NFL Predictions Week 3: Projections, Odds and Highlighting Top Fantasy Stars

Raise your hand if you predicted that the New York Giants would look like one of the worst teams in football, or that the Carolina Panthers wouldn't allow a touchdown over the course of two games.

A few other surprises have occurred throughout a fairly entertaining start to the season, recently punctuated by the Los Angeles Rams' 41-39 win over the San Francisco 49ers to kick off Week 3.

Here's a look at the rest of this week's matchups, alongside predictions for each game in addition to picks for the top fantasy scorers. All odds are via OddsShark.

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 9:30 a.m. ET

The Baltimore Ravens defense looks as advertised and is one of the best units in the league, if not the best.

Although the offense has been hit or miss thus far, the Ravens defense should have no difficulty against the turnover-prone Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost No. 1 wide receiver Allen Robinson for the season to a torn ACL in Week 1.

Pick: Ravens 20, Jaguars 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: TE Benjamin Watson: 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards, 1 TD (15 points)

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-6)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

The Giants offense has looked poor thus far, but the defense hasn't been great either. The Dallas Cowboys found success on the ground in Week 1, and the Detroit Lions followed suit in Week 2.

New York has also had issues guarding tight ends, as the Dallas Cowboys' Jason Witten and the Detroit Lions' Eric Ebron scored touchdown.

The Carson Wentz-Zach Ertz connection could dominate Sunday, sending the Giants into an early 0-3 hole.

Pick: Eagles 31, Giants 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: TE Zach Ertz: 7 receptions, 100 receiving yards, 2 TD (29 points)

Atlanta Falcons (-3) at Detroit Lions

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

Upset special of the week No. 1 is the Detroit Lions protecting their Ford Field turf and defeating the Atlanta Falcons.

Detroit is ranked fourth in defense, first in special teams and 13th in offense thus far, per Football Outsiders, and it is fourth overall behind Kansas City, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

It is early in the season, but the Lions look good. The Falcons are a Super Bowl contender yet again, and wideout Julio Jones should have a solid game, but Detroit is a well-balanced team that could be the real deal.

Pick: Lions 24, Falcons 23

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR Julio Jones: 10 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD (29 points)

Denver Broncos (-3) at Buffalo Bills

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

Upset special of the week No. 2 is Buffalo beating Denver at home. The Bills are a better team than people might think. The defense is for real, even though it traded cornerback Ronald Darby. Edge-rusher Jerry Hughes is a force to be reckoned with and could be primed for a Pro Bowl year.

Orchard Park, New York is a tough place for anyone to play, except for Bills running back LeSean McCoy, who always seems to dominate in Western New York. He'll lead the Bills to a win.

Pick: Bills 21, Broncos 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: RB LeSean McCoy: 80 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 50 receiving yards (23 points)

Houston Texans at New England Patriots (-14)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

The New England Patriots beat the Houston Texans by scores of 24-0 and 34-16 in two games at Gillette Stadium last season.

The personnel is a bit different this time around, but it's still hard to see the Texans hanging with the Pats, who might average over 30 points per game this year.

Pick: Patriots 28, Texans 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: TE Rob Gronkowski: 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 TD (18 points)

Pittsburgh Steelers (-7.5) at Chicago Bears

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has had some struggles on the road (check here for his home-road splits from last year), but the fact of the matter is that the Steelers are one of the five best teams in football and the Bears might be picking top three in next year's NFL draft.

Watch for wideout Antonio Brown to have a big day with multiple touchdowns.

Pick: Steelers 28, Bears 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR Antonio Brown: 8 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TD (34 points)

Miami Dolphins (-6) at New York Jets

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

The New York Jets had one of the best run defenses in football last year, but that hasn't been the case in 2017 without lineman Sheldon Richardson and linebacker David Harris. In fact, the run defense has been porous, as evidenced by the Oakland Raiders going off for a few long touchdown runs last week.

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi could be in line for a big game. The Dolphins will likely give him the ball 25-30 times, and he could eclipse 100 yards.

Pick: Dolphins 24, Jets 10

Top Fantasy Scorer: RB Jay Ajayi: 130 rushing yards, 2 TD (25 points)

Cleveland Browns (-1.5) at Indianapolis Colts

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

The Cleveland Browns are playing with a lot of heart, as they've hung around in games against two stout opponents to start the year (Pittsburgh and Baltimore).

The Indianapolis Colts without quarterback Andrew Luck are a far weaker opponent. Although it's hard to envision Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton struggling all season, leading to a good Week 3 performance, watch for Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer to lead Cleveland to a close (and ugly) road win.

Pick: Browns 16, Colts 13

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR T.Y. Hilton: 7 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (21 points)

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (-5.5)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

Although the Carolina Panthers offense has struggled thus far, the New Orleans Saints defense has been far worse. They have trouble guarding running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, as evidenced by their first two games.

Look for Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to find running back Christian McCaffrey and wideouts Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess early and often.

Pick: Panthers 27, Saints 13

Top Fantasy Scorer: QB Cam Newton: 200 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 40 rushing yards, 1 TD (21 points)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. ET

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford will not play, and that in turn may lead to a fight to double digits in Minnesota.

The Vikings offense did not look good against the Pittsburgh Steelers with backup quarterback Case Keenum at the helm, but the defense, led by shutdown cornerback Xavier Rhodes, should keep the Bucs offense at bay.

Still, expect Bucs No. 1 wideout Mike Evans to win a few one-on-one battles, leading to a slight Tampa Bay win.

Pick: Buccaneers 13, Vikings 9

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR Mike Evans: 6 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD (20 points)

Seattle Seahawks at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 4:05 p.m. ET

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is running for his life behind an offensive line that isn't protecting him well right now.

The problem this week is that Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, quarterback Marcus Mariota and a stout offensive line may control the clock through a successful run game, leading to Seattle passing more often.

Right now, the Seahawks' aerial attack has sputtered, and it's hard to envision them turning things around in the near future.

Pick: Titans 21, Seahawks 9

Top Fantasy Scorer: QB Marcus Mariota: 200 passing yards, 1 TD, 50 rushing yards, 1 TD (23 points)

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Los Angeles Chargers

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 4:25 p.m. ET

The game of the week will take place in Carson, California, as the Kansas City Chiefs face off with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Some of the most exciting players in football will compete in this game, most notably Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who could be on his way to one of the best statistical seasons for a rookie in league history.

Expect the Hunt hot streak to continue in a close win.

Pick: Chiefs 28, Chargers 27

Top Fantasy Scorer: RB Kareem Hunt: 100 rushing yards, 2 TD, 3 receptions, 30 receiving yards (28 points)

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers (-8)

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 4:25 p.m. ET

The Cincinnati Bengals franchise is on edge, as the offense has scored just nine points through two games. A date against the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field isn't a recipe for a quick turnaround.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is fantastic at home and rarely loses there. Furthermore, the Packers are looking to rebound after a tough loss to the Atlanta Falcons on the road.

Green Bay should win easily.

Pick: Packers 34, Bengals 17

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR A.J. Green: 9 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD (27 points)

Oakland Raiders (-3) at Washington Redskins

Date and Time: Sunday, September 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET

The odd prediction of the week is that the Raiders vs. Redskins matchup, which has the potential to be the highest-scoring contest on the slate, is a run-of-the-mill game where the first team to three touchdowns wins.

Washington can milk some clock on the ground through a run game that has found success so far behind Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson. The Oakland Raiders pass attack is formidable, but cornerback Josh Norman should help slow it down a bit.

Ultimately, give the edge to the Raiders, who might be carrying the Lombardi Trophy in February.

Pick: Raiders 24, Redskins 17

Top Fantasy Scorer: WR Michael Crabtree: 8 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD (24 points)

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Arizona Cardinals

Date and Time: Monday, September 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys offense hasn't looked good after two games, but they have too much talent to not find success at some point this year.

Furthermore, the Arizona Cardinals offense has sputtered to start the season, and they'll have difficulties until star running back David Johnson returns to the team.

Behind a stout comeback performance from running back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for just eight yards last week, Dallas will bounce back and edge out Arizona on the road.

Pick: Cowboys 20, Cardinals 17

Top Fantasy Scorer: RB Ezekiel Elliott: 120 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions, 40 yards (24 points)