Circa’s Survivor game mode stands out as one of the most thrilling ways to bet on the NFL this season. From Week 1 through Week 18, participants choose one team each week to secure a victory.
The challenge? If your chosen team loses or ties, you're out of the contest. To up the stakes, Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks demand two selections, intensifying the competition. Now, let’s dive deeper into this exciting contest and explore our early season Survivor picks.
The Circa Survivor series isn't just capturing the attention of professional handicappers—it's rapidly becoming a mainstream phenomenon. VSiN recently announced the debut of their docuseries, Circa Survivor: The Quest for $9.2 Million, set to premiere on the sports betting network on August 19. This series follows contestants as they navigate the 2023 Circa Survivor, the world's largest sports contest, with a staggering $9.2 million prize on the line.
The show vividly portrays the excitement, drama, and colorful personalities involved, all vying for a life-changing, winner-take-all purse. Much like a real-life Survivor show, this contest is all about outlasting the competition—but instead of island challenges, it's played out on Sundays, where success hinges more on strategic hope than on physical endurance.
The 2024 Circa Survivor includes a guaranteed top prize of $10 million. Players from around the world will fight to stay alive with the last man or woman standing taking home the entire prize. Is there a strategy for these players though?
In 2023, the Houston Texans earned the title of Circa Survivor’s "killer," knocking out nearly 40% of participants twice with stunning victories over Jacksonville and Cincinnati during their own Cinderella season. Looking ahead, there are two teams poised to "bust your pool" this season.
First up, the Arizona Cardinals, who kick off their season in Buffalo against a Bills team that lacks the firepower it once had earlier in Josh Allen’s career. With Kyler Murray back in action, a dynamic receiving corps featuring Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, and a defense that's solid under Jonathan Gannon, this matchup is ripe for an upset. The Cardinals will then head to Miami in Week 8 before hosting Chicago and the Jets leading into their bye week.
During this stretch, I'm eyeing Arizona to go 2-1, as teams start to game plan for Caleb Williams and Aaron Rodgers by midseason. By this point, the Cardinals would have been battle-tested, having faced Green Bay and San Francisco on the road. My advice: steer clear of betting against Arizona in your Circa Survivor pool.
Funny enough, our second “stay-away” team is from the NFC and also 0-2 during the preseason. Jayden Daniels will play well enough in a handful of games this season to keep Washington from grabbing another top 5 pick.
In order for this to come true, Daniels will need wins against teams such as Tampa in Week 1, Pittsburgh in Week 10, and Dallas at home in Week 12.
These are all winnable games and in a division where the Cowboys are lacking chemistry off the field with their best player sitting out due to Jerry Jones’ decision-making, the Eagles' defense is uncertain during this 2024 campaign, and the Giants still rolling with Daniel Jones, the Commanders and JD can step in and get some huge upset victories this season keeping Washington football competitive again.
This marks a historic moment in U.S. sports betting, as it's the first time a contest offers a guaranteed payout in the eight-figure range. "Every year, we've raised the guarantee," Circa owner and CEO Derek Stevens shared with For The Win in a recent call.
"Last year, we guaranteed $8 million and ended up with $9.2 million in entries. We believe that trend will continue to grow, so we've set a $10 million guarantee this year. There's never been a football contest with an eight-figure payout, and we're thrilled about it."
As the Circa Survivor series gains momentum, it has the potential to become a cornerstone of the sports betting community. With Circa also serving as the jersey patch sponsors for both the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks, their entry into the sports world has already made a significant impact.