2026 NFL Survivor Picks: Is Minnesota the Best Pick in Week 4?
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My high-EV strategy has been the best NFL survivor picks method so far this season. It has outlasted over 78% of players in BetOnline’s winner-take-all survivor contest.
Continue reading to see which team I am riding with in survivor in Week 4. I explain my strategy and why it offers the best chance to stay alive this weekend.
Current NFL Week 4 Odds
BetOnline has the following NFL odds for Week 4.
- Pittsburgh Steelers -3.0 (-103)vs. Cleveland Browns
- Indianapolis Colts -4.0 (-110) vs. Washington Commanders
- Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens -11.5 (-107)
- New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills -6.5 (-117)
- New York Jets vs. Chicago Bears -3.0 (-122)
- Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cincinnati Bengals -2.5 (-119)
- Dallas Cowboys vs. Houston Texans -3.0 (-110)
- Arizona Cardinals -2.5 (-112) vs. New York Giants
- Los Angeles Rams -3.0 (-108) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Green Bay Packers -3.5 (-105) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Miami Dolphins vs. Minnesota Vikings -11.0 (-105)
- Kansas City Chiefs -4.0 (-115) vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks -7.0 (-116)
- Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers -2.5 (-116)
- Detroit Lions -3.5 (-110) vs. Carolina Panthers
- Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints -2.5 (-116)
The odds above are accurate as of September 30th, 2026. Read our BetOnline review to learn more about the sportsbook we chose for our survivor contest this season.
Top Week 4 Survivor Picks According to the Market
The top NFL betting sites have the Baltimore Ravens as the safest survivor pick this weekend. Lamar Jackson and company are laying 11.5 points against the visiting Titans.
Tennessee is winless so far this season, largely due to the Titans’ offensive struggles. So far this season, the Titans have averaged:
- 249.3 total yards per game (2nd-fewest)
- 159 passing YPG (3rd-fewest)
- 90.3 rushing YPG (5th-fewest)
- 12.3 PPG (3rd-fewest)
For comparison, Baltimore is sixth in total yards (398.7 YPG), 14th in passing (231.3 YPG), third in rushing (167.3 YPG), and fourth in scoring (30.7 PPG).
Baltimore has plenty of momentum coming off the Ravens’ win over the Cowboys in Brazil. RB Derrick Henry also has tons of motivation to play well against his former team. Tennessee has allowed over 120 rushing YPG this season, setting up a favorable matchup for Henry on Sunday.
Contestants Favoring Minnesota

The oddsmakers believe in the Ravens, but nearly half of the remaining contestants in BetOnline’s Survivor Contest are picking the Vikings this week. At the time of writing, 49% of tickets are on the Vikings, while just 34% are backing the Ravens.
Minnesota is hosting the Dolphins, one of the few teams that are arguably worse than the Titans. The Vikings’ defense has played lights-out this year, including shutting down the Bears in Week 2. Miami is also without its best player, RB De’Von Achane, who tore his ACL on Sunday.
The Nerd’s NFL Survivor Week 4 Picks
See the table below for my Week 4 NFL survivor pick.
| NFL Survivor Strategy | Week 4 Pick |
|---|---|
| High EV Team | Seattle Seahawks |
High EV: Seattle Seahawks
- Picking a team with a high EV: Balancing win percentage and pick percentage.

