The short answer
Pick one team to win each week. If they win you move on; if they lose you are out for the season. You can only use each team once, so you cannot ride one good team all year.
The whole game
Each week you pick one team you think will win. You do not pick a score, a margin or a spread. If your team wins, you move on to next week. If they lose, your season is over.
The one twist: you can only use each team once all season. Spend a great team in week 2 and you cannot come back to them in week 14, which is the whole reason the pool is interesting.
Why people lose
Almost nobody is knocked out by a hard decision. They are knocked out by an easy one — taking the obvious best team early, then running out of safe picks in December when the bye weeks and the injuries pile up.
The other common way out is bookkeeping. Somebody picks a team they already used, the commissioner catches it after kickoff, and there is an argument. A board that grays out used teams removes that argument entirely, which is most of why this tool exists.
Rules that vary by pool
Ties
Most pools treat a tie as a loss; some treat it as survival. Decide before week 1, because it will come up.
Missed picks
Usually an elimination. Some pools auto-assign the biggest remaining favorite instead. Pick one and write it down.
Two picks a week
Late in the season, some pools require two picks to force the field down. Hard on the drawer of remaining teams.
Buybacks
One re-entry after an early elimination, usually for a second entry fee. Popular in bigger office pools.
Strip / mulligan
One wrong pick a season is forgiven. Makes the pool last longer and feel less brutal.
Questions
Can two people pick the same team in the same week?
Yes. Survivor picks are independent — the only restriction is that you personally cannot repeat a team you have already used.
What about bye weeks?
A team on a bye simply is not available that week, since they are not playing. Plan for it: the teams you want to save are often on a bye exactly when you need them.
When are picks due?
Most pools lock at the first kickoff of the week, and some lock each game individually. Pickani does not enforce a deadline — the commissioner does.