Zoneblitz Survivor Pool 2016: Week 1

Last year the only person who could stop Rich in our Survivor Pool was Rich himself. He won going away and his perfect string stayed intact until week 9 – when he duplicated a pick (great editing on our part, eh?) and didn’t actually miss a game until week 14, when the Colts let him down big time against the Jaguars.

Rich returns to defend his title – and he’s starting the season with a gutty, contrarian pick right out of the gates.

Fantasy Editor Anthony Maggio, who won the pool in 2014, contributing writer John Vomhof Jr. and co-founders Andy and Tony also will provide insight on survivor pool strategy.

It’s just about time for football. So here we go.

And here’s why:

Rich – Contributing writer and publisher and editor for SouthernMinn SCENE magazine

No, I was not charmed and lulled by HBO’s Hard Knocks this year. I do not believe the Los Angeles Rams are a particularly good team. Rather, this is absolutely a vote of no confidence in the 49ers. That team is a train wreck, full of distractions, bad offensive linemen, a head coach who has no business working in the NFL and a great defense that retired after one season. In survivor pools you have to take advantage of poor team versus awful team matchups. I don’t know when the Rams play San Francisco next, so best to make hay while the sun shines.

Tony – Co-founder, web guru

I very possibly would have gone with my heart (and likely had it broken) by taking the Vikings over Tennessee, if not for the Bridgewater injury, which also takes Philly over Cleveland off the board (not that it would have been my pick, but the Browns face a better chance against Carson Wentz than Sam Bradford). Otherwise, it looks like a competitive slate the first week — good teams facing good teams, bad teams facing bad.  Even Seattle feels vulnerable — but at home, against an east coast team still trying to find out if Adam Gase can work the same magic with Ryan Tannehill as he did with Jay Cutler … I’ll take my chances.

Maggio – Fantasy editor

Gotta take advantage of the Patriots foes while Angry Tom paces the sidelines the first four weeks. Arizona’s one of just a few teams I think could be in the Super Bowl, so it’s hard to like anyone more than them at home against a backup quarterback. Here’s hoping this goes better than last year…

Vomhof – Senior contributing writer

I’m always leery of getting too bold on my picks before seeing any real football. So I’ll try to buy myself a week by going safe with a tough Seahawks team at home against an uninspiring Dolphins squad.

Andy – Co-founder, editorial director

There is a time and a place in survivor pools for gambling. Sometimes you have to take bad teams in match-ups against bad teams. But not in week one. Too much changes in the NFL from year to year. So when you have a chance to start out by picking one of the league’s most consistently great teams of recent years at home where they are rarely beaten against one of the league’s most consistent dog teams of recent years when they have to fly across the country, you take it. Seattle in a landslide.