NFL 2026 — NFL Survivor Pools

NFL Survivor Pools

An NFL Survivor pool — also called a knockout or eliminator pool — typically asks one thing of each entrant: make a single correct pick each week. Survive and you advance to the next week; miss and you lose a life. The last surviving entry is crowned champion. The catch is that a team can typically be used only once, so burning, say, Kansas City in Week 2 means that they will no longer be available to you in the weeks that follow.

ALA expands the typical format well past the version most sites offer. A pool can give entrants more than one life, let a single person run multiple entries, require more than one pick per week, and decide whether picking a team to LOSE or cover the spread each week (rather than just winning straight-up) is on the table. Commissioners who want the Circa-style shape can run a 20-period schedule that splits Thanksgiving and Christmas into two separate, shorter periods.

ALA's expansive configuration options suit both groups that have run the same simple pool for years and want a new home for their pools, and groups that want customizable rules to mix things up — team re-use allowed after a certain point, caps on how often an entrant can pick against the same opponent, missed-pick insurance so a forgotten Sunday does not end someone's season in Week 3, a buy-back option for entrants knocked out early, etc.

How to set up a NFL Survivor pool

1. Choose your pick ruleDecide whether entrants pick teams to win, to lose, or cover the spread. Straight-up winners is the classic game. If you opt for the against-the-spread route, you can optionally configure your pool for static spreads that do not change over the course of the week, or live spreads that move in concert with real-life odds.
2. Set lives, entries and picks per weekOne life and one pick is traditional. Two or three lives keeps more people alive into December, and multiple entries per person is what most large-office pools actually want.
3. Decide on re-use and insuranceChoose whether teams can be re-used, cap how many times an entrant can pick against a given opponent, and decide whether missed-pick insurance assigns the most popular or a random team.
4. Invite your groupChoose whether re-buys are allowed and share the link. Eliminations and standings are tracked automatically from there, and if your group plays for something, optional finance tracking can keep the ledger too.

Create your NFL Survivor pool — free to set up. Payment is due only after your game has kicked off and you are certain ALA's software can provide you with everything you need.

Frequently asked questions

Can I run multiple entries in an NFL survivor pool?

Yes. A commissioner sets the maximum number of entries any one person may run, and each entry keeps its own independent pick history and team-usage record. Large pools commonly allow two or three.

What happens if someone forgets to make a pick?

Pools can be configured to offer missed-pick Insurance at the Commissioner's discretion. A pool can be configured to automatically assign either the most popular remaining pick or a random eligible team when an entrant misses the deadline. Insurance is free unless the Commissioner chooses to attach a cost. Without insurance, a missed pick costs a life.

Can entrants buy back in after being eliminated?

Yes, if the commissioner enables re-buys. You set the re-buy cost and the point in the season after which re-buys are no longer allowed. Re-buy proceeds are tracked in the pool finances alongside entry fees.

Can a team be picked more than once?

By default no, which is what makes the season-long strategy work. A commissioner can allow re-use outright, or set a maximum number of times any single team may be used across the season.

What is a 20-period NFL survivor pool?

It is a Circa-style schedule that splits the Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks up into two separate scoring periods. That produces 20 pick periods across an 18-week regular season, and gives entrants two extra chances to be eliminated.

When do picks lock?

A pick locks at whichever comes first: that game's kickoff, or the pool-wide deadline the commissioner set. Pools can use a single weekly deadline, per-game locks, or a custom lock time.

New to survivor? Read survivor pool rules, explained, or how to run a survivor pool if you're the commissioner. Compare every format in survivor vs pick'em vs confidence, or look up a term in the sports pool glossary.