NFL Week 6 survivor picks: Best picks, predictions, advice and strategy

Week 6 of the NFL season might be the hardest week yet for survivor pool. Not only do we have to start judging whether or not a team is well-rested enough following a Week 5 bye to overcome a talent deficiency the following week, but the last two undefeated teams in the NFL – the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs – are both on bye this week. We cannot fall back on either of those teams. This conundrum will likely wipe out a quarter of everyone left in your survivor pool, if any are still alive at all.

Given that we are well into the season now, it's a good time to start picking some of the better teams in the league. So long as you don't get fooled by teams off to slow starts – the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals are much better than their records indicate – then you should be able to survive another week.

Here are three teams to consider picking in your survivor pools this weekend.

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Week 6 NFL survivor picks:

Green Bay Packers over Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals were one of the biggest underdog victors of Week 5, scraping out a stunning last-second victory over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the best time for a devastating defeat is following an emotional win, and the Cardinals will be on the road against the very tough Green Bay Packers this Sunday.

The Cardinals will be able to take advantage of Green Bay's lackluster run defense, which is allowing over 4.6 yards per carry on the season, but the Cardinals are allowing over 4.6 yards per carry themselves, and the Packers have a stronger rotation of backs to keep everyone in that backfield fresh. While Jaire Alexander seems unlikely to play this weekend as well, giving Marvin Harrison Jr. a little more space for Arizona, the Cardinals' first-round pick has been pretty boom-or-bust throughout the first five weeks. The Cardinals could surprise some people, but the matchups aren't favoring them this week.

Houston Texans over New England Patriots

This one is pretty obvious. The Houston Texans outclass the Patriots in every single area of the game. This will likely be a low-scoring affair, but a huge win for the Houston Texans.

Atlanta Falcons over Carolina Panthers

With the Atlanta Falcons coming off a long week, they should be better-rested than their NFC South counterparts. While divisional games tend to be much closer than non-divisional contests, given how well each team knows one another, there is such a talent discrepancy between these teams that it would be shocking if the Falcons lost this one. Look for Bijan Robinson to run wild on this weak Panthers' defense, and look for the Panthers to be playing from behind early.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best NFL survivor pool picks, predictions for Week 6 of season