Football fans spent the offseason clamoring for the Sunday rush of multiple games simultaneously going down to the wire. Instead of chaotic finishes, they got garbage time.

Only three Week 1 games were decided by seven points or fewer. While the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears lost with pride, the New England Patriots and New York Giants counted among 10 squads to suffer double-digit defeats.

Those lopsided matches led to subdued passing numbers, at least for the league’s inflating standards. Just six quarterbacks exceeded 300 passing yards, and few fantasy football managers would have thought to start Alex Smith or Jared Goff.

Looking at OddsShark’s listing for the Week 2 odds, the NFL should host some nail-biters. A few pairings, however, have led to lofty lines that could have fantasy ramifications.

             

NFL Week 2 Odds and Predictions

Arizona (-7) at Indianapolis: Prediction: 27-13 Cardinals

Buffalo at Carolina (-7): Prediction: 23-16 Panthers

Chicago at Tampa Bay (-7): Prediction: 28-20 Buccaneers

Cleveland at Baltimore (-8): Prediction: 17-13 Ravens

Minnesota at Pittsburgh (-5.5): Prediction: 24-20 Steelers

New England (-6) at New Orleans: Prediction: 38-34 Patriots

Philadelphia at Kansas City (-6): Prediction: 30-23 Chiefs

Tennessee (Even) at Jacksonville: Prediction: 24-21 Titans

Miami at L.A. Chargers (-3.5): Prediction: 27-20 Chargers

N.Y. Jets at Oakland (-13.5): Prediction: 30-12 Raiders

Dallas (-1.5) at Denver: Prediction: 20-19 Broncos

San Francisco at Seattle (-14): Prediction: 34-7 Seahawks

Washington at L.A. Rams (-3): Prediction: 23-17 Washington

Green Bay at Atlanta (-3): Prediction: 28-27 Packers

Detroit at N.Y. Giants (-3): Prediction: 20-17 Giants

        

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers coasted to a Week 1 win over the San Francisco 49ers, but fantasy gamers who started quarterback Cam Newton likely can’t relate.

Although the 2015 MVP recorded two passing touchdowns, he tallied 171 passing yards on account of attempting just 25 passes during a 20-point win. He also overthrew a wide-open Ed Dickson for what should have been an easy score.

Newton accrued under 200 passing yards in six games last season, so the middling aerial total shouldn’t have caught investors off guard. Yet they likely expected more than three rushing yards, continuing a troubling trend for his fantasy stock.

Since producing 54 yards and his fourth rushing score of 2016 in Week 10, the Panthers quarterback has submitted 101 rushing yards and one touchdown in his past eight games. The scrambling cutback hasn’t led to greater passing gains; he has averaged 210.8 passing yards per contest with 11 touchdowns through the air.

Favored by seven to beat the Buffalo Bills at home, per OddsShark, the Panthers will likely execute another run-heavy blueprint. The Bills, who intercepted Josh McCown twice in Week 1, also yielded the sixth-fewest passing yards per game (223.9) in 2016.

A limited participant in Thursday’s practice, per Carolina’s injury report, Newton is working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Treat him at best as a low-level Week 2 starter.

Projections: 16-of-27, 200 Passing Yards, 1 Passing TD, 15 Rushing Yards.

            

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Oakland Raiders

For a 31-year-old running back who hadn’t played since retiring in 2015, Marshawn Lynch looked good in his return.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Oakland Raiders limited him to 31 of 66 offensive snaps during a 26-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Yet it hardly hampered his workload, as he totaled 92 yards on 18 carries and a reception.

Beast Mode maintained his physical style behind a stout offensive line. As tracked by Pro Football Focus, he avoided five tackles with 3.2 yards after contact. 

Per the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow (via the Washington Post), New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles said Lynch played like the same star who punished his Arizona Cardinals with the Seattle Seahawks.

“Unfortunately, the same things I saw in Arizona: him running well, him running hard, great feet, good vision,” Bowles said. “Like he never left.”

Heavily favored to defeat the Jets in Oakland, Lynch could easily field 20-plus carries in front of his hometown fans. After trading Sheldon Richardson, Gang Green relinquished 190 rushing yards to the Bills in their season-opening loss.

This is a golden opportunity for Lynch to score his first touchdown since Nov. 15, 2015.

Projections: 22 Carries, 105 Rushing Yards, 1 TD.

           

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Nobody had any right to expect a week-saving performance from Keenan Allen on Monday night. Exactly one year after tearing his ACL, he returned to face Chris Harris and the Denver Broncos, the league’s stingiest passing defense last season.

While the five catches for 35 yards didn’t spur celebrations from drafters who gambled on the Los Angeles Chargers wideout, his fourth-quarter touchdown could have swung some matchups. As highlighted by Pro Football Focus’ Scott Barrett, scoring against Harris is no small feat:

More encouraging for his long-term productivity, Allen received 10 targets on Philip Rivers’ 33 pass attempts. The duo looks poised to pick right where it left off two seasons ago.

In Allen’s eight 2015 games, Rivers targeted him on 25.6 percent of his throws. That heavy volume led to 67 catches, 725 yards and four touchdowns, so a healthy Allen is a premier fantasy asset.

Instead of the Broncos, he gets the more manageable Miami Dolphins secondary Sunday. Per Yahoo Sports, that unit allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing receivers last season.

Allen is a strong No. 2 fantasy wideout for Week 2 and beyond, especially in points-per-reception formats.

Projections: 12 Targets, 8 Receptions, 85 Receiving Yards, 1 TD.

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