The Seahawks were heavy favorites last week but lost to the Commanders. Seattle is a heavy betting favorite again this weekend, laying 7.0 points against the visiting Chargers. After their loss last week, just 5% of remaining contestants are backing the Seahawks against LAC this weekend.
Both teams lost on the East Coast last weekend, putting them at similar travel disadvantages for this West Coast matchup.
Despite their loss last week, Seattle still has one of the best defenses in the league. They have allowed 228.7 total YPG, the fewest in the league, and have held two of their three opponents to 10 points or fewer.
LA, conversely, has managed just 308.7 total YPG and 14.7 PPG. The Chargers also lost last week despite forcing five turnovers in Buffalo.
This matchup sets Seattle up well for a bounce-back game. Also, as the high EV strategy requires, it avoids the most popular picks of the week, Baltimore and Minnesota, while backing a heavy favorite.
Factors to Consider for Week 4
Here are three factors that can impact games in Week 4.
- Teams may be tired from extensive travel: Traveling across the country or internationally can wear on teams. Baltimore, for example, could struggle to live up to its standards after playing Brazil last week. The same goes for Indy and Washington, who are playing in London this weekend.
- Several stars may return: An injury-filled start to the season has heavily affected games so far this year. Many stars should return soon, though. WRs Nico Collins and Puka Nacua, for instance, may return this week.
- Divisional games can be unpredictable: Division opponents know one another very well, so their matchups are usually close. For that reason, I stayed away from the Bills (3-0), even though they are favored by 6.5 points against the Patriots this weekend.
2026 NFL Survivor Picks
Here are all of my picks for each strategy so far this season.
| NFL Week | High EV | Biggest Favorite | Playing a Bad Team | Best NFL Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Los Angeles Chargers | Las Vegas Raiders | Detroit Lions |
| Week 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | __ | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | San Francisco 49ers |
| Week 3 | San Francisco 49ers | __ | __ | Seattle Seahawks |
| Week 4 | Seattle Seahawks | __ | __ | __ |
If you want to try one of the strategies above that has already been eliminated, consider Baltimore or Minnesota. The Ravens and Vikings have been two of the best teams this season, and they are favored by double digits against bad teams on Sunday.
When And How Each Survivor Strategy Lost
Keep reading to see how and why each of my above strategies lost this season.
Picking the Biggest Favorite – Week 1

Blindly picking the biggest favorite each week did not even make it one game into the 2026 NFL season. The Chargers were favored by 10 points against the Cardinals, giving LA the biggest spread by a wide margin.
Three major factors doomed this strategy:
- It is challenging to make accurate spreads based on preseason assumptions.
- Arizona overperformed expectations.
- The Chargers underperformed expectations.
It is not unusual for offenses to struggle early in the season. LAC is implementing a new offense, has a new play-caller, and QB Justin Herbert has played minimal snaps in the preseason.
Playing a Bad Team – Week 2

Cleveland’s Week 2 upset of the Buccaneers was costly for survivor players across the country. It eliminated my “Playing a Bad Team” strategy and thousands of other tickets. In total, 29% of tickets in BetOnline’s contest were taken out by the Bucs’ loss.
Defining a good or bad team early in the season is challenging because no team has enough plays on tape to be classified as great or terrible.
The multi-hour rain delay at the end of Browns-Buccaneers did not help either, as it killed much of Tampa Bay’s momentum during its attempt at a game-winning drive. Even after the delay, Baker Mayfield and co. almost won, but failed to convert on a fourth down in the red zone in the game’s final seconds.
Picking One of the Best Teams – Week 3

Seattle was one of the best teams to start the year and was poised to be even better with Sam Darnold’s return in Week 3. Unfortunately, the Seahawks’ defense did not make the trip to the DMV with the team, and they lost 33-31 to the previously winless Commanders.
The loss ended Seattle’s 12-game winning streak.
Darnold also looked rusty in his first real action of the season. He threw a game-sealing pick-six in the fourth quarter that pushed the Commanders’ lead out of reach.
Seattle’s running game was also nonexistent, gaining just 44 yards on 18 attempts, averaging 2.4 yards per carry. Rookie Jadarian Price led the team with 15 yards on five carries. Eleven of Price’s 15 yards came on one carry.
What Are Your Week 4 NFL Survivor Picks?
Only one of my NFL survivor strategies remains, outlasting over 75% of contestants in BetOnline’s Survivor Contest. Check out the guide above to see which team I am riding with in survivor contests for Week 4.
Create your BetOnline account today to bet on your NFL predictions and join their football contests. The sportsbook is offering a special 2nd Chance Survivor contest with a $150,000 prize pool.
(Photo by AP Photo/David Banks)