NFL Survivor Pool: Best Sites to Play in 2026
NFL survivor pools are a traditional staple of football season, where, depending on the rules, players either pick a team to win or cover the spread each week as the season progresses.
If you’re correct, then you advance to the next week. You can’t use the same team more than once, and if you’re wrong, then you’re eliminated from the NFL survivor league.
The pools are pay-to-enter, and the winner takes a huge share of the overall pot, with some consolation prizes up for grabs along the way. Want in? On this page, we’ll show you which sites are running NFL Survivor Pool contests for the upcoming season and how to enter.
Best NFL Survivor Pool Site: BetOnline
With both a traditional survivor pool where you choose a winner each week, plus a spread contest, BetOnline offers you the choice of contests with some huge prizes up for grabs.
BetOnline $500k NFL Survivor Contest
On top of the headline $500k figure, this contest also runs with “no rake” rules, meaning that the pot could be increased if enough players enter:
| Prize Pot | Multiple Entries Allowed | Account Required? | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500k | Yes – Up to 25 | Yes | $30 |
BetOnline $100k NFL Spread Survivor
Much like the $500k contest, this is no-rake rules, and the prize pot could be increased. The main difference in the spread survivor contest is that you must pick a team to cover the spread each week, rather than a winner for the game.
| Prize Pot | Multiple Entries Allowed | Account Required? | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100k | Yes – Up to 25 | Yes | $20 |
How to Enter BetOnline NFL Survivor Contests
To enter either or both of the BetOnline NFL Survivor Contests, complete the following steps:
1: Either log in or sign up for a new BetOnline account here
2: Fund your account with at least $20 for the Spread Survivor, and $30 for the NFL Survivor
3: Go to the “promos” section of BetOnline’s website
4: Go to “contests” and enter your nickname for the leaderboards
5: Click into your chosen contest, purchase at least one entry
6: Make your picks each week, and collect your prize at the end of the season if you win!
Sportsbetting.ag NFL Survivor Contests
As a sister site of BetOnline, Sportsbetting.ag is running almost identical NFL survivor contests on its own site. This includes the option for both a traditional survivor pool plus a spread survivor too.
Sportsbetting $500k NFL Survivor Contest
In line with the BetOnline contest, the headline $500k figure, this contest also runs with “no rake” rules, meaning that the pot could be increased if enough players enter:
| Prize Pot | Multiple Entries Allowed | Account Required? | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500k | Yes – Up to 25 | Yes | $30 |
Sportsbetting $100k NFL Spread Survivor
Again, this is no-rake rules, and the prize pot could be increased. The main difference in the spread survivor contest is that you must pick a team to cover the spread each week, rather than a winner for the game.
| Prize Pot | Multiple Entries Allowed | Account Required? | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100k | Yes – Up to 25 | Yes | $20 |
How to Enter Sportsbetting NFL Survivor Contests
Although the sites are connected, you will need a separate Sportsbetting.ag login to enter, even if you have a BetOnline account. To enter either or both of the Sportsbetting NFL Survivor Contests, complete the following steps:
1: Either log in or sign up for a new Sportsbetting account here
2: Fund your account with at least $20 for the Spread Survivor, and $30 for the NFL Survivor
3: Go to the “promos” section of Sportsbetting’s website
4: Go to “contests” and enter your nickname for the leaderboards
5: Click into your chosen contest, purchase at least one entry
6: Make your picks each week, and collect your prize at the end of the season if you win!
MyBookie: $100K NFL Survivor Contest
Unlike BetOnline and Sportsbetting, MyBookie only has one traditional NFL survivor contest, where you need to pick a winner each week to continue in the contest.
| Prize Pot | Multiple Entries Allowed | Account Required? | Entry Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100k | Yes – Up to 50 | Yes | $15 |
How to Enter MyBookie’s NFL Survivor Contest
To enter the MyBookie NFL Survivor Contest, complete the following steps:
1: Either log in or sign up for a new MyBookie account here
2: Fund your account with at least $15
3: Go to the “contests” section of MyBookie’s website
4: Click “enter” on your chosen contest and select how many entries you wish to purchase
5: Make your picks each week, and collect your prize at the end of the season if you win!
NFL Survivor Pool Strategy
There are two things you need to make it through to the final week with a chance of winning: a strong strategy and a heavy dose of luck. As you are only allowed to select each team once, you can’t simply choose the heaviest favorite each week.
So what strategies can you employ?
Eat the Frog First
Really, a term used for getting a dreaded work task over first thing in the morning, but this also applies to the early weeks of the NFL season. Even a bad team can pick up a lucky win early in the season, so some players choose to ride their luck and keep the strongest options open for later in the season. Obviously, this can spectacularly backfire, so best employed if you have more than one entry.
Ride the Favorites
Picking the favorites early in the contest can make things more difficult as the season progresses, but there are also zero prizes for crashing out in week 1 with a risky pick.
Keeping yourself in the contest with obvious picks can be a smart bet, especially when anything can happen in the season. The final week can also see teams resting players for the playoffs, so you may not even be stuck in week 18 either!
Be Smart, Be Agile, Be Opportunistic
Sometimes the obvious pick won’t seem so obvious in week 1. Everything can change during the course of the NFL season. A key injury, a toxic locker room, coaches being fired, or a franchise either turning (or continuing to be) a complete dumpster fire.
This means that even if you plan out all of your potential picks in advance, something big might happen that makes changing course the most sensible option.
NFL Survivor Pool FAQs
Players select a team to either win or cover the spread each week. They can only select that team once during the NFL regular season, and if they are correct, they advance to the next week. If they lose, then they are eliminated from contention.
We liked BetOnline‘s NFL Survivor Pool option, with big prize pots, multiple entry options, and the addition of a Spread Survivor Pool to make it even more interesting
Yes, most sites will allow you to buy back into an NFL survivor pool. The rules do vary, with most sites refusing to allow any further buybacks after a certain week, while others may limit the prize pool you can play for.
