play. It's kind of the same feeling that Anthony Richardson has had excluding the durability issues.

The Bears' defense has been really good, but a big weakness involves the run defense. This could be a big Chuba Hubbard game for Carolina and he is a must-start in fantasy football. Carolina's offense looks a lot more competent under Andy Dalton than it did under Bryce Young. Speaking of which, this is a revenge game too as Andy Dalton used to play for the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL season.

Just stay away from Chicago this week. Plus it's better to save them later on the season as they have solid future value. Week 10 against New England stands out and next week against Jacksonville is a very intriguing choice in Survivor as a sleeper pick. Whoops Spoilers.

2024 Trap Survivor Pick History (2-2) - Week 1: Buffalo Bills, Week 2: Indianapolis Colts, Week 3: Seattle Seahawks, Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles

Who I Would Have Taken in Survivor - New England Patriots

The Packers are a solid choice, but there are still plenty of weeks for them to be used in Survivor. The same can be said with the Pittsburgh Steelers unless they pull a classic Mike Tomlin Tradition by playing down to inferior competition. This pick came down to the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. I like the Seahawks this week in deeper leagues, however at least they have some future value. New England doesn't and lets roll the dice again. I would have taken the New England Patriots this week in Survivor.

2024 My Survivor Pick History (2-2) - Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals , Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers , Week 3: Las Vegas Raiders, Week 4: Tennessee Titans