Download the free printable NFL pick’em sheet, print one per person per week, and collect them before the first game kicks off. It is a single US Letter page: 16 game rows, a pick box for each side, an optional confidence column, and a tiebreaker line for the last game of the week. Everything else in this guide is how to run the paper version without losing your Tuesdays.
What is on the sheet?
Each row has a place to write the away team, the home team, and two boxes: left for the away team, right for the home team. The optional confidence column on the right is for confidence pools. At the bottom is a tiebreaker for the total points in the last game of the week. The name, pool and week fields at the top mean a pile of sheets sorts itself.
The teams are blank on purpose. The NFL schedule changes each week, and you copy the matchups from the league’s own schedule. Write them in once, photocopy the page, and every player gets the same sheet.
How do you run a pool from the sheet?
- Agree the format. Straight pick’em, where every correct pick is one point, or confidence, where players rank their picks.
- Write in the week’s games. Copy the matchups from the schedule onto the master sheet and print copies.
- Collect sheets before kickoff. Pick a deadline and treat it as final. A sheet handed in after the first game starts should not count.
- Check the results. Mark each game on a master sheet as it finishes.
- Score the sheets. Count the correct picks, apply confidence if you use it, and use the tiebreaker if two players are level.
- Post the standings. One place, every week, so people have a reason to come back.
Straight pick’em or confidence?
The same sheet runs both.
- Straight pick’em. One point per correct pick. It is easy to explain, easy to join late, and it keeps casual players in the game all season.
- Confidence. Players write a different number from 1 to the number of games next to each pick, and a correct pick scores that number. In a full week, that means 16 down to 1. Two players who both get 11 right can finish far apart, because one put the big numbers on the right games.
If your group is new to pick’em, start with straight picks. Add confidence once everyone knows how the week works.
What should the tiebreaker be?
Pick one before week one and print it on the sheet. A common house rule is each player’s guess at the total points in the last game of the week, and the closest guess wins. The sheet has a line for it.
On Fanzava, ties are settled by a margin prediction on one designated game each round, added up across the season, so nobody shares a title on a coin toss. For a paper pool, the total-points guess is easy to score by hand.
What goes wrong with paper across an 18-week season?
A paper pool works for a week or two. After that the problems are always the same:
- Late sheets. Someone hands theirs in after a game they now know the result of.
- Bye weeks. Not every week has 16 games. With byes running through the middle of the season, some weeks have 14 games or fewer, and the sheet and the scoring both change.
- Flexed games. When the league moves a kickoff, the deadline moves with it, and someone has to tell the group.
- Tallying. Scoring a sheet by hand takes minutes, and 20 sheets across 18 weeks is a lot of minutes.
- The standings. Posting them every Tuesday is a job, and jobs get dropped.
Paper, spreadsheet or platform?
| Paper sheet | Spreadsheet | Fanzava | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entering picks | Players write them | You type them in | Players pick on their phone |
| Locking | You police the deadline | Nothing stops a late edit | Each game locks at its own kickoff |
| Results | You mark them | You type them | Come from the live data feed |
| Scoring | By hand | Your formulas | Built in, with confidence |
| Standings | You post them | You repost them | The leaderboard updates itself |
| Look | The PDF | Your file | Your logo and colors |
A paper sheet is the right choice for a short run or a small group, and a good way to test whether your office will play. The trouble starts when the commissioner goes on vacation in week 9.
How do you run it on Fanzava instead?
Fanzava runs the same pool without the paper. Every game locks at its own start time. Fixtures, lock times and results come from the live data feed, so a bye week or a flexed game needs nothing from you. Players pick on their phones, reminders go out before lock, and the leaderboard moves as each result comes in. Groups let departments or floors run their own standings, and your logo and colors are on every screen.
See the NFL pick’em pool page for how a season runs, including straight and confidence scoring. If your group wants an elimination game instead, read about the NFL survivor pool format. Survivor is not a self-serve competition type on Fanzava yet, so talk to our team about it. Plans start on Free, and the pricing page has the details. For more on the format and the rules to agree up front, read our guide to running a football pool.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free printable NFL pick'em sheet?
Yes. The sheet on this page is a one-page PDF with 16 game rows, a pick box for each side, an optional confidence column and a tiebreaker line. Print one per person per week.
How many games should a weekly pick'em sheet have?
Sixteen rows cover a full week. A bye week has fewer games, because four or more teams are out, so leave the spare rows blank.
What is a good tiebreaker for a football pool?
The most common one is each player's guess at the total points in the last game of the week, usually the Monday night game. The closest guess wins. Agree it before week one.
Can I use the sheet for a confidence pool?
Yes. Use the confidence column. Give every game a different number from 1 to the number of games that week, and a correct pick is worth its number.
What is the easiest way to run a pick'em pool all season?
Use a platform that locks each game at kickoff and scores results for you. On Fanzava, fixtures and results come from the live data feed, every game locks at its own start time, and the leaderboard updates itself.