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After missing the majority of 2020 with a fractured ankle, Dak Prescott returned and nearly led the Dallas Cowboys to a season-opening victory at Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old quarterback proceeded to guide the team to five consecutive wins before sitting out last week with a calf issue, but Cooper Rush filled in admirably as the Cowboys posted a 20-16 triumph at Minnesota. Dallas hopes to have Prescott back on the field when it hosts the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Cowboys are 10-point favorites in the latest Week 9 NFL odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and many will jump on them with their NFL survivor pool picks.

Other favorites that could attract attention for NFL knockout pool picks include the Buffalo Bills (-14.5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars), Los Angeles Rams (-7 against the Tennessee Titans) and Kansas City Chiefs (-7 against the Green Bay Packers). Before making any Week 9 NFL survivor picks, you need to see which team the red-hot SportsLine Projection Model just went all-in on.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,800 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago. The model enters Week 9 of the 2021 season on an incredible 128-86 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.

It also ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past five years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.

The model can be used to crush the survivor pool format. The team winning the most model simulations each week is a perfect 8-0 after the Rams (91 percent) pounded the Texans. They joined the 49ers in Week 1 (75 percent), Buccaneers in Week 2 (79 percent), Cardinals and Ravens in Week 3 (79 percent), Bills in Week 4 (87 percent), Patriots in Week 5 (78 percent), Colts in Week 6 (81 percent) and Cards in Week 7 (84 percent) as winners for survivor contestants who used those teams over the first eight weeks. You can only see who the model is backing in Week 9 at SportsLine.

Top Week 9 NFL survivor pool predictions

For Week 9, the model is shying away from the Dallas Cowboys against the Denver Broncos. Despite owning a 4-4 record, Denver has been fairly stingy defensively this season. With the exception of a three-game stretch from Weeks 4 to 6, the Broncos have held opponents to 17 points or fewer and have posted one of the three shutouts in the NFL this year (26-0 against the New York Jets in Week 3).

As a result, Denver is second in the league in points allowed (17.1) and also ranks sixth in total defense (325.8 yards). The unit should provide a stout test for the Cowboys, who are gaining an NFL-best average of 454.9 yards and are third in scoring at 32.1 points per contest. Even though the Cowboys are 3-0 at home this year, the Broncos are too dangerous for the model's projections this week.

How to make Week 9 NFL survivor pool picks

Instead, the model is backing a team whose opponent hasn't won in nearly a month. Picking this team not only will get you to Week 10, it also will put you in the optimal position to go deep in your NFL survivor pool. The time to pick this team is now, and you can only see the model's Week 9 play at SportsLine.

Which surprising team is a must-back in your Week 9 survivor pool? Visit SportsLine now to see which team carries you to victory in Week 9, all from the advanced computer model that consistently crushes the NFL, and find out.