Our Week 3 fantasy quarterback rankings started with two giant question marks: Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. Both questions have already been answered, and we'll see neither of them in Week 3. We've already got Teddy Bridgewater and Mason Rudolph in here by Monday at noon. Maybe, though, you have one of the preseason "sleepers" who is turning into a fantasy football star: Lamar Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Josh Allen. Both of them are firmly in our top 10 for this week and might reside there frequently as the season moves forward.
We've also discovered the opponent that apparently will make every QB into a starting option: Miami. This week, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys host the Dolphins, making them one of the favorites to lead the NFL in total points in Week 3. Prescott threw for more than 400 yards in Week 1 while the Cowboys got Ezekiel Elliott back up to speed. Now, it looks like 300 yards could be more of his ceiling, but against the Dolphins, that very well might come with at least three touchdown passes.
WEEK 3 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
There's an interesting duel between two fantasy starters in Cleveland this week, with Baker Mayfield facing off against Jared Goff. After a slow start, Goff and the Rams offense looked great in the second half against the Saints and should be able to handle a strong Browns pass rush. Aaron Rodgers (vs. Broncos) looked more like himself in a win over the Vikings and should be a fantasy starter in Week 3.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
We learned that Kirk Cousins and Cam Newton are in danger of underwhelming fantasy owners all season. Newton's apparent inability to run around has severely capped his fantasy potential. Cousins may simply not be good enough to shine in an offense designed to lean on the run.
Last but not least before we get into the rankings, Kyler Murray threw for more than 300 yards for a second-straight week. It might not always be pretty for the rookie, but in Kliff Kingsbury's offense, it's looking like the numbers on the stat sheet at the end of the game might work out for fantasy owners relying on the No. 1 overall pick Murray.
Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis!
Week 3 Fantasy QB Rankings
These rankings are for standard leagues with 4-point passing TDs.
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes II, KC vs. BAL. This guy is amazing. |
| 2 | Deshaun Watson, HOU @ LAC. The Texans can't stop allowing sacks on Watson - he's already been sacked 10 times through two games after being sacked a league-high 62 times in 2018. An ugly Week 2 game against the Jaguars doesn't stop Watson from being a top-tier QB option, and he should right the ship against a Chargers' D that's allowed at least 287 passing yards in each of the first two weeks. |
| 3 | Lamar Jackson, BAL @ KC. Jackson faced two weak defenses in the season's first two weeks, but he looks improved as a passer and gets what's at least a neutral matchup in Week 3. You can't sit him until he cools off - if he ever does. |
| 4 | Dak Prescott, DAL vs. MIA. The Dolphins are fantasy football gold for opposing QBs. Lamar Jackson put up 33.6 fantasy points on Miami in Week 1, and Tom Brady followed that up with 24.7 fantasy points in Week 2 that would've been higher if not for two defensive scores by New England. The Dolphins' defense is so vulnerable that a potential injury to Michael Gallup doesn't worry us one bit. As long as Prescott is throwing in this game before it becomes a mega blowout, he should have success. |
| 5 | Russell Wilson, SEA vs. NO. Wilson rediscovered his connection with Tyler Lockett in Week 2, continued to have success throwing to DK Metcalf and even found Will Dissly five times for 50 yards and two scores at the TE position. This offense should keep cruising in Week 3 against a soft Saints defense. |
| 6 | Josh Allen, BUF vs. CIN. Allen has run for a touchdown in two-straight games, he avoided the turnover bug in Week 2 and he gets to face a Cincinnati defense that just allowed 41 points to the 49ers on Sunday. An improved receiving corps for 2019 has Allen looking like a start most weeks because his legs were never in question. |
| 7 | Aaron Rodgers, GB vs. DEN |
| 8 | Carson Wentz, PHI vs. DET |
| 9 | Baker Mayfield, CLE vs. LAR |
| 10 | Jared Goff, LAR @ CLE |