NFL Predictions Week 2: Final Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch

There's no worse time than Week 2 for NFL fans and fantasy football players to form concrete conclusions.

Despite convincing Week 1 wins over mediocre opponents, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are not Super Bowl contenders. Alex Smith isn't going to accumulate 5,000 passing yards.

Some results are significant, but others are just random noise that will subside with another week of action. Stars will also bounce back from one middling showing. Relax, and stay the course before reacting too harshly.

Let's look at the Week 2 odds, courtesy of Odds Shark, before highlighting a few fantasy stars coming off noteworthy opening weekends.

Away	Home	Odds	O/U	Prediction
New Orleans Saints	New York Giants	NYG -4.5	53.5	35-31 NYG
Tennessee Titans	Detroit Lions	DET -6	47.5	30-17 DET
Dallas Cowboys	Washington	WAS -2.5	45.5	21-16 WAS
Kansas City Chiefs	Houston Texans	HOU -2	43	23-17 KC
Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots	NE -6.5	41.5	20-13 NE
Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	BAL -6	42	28-14 BAL
San Francisco 49ers	Carolina Panthers	CAR -13.5	45	24-9 CAR
Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -3.5	48.5	31-27 PIT
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -7	50	35-23 ARI
Seattle Seahawks	Los Angeles Rams	SEA -7	38.5	17-10 SEA
Atlanta Falcons	Oakland Raiders	OAK -4.5	48	27-23 OAK
Jacksonville Jaguars	San Diego Chargers	SD -3	48	26-23 JAC
Indianapolis Colts	Denver Broncos	DEN -6	46.5	24-21 DEN
Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	GB -2	43	26-13 GB
Philadelphia Eagles	Chicago Bears	CHI -3	42.5	24-20 CHI

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

So much for missing Calvin Johnson.

Life without the retired superstar receiver started well for Matthew Stafford, who went 31-of-39 for 340 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1's shootout against the Indianapolis Colts. This continues last year's late tear, when he tossed 17 touchdowns to one pick over Detroit's final six games.

Rotoworld's Evan Silva tracked the passer's improvement after last year's bye week, right around when offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter assumed play-calling duties:

Last year, the Tennessee Titans yielded 34 passing touchdowns and 7.9 yards per pass attempt. Even Shaun Hill mustered 236 yards for the Minnesota Vikings, who didn't rush the recently acquired Sam Bradford into starting duties. 

Stafford isn't perfect, but he's better than Shaun Hill. He's also operating a scheme perfect for his abilities to move the chains on short strikes. Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Theo Riddick, Ameer Abdullah and Eric Ebron give him plenty of targets to keep flourishing without Johnson, so expect another top-10 quarterback finish this weekend.

Projections: 26-of-35, 285 passing yards, 2 touchdowns

Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Todd Gurley owners are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even after a poor opening week against a subpar 49ers defense, can anyone really afford to bench him against the tougher Seattle Seahawks?

Following a tremendous rookie campaign, the Los Angeles Rams runner started 2016 with 42 total yards on 18 touches. The NFL's most inept offense compiled 185 yards during an embarrassing 28-0 loss in which the talented runner could not overcome an abysmal supporting cast.

As noted by ESPN.com's Alden Gonzalez, Gurley had no chance to make anything happen on Monday night:

San Francisco ranked No. 29 in rushing defense last year. Seattle, last year's No. 1 unit against the run, stifled Arian Foster to 38 yards on 13 handoffs in a 12-10 Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins.

It's a bad matchup for a great player stuck on a catastrophically bad offense. But it only takes one breakaway run for Gurley to reel in the fantasy points, and he's one of few backs assured a hefty workload.

He also closed his rookie campaign with 83 rushing yards and a score in an upset victory at Seattle. Having beaten the Seahawks three times over their last four meetings, the Rams can at least preserve a favorable game flow in a close, low-scoring grind. Don't pay for Gurley in daily fantasy contests, but don't get too cute and bench him for a matchup play in season-long formats. 

Projections: 21 Rushes, 75 Rushing Yards, 1 Reception, 10 Yards

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Is it possible Doug Baldwin's late-season breakout was more than a fluke?

Weary drafters were too smart to see 14 touchdowns and snag the Seahawks wide receiver in the second round. Yet those who expected regression might have over-corrected, as he instead became obtainable as a low-end No. 2, high-end No. 3 option.

Baldwin, who collected a dozen scores over Seattle's final eight 2015 regular-season contests, opened 2016 with nine catches, 92 yards and a touchdown. Russell Wilson targeted his emerging star a team-high 11 times.

ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia detailed the wideout's substantial success:

"

Since Week 10 of last season, Baldwin has 816 receiving yards. That trails only Antonio Brown and Julio Jones. Baldwin has 13 touchdowns in that span; no other player has more than nine. And his catch rate of 81.2 percent trails only Golden Tate among wide receivers who caught at least 25 balls during that period.

"

If Jeremy Kerley and Quinton Patton can tally respectable lines against the Rams, Baldwin should torch them if Wilson starts. That's no certainty since the star quarterback sprained his ankle last weekend, but he expressed confidence in suiting up on Sunday, per Seattle's Twitter page:

Let's not vault Baldwin into a top-10 wideout just yet, but don't be surprised if he earns that designation this season. As long as Wilson plays, Seattle's premier pass-catcher is a top-20 Week 2 option.

Projections: 8 Receptions, 80 Yards, 1 TD