NFL Predictions Week 1: Odds Projections, Fantasy Stars to Target and More

Week 1 of the NFL season is often among the most unpredictable weekends on the schedule, but that is often an advantage for those betting on the games.

The oddsmakers don't necessarily have a great feel for the teams yet, and the betting lines are primarily based on last season's performances along with personnel moves made during the offseason. That means they could be ripe for the picking before settling into a groove as the 2016 campaign progresses.

Much like predicting games, there is a lot of guesswork involved with fantasy football in Week 1 of the season as well.

While early-round studs are obvious starts regardless of their matchups, filling out the rest of the lineup is challenging due to a lack of certainty regarding how certain defenses will fare.

Gut instincts will come into play for bettors and fantasy owners alike in Week 1, but here is a full rundown of picks against the spread and fantasy players worth a start to kick off the 2016 NFL season.

Week 1 Odds and Picks

Away Team	Home Team	Betting Line	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Buffalo Bills	Baltimore Ravens	BAL (-3)	BUF	BUF
Chicago Bears	Houston Texans	HOU (-6)	HOU	CHI
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Atlanta Falcons	ATL (-2.5)	TB	TB
Oakland Raiders	New Orleans Saints	NO (-1.5)	NO	NO
Green Bay Packers	Jacksonville Jaguars	GB (-4.5)	GB	GB
Minnesota Vikings	Tennessee Titans	MIN (-2.5)	TEN	TEN
Cincinnati Bengals	New York Jets	CIN (-2.5)	CIN	CIN
Cleveland Browns	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI (-3.5)	PHI	PHI
San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	KC (-6.5)	KC	SD
Miami Dolphins	Seattle Seahawks	SEA (-10)	SEA	MIA
New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	DAL (-1)	NYG	NYG
Detroit Lions	Indianapolis Colts	IND (-3)	IND	IND
New England Patriots	Arizona Cardinals	ARI (-6.5)	ARI	ARI
Pittsburgh Steelers	Washington Redskins	PIT (-3)	PIT	PIT
Los Angeles Rams	San Francisco 49ers	LA (-2.5)	SF	SF

Week 1 Fantasy Stars to Target

Derek Carr, QB, OAK

The quarterback position is seemingly deeper than ever before from a fantasy perspective, which could reward owners who decided to wait on signal-callers rather than spend an early pick on an elite one.

For those who opted to to nab their starter in the mid-to-late rounds, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was a popular choice.

After a strong rookie season, Carr broke out even more as a second-year player in 2015, as he threw for 3,987 yards, 32 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, only one quarterback in NFL history has been more prolific than Carr in terms of touchdowns over their first two seasons:

All the pieces are in place for Carr to take another leap forward in 2016, as wide receiver Amari Cooper figures to be even better in his second year, Michael Crabtree is coming off a bounce-back campaign and the Raiders have one of the NFL's best offensive lines on paper.

If Carr is going to reach the next level, he has an ideal opponent against whom to start that process in the form of the New Orleans Saints.

New Orleans allowed 284 passing yards per game last season and an NFL-worst 45 touchdowns through the air.

The Raiders have a potentially prolific offense in place, and Carr figures to have a field day against what was a historically bad defense in 2015.

Carr has a perfect matchup, and any fantasy owner without a top-flight option at the quarterback position would be wise to start him in Week 1.

DeAngelo Williams, RB, PIT

The 2016 season represented a renaissance of sorts for running back DeAngelo Williams, as he started 10 games in place of the injured and suspended Le'Veon Bell, and proved to be one of the top fantasy players at his position as a lead back.

Williams rushed for 907 yards on 4.5 yards per carry, scored a league-high 11 rushing touchdowns and added 40 receptions for 367 yards.

He will be the bell-cow back for at least the first three games of 2016 with Bell out due to suspension once again, and that bodes well for his production.

The Steelers resemble a pass-first team with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, but Williams gave them solid balance last year, and the numbers suggest he got better the more heavily Pittsburgh leaned on him, per Ricky Sanders of FantasyDraft.com:

Pittsburgh has every reason to make him a featured part of the offense in Week 1, as it will take on a Washington Redskins team that struggled mightily against the run in 2015.

Washington allowed 122.6 rushing yards per game last season and 4.8 yards per carry, which was the second-worst mark in the NFL.

Williams isn't likely to have much value when Bell returns, which is why the owners who drafted him should get as much out of him as possible while he is the unquestioned starter.

He was likely selected at a flex price in most drafts, but he should return RB1 value in Week 1 and in the following weeks until Bell reclaims his spot.

Tyler Lockett, WR, SEA

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin was undoubtedly quarterback Russell Wilson's favorite target last season, but Tyler Lockett developed into a quality complement as a rookie, and every indication is that he should be even better in 2016.

Lockett reeled in 51 receptions for 664 yards and six touchdowns last year, and he added two more touchdowns as a return man.

The third-round pick did the bulk of his damage as a receiver down the stretch last season, and he enters 2016 with a ton of momentum on his side thanks to a fantastic preseason, according to PFF Fantasy Football:

Extra attention figures to be paid to Baldwin this season from opposing defenses after he caught 14 touchdowns in 2015, and Lockett should be the main beneficiary.

Seattle faces the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, and Miami allowed 250 passing yards per game last season, along with a total of 31 passing touchdowns.

The Dolphins secondary has some major question marks, and Lockett should be able to exploit it with speed, quickness and sharp route running.

Getting big production out of the flex slot can be the difference between winning and losing a fantasy matchup in any given week, and Lockett has all the makings of a winning start in Week 1.

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