Breaking Down Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, & Aaron Rodgers from Week 2!

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If Derek Carr was a big surprise in Week 1, what we saw in Dallas was downright shocking. After the Cowboys made Deshaun Watson look like a backup QB at best in Week 1, despite Carr and the Saints’ offense being a tougher test from an offensive perspective, it was widely expected Dallas could still pressure Carr and force him into some mistakes and limit the explosive plays. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth as the Saints throttled the Cowboys, 44-19. Carr went 11-for-16 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. He was picked off once, but he likely would have put up even bigger numbers if the game was more competitive. The Saints get the Eagles next, and despite a much-improved secondary, they showed in Week 1 against the Packers that they’re still susceptible to splash plays. We’ll see if Carr can keep the good times rolling.

Some rushing quarterbacks showed that it’s not always all sunshine and rainbows for the dual threats. Anthony Richardson almost orchestrated a late comeback against the Packers, but he was just 17-for-34 for 204 yards and one touchdown. But he also tossed three picks to just one touchdown. He also fumbled the ball twice, but luckily the Colts never lost possession on those. And Jayden Daniels struggled despite going up against a Giants defense that made Sam Darnold look like a Pro-Bowler. Daniels rushed for 44 yards, but he only managed 226 yards through the air without a touchdown. Top wide receiver Terry McLaurin hauled in six catches but for just 22 yards. Daniels hasn’t taken too many shots downfield, which is really hampering McLaurin’s value thus far.

And then of course there were injuries. Jordan Love was unsurprisingly inactive, which allowed Malik Willis to get the start for the Packers. After looking abysmal in previous appearances, Willis leaned on Josh Jacobs and the running game, but he also looked more competent than he has in previous action with the Titans. But the biggest quarterback injury story is with Tua Tagovailoa. With a well-documented history of concussions, Tua lowered his head and was taken down by what seemed like an ordinary tackle from Damar Hamlin. But Tua clearly suffered more head trauma on the play, and was diagnosed with another concussion. While Tua’s health is the primary concern, Skylar Thompson is the next man up. Given the injury history, we’re treating this as if Tua’s out indefinitely, and the Dolphins may be searching for an upgrade over Thompson.

WEEK 3 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Fantasy QB Rankings Week 3: Who to start, sit at quarterback

These rankings are based on four-point passing TD scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 17 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often. 

RANK
PLAYER NAME
TEAM
OPPONENT
CHANGE

1
Josh Allen
BUF
vs. JAC

2
Lamar Jackson
BAL
at DAL

3
Jalen Hurts
PHI
at NO

4
Patrick Mahomes II
KC
at ATL

5
Kyler Murray
ARI
vs. DET

6
C.J. Stroud
HOU
at MIN
Up 1

7
Anthony Richardson
IND
vs. CHI
Down 1

8
Jared Goff
DET
at ARI

9
Jayden Daniels
WAS
at CIN

10
Joe Burrow
CIN
vs. WAS

11
Derek Carr
NO
vs. PHI
Up 4

12
Dak Prescott
DAL
vs. BAL
Down 1

13
Brock Purdy
SF
at LAR

14
Baker Mayfield
TB
vs. DEN
Down 2

15
Gardner Minshew II
LV
vs. CAR
Up 2

16
Geno Smith
SEA
vs. MIA
Up 1

17
Matthew Stafford
LAR
vs. SF
Down 3

18
Justin Fields
PIT
vs. LAC

19
Trevor Lawrence
JAC
at BUF

20
Caleb Williams
CHI

21
Justin Herbert
LAC
at PIT

22
Kirk Cousins
ATL
vs. KC

23
Sam Darnold
MIN
vs. HOU
Up 5

24
Aaron Rodgers
NYJ
vs. NE
Down 1

25
Will Levis
TEN
vs. GB
Down 1

26
Deshaun Watson
CLE
vs. NYG
Up 1

27
Bo Nix
DEN
at TB
Down 2

28
Skylar Thompson
MIA
at SEA
Up 1

29
Malik Willis
GB
at TEN
Down 3

30
Jacoby Brissett
NE
at NYJ

31
Daniel Jones
NYG
at CLE

32
Andy Dalton
CAR
at LV

What are the notable changes in the QB rankings?

We don’t typically have to make many adjustments this quickly, but the Panthers announced Monday afternoon that Bryce Young would be benched for veteran Andy Dalton in this week’s matchup against the Raiders. Young has looked even worse than he did during his rookie season, which is saying something. Perhaps taking a step back will give him a new perspective on the game and help things slow down for him. The offense will likely be more competent, but at the end of the day, this is still Andy Dalton, and we’re not expecting any miracles here.

We also bumped rookie Caleb Williams down four spots to QB20. The Colts present an easier defensive matchup than both the Steelers and Texans, but Williams has looked alarmingly bad at times. Until we see some signs of improvement, we can’t just assume it’s coming. It would not be surprising to see Williams outperform this ranking, but we need him to show us first.

Who are the best fantasy QBs for Week 3?

The top-3 quarterbacks remain the same for Week 3 yet again, but Lamar Jackson slides in as QB2, swapping spots with Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts. Josh Allen continues to have the top spot on lock. Week 2 was very disappointing for Allen fantasy managers, but it was a game script issue. Buffalo jumped out to an early lead on the back of James Cook and never looked back. And when Tua Tagovailoa went down with the concussion, it was clear Miami wouldn’t be able to mount much of a comeback and force Allen to take to the air. This was a fluke, though, and we expect Allen to bounce back against the Jags.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of Week 2 was the Raiders upending the Ravens, sending Baltimore to a rough 0-2 start to the season. Lamar Jackson had a pretty pedestrian performance, going 21-for-34 for 247 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He did rush five times for 45 yards, but a good chunk of that came on the game’s final desperation play. Jackson is too explosive of a player to think he won’t turn things around in what should be an exciting matchup with the Cowboys.

Who are the best fantasy QB waiver pickups Week 3?

We already sang Derek Carr’s praises in our introduction, and he’s somehow rostered in just 19 percent of leagues. It’s clear that Klint Kubiak’s new offense is a massive upgrade over what the Saints were running last season, and Carr is taking advantage. Carr has been putting up these surprising numbers, and Chris Olave hasn’t even really gotten going yet. If Rashid Shaheed keeps producing, he should start taking some attention away from Olave.

And Geno Smith had a big day for the Seahawks, going 33-for-44 for 327 yards and one touchdown against what seems to be a fairly stout Patriots defense. With bruising running back Kenneth Walker sitting with an oblique injury, and trailing for much of the game, Smith had to take things to the air, and both DK Metcalf (10-129-1) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (12-117-0) had big days. Smith is rostered in only 34 percent of leagues, so if he’s available he’s a great backup option or starter in 2QB leagues.

After shocking the Baltimore Ravens, Raider QB Gardner Minshew checks in as our top sleeper at the position heading into Week 3. Minshew went 30-for-38 for 276 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. After a quiet Week 1, Minshew got Davante Adams going as the star WR hauled in nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers also put forth a second-straight impressive performance with nine catches for 98 yards. The Raiders love to lean on the running game, which is a concern since the Panthers look pretty inept thus far, but Minshew should have opportunities to put up some numbers.

What are the biggest QB injuries Week 3?

We already touched on the injury to Tua Tagovailoa. Obviously the primary concern is on Tua’s health, but from a fantasy perspective, it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins bring anyone else in. Skylar Thompson is a big drop-off, and this doesn’t appear to be a one or two week absence as of now. So will Miami reach out to a free agent like Ryan Tannehill? Or will they hit the phones and look for a trade? The Eagles have former first round pick Kenny Pickett as their backup, but also have a capable option behind him in Tanner McKee, so perhaps a deal could be struck.

There was some chatter this week that Jordan Love may have somehow been available for this week’s game against the Colts, but that never seemed very legit. In fact, it’s now being reported that Love will likely miss Week 3 as well, but he could return in Week 4. It was widely expected that Malik Willis would fall flat on his face this week, but he actually led Green Bay to a victory. He didn’t look like a good quarterback, but he looked better than he ever has in the past, so there’s a glimmer of hope that he might be able to produce in a revenge matchup against the Titans this week.