Custom NFL Survivor Pool Rules
Sunday Survivor lets commissioners customize an NFL survivor pool with double-pick weeks, required game slates, loser pool mode, second chance brackets, against-the-spread picks, no-repeat-opponent rules, team reuse, mulligans, capped or disabled auto-picks, hidden picks, configurable tie handling, and custom pick deadlines. These are settings on one pool, not separate pool types, so they can be combined however a group wants to play.
Every rule you can change
| Rule | What it does | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Pick deadline | When picks lock each week | A weekly deadline, or each entry locks at its own game's kickoff |
| Hidden picks | Hides every pick and elimination until picks lock | On or off |
| Double-pick weeks | Requires two picks in the weeks you choose, both must survive | Any weeks |
| Required game slates | Forces the first pick of a double-pick week to come from games you pick | Any set of games |
| Loser pool | Reverses the goal: pick a team to lose, and picking a winner eliminates you | On or off |
| Second chance bracket | Eliminated entries keep playing for a runner-up prize | On or off |
| Against the spread | Picks must cover the spread, not just win | On or off, with push handling |
| No repeat opponents | Stops entries picking against the same team week after week | Off, or a cooldown of any length |
| Team reuse | Lets entries pick a team they have already used | On or off |
| Mulligans | Extra lives, so one loss doesn't end a season | Any number per entry |
| Auto-pick | Fills in a pick for anyone who misses the deadline | Off, on, or capped at a set number per season |
| Ties count as | What happens when an NFL game ends in a tie | A win or a loss |
| Entries per person | How many entries one player may run | Any limit |
| Start week | Which week the pool begins | Any week |
They combine
This is the part that is hard to find elsewhere. Most platforms sell a survivor pool, a loser pool, and a spread pool as three different contests you choose between. Here they are switches on the same pool, so a loser pool can also use against-the-spread scoring, double-pick weeks from Week 14, and hidden picks, all at once.
Four pools you could build today
Every one of these is the same product with different switches flipped.
The traditional pool
One pick a week, no team twice, one loss and you are out, everything locks Sunday at 1pm ET. This is the default, and most pools never change a thing.
The forgiving pool
Two mulligans, auto-pick on so a forgotten week doesn't end anyone's season, and team reuse allowed. Built to keep casual players alive into December rather than losing half the office in Week 2.
The brutal pool
No mulligans, no auto-pick, no repeat opponents, and double picks from Week 14 on. For groups who want a winner before the season runs out.
The pool that can't be gamed
Hidden picks, so nobody sees another entry's pick or elimination until the deadline. Closes the hedge where someone holding two entries covers both sides of a late game once they know their last rival is out. Worth reading the extreme survivor pool guide alongside it.
Read more on individual rules
- Double-pick weeks, and when to schedule them
- Loser pools, where picking a winner knocks you out
- Against-the-spread survivor, and why it changes strategy completely
- Second chance brackets, for keeping eliminated players engaged
- How to run a survivor pool, the full commissioner's guide
Set your rules once. It runs itself.
Free up to 10 entries. Deadlines, grading, standings and reminders all happen on their own once the pool is set up.
Create a pool