NFL Week 1 survivor pool picks: 49ers a stay-away in opener, while NFC West rival named best bet

The 2025 regular season is upon us. With the dawn of a new NFL season comes the first steps on our survivor pool journey. Beginning in Week 1, fans will try to outlast one another and ultimately try to be the last person standing in their given pool, and reap the rewards that come with it. In the end, whichever team you decide will come out the other end a winner is up to you, but allow us to provide some help along the way. 

Below, we’re going to highlight some survivor pool options for the opening Week 1 slate, including our best bet along with a couple of leans. On top of that, we’re going to highlight two options that we’d suggest staying away from, as they could be on the wrong side of the scoreboard at the end of the weekend and burn your survivor pool chances before they can even get off the ground. 

For more Survivor Pool content, check out SportsLine! There, you can see R.J. White’s season-long strategy for 2025, along with the SportsLine Projection Model’s best bets for Week 1. Also, you can bet NFL Week 1 at DraftKings, where new users get $300 in bonus bets plus over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket. Click here:

Opponent: at New Orleans Saints

The Saints are going to be a targeted team pretty much every week. With Spencer Rattler named the starter, New Orleans is playing for the 2026 NFL Draft much more than they are playing for anything of substance in 2025. That means they’re primed to lose more games than they win this season, making them an ideal option to fade in Week 1 and ride with the Cardinals. Specifically, as it relates to Rattler, he did put up solid numbers in the preseason to win the job, completing 69.8% of his passes to go along with an 86.9 passer rating. But that was largely against vanilla defenses. When teams actually dial it up and Jonathan Gannon schemes specifically against Rattler, I’m guessing he looks more like the quarterback who threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season and was 0-6 as a starter. 

Arizona finds itself a 6.5-point road favorite in this matchup, so the oddsmakers believe this should be a relatively easy victory. On top of the matchup, the Cardinals’ schedule the rest of the season only has a few pockets where it’d make sense to use them in a survivor setting (Week 2 vs. Panthers, Week 5 vs. Titans, and Week 6 at Colts), so you should feel comfortable burning them early.  

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Opponent: vs. Tennessee Titans

I, like many others, am high on the Denver Broncos this season and have them making the playoffs for the second consecutive year under Bo Nix. Because they boast one of the best defenses in the league and have an emerging offense, they’ll be a popular Week 1 selection. That’s particularly true with them hosting a Tennessee Titans team that just finished with the worst record in the NFL that season. Tennessee should be a tougher out with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward under center, but this is a team still firmly in the rebuilding phase, and the odds for this game reflect that. Denver has ballooned into an 8.5-point home favorite and is -443 on the moneyline, according to SportsLine Consensus odds. The Broncos could certainly be a fine option in Week 1, but we’d suggest holding onto this team for later use at some point this season. 

Opponent: vs. Carolina Panthers

I know, the Jaguars don’t exactly instill the most confidence in the world, but I like them in Week 1. They host a Carolina Panthers team that I still believe is finding its way offensively. Sure, Bryce Young seemed to re-establish himself at the end of last season, but we don’t truly know if he turned a corner. On top of that, Carolina is working in a young group of receivers headlined by first-round wideout Tetairoa McMillan. The Arizona product should put together a strong rookie campaign, but it’s hard to expect him to be prolific enough to help pull off the upset in Week 1. 

As for Jacksonville, there is a little bit of an unknown as Liam Coen enters his first game as an NFL head coach, but I think he’ll have the offense humming out of the gate. Playmakers like Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter should be able to find success against Carolina’s defense, which gave up the eighth-most passing yards per game last season. Outside of the opener, the Jaguars don’t have much appeal until possibly Week 13 when they visit the Titans, making them an easy option to burn while keeping the elite teams on ice for future consideration. 

Opponent: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

The Patriots are a sexy pick to crash the playoff party in the AFC this season, and for good reason. They improved at head coach with Mike Vrabel and addressed key areas of need along the roster around second-year quarterback Drake Maye. However, you may not want to buy in on them right away in 2025, particularly given the circumstances surrounding their Week 1 matchup. Most notably, they are not 100% as All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez has been sidelined for the bulk of training camp and all of the preseason due to a hamstring injury, making it unlikely he suits up against Las Vegas. On top of that, it remains to be seen how this reshaped offensive line comes together, and it could take some time for them to gel. With that in mind, Maxx Crosby could make his presence felt on Sunday and limit how much Maye and Co. can do. 

As for the Raiders, they also improved this offseason, specifically at coach and quarterback. Pete Carroll and Geno Smith also have a history together from their time in Seattle, so they may be able to hit the ground running a bit quicker than this new-look Patriots team. 

Opponent: at Seattle Seahawks

The 49ers are primed for a bounce-back in 2025 after injuries derailed them last year. The oddsmakers have them as a 2.5-point favorite on the road when they travel to Seattle, but I’d be a bit wary to use them in this spot. While there will be questions throughout this season whether  Sam Darnold can keep up his resurgence from last season as a member of the Vikings, he looks pretty polished in his brief showing this preseason. The Seahawks also improved their offensive line and boast a defense that was top-10 in the NFL on third down and in the red zone a season ago. 

Meanwhile, San Francisco is remarkably thin at receiver due to injury and has a bunch of new pieces on defense that still need to come together. It wouldn’t be surprising if a division rival clipped them early in the year, especially if said rival is playing at home. On top of this being an unfavorable spot for San Francisco, they have the easiest schedule in the NFL this season, meaning there will be plenty of better opportunities to use them in future weeks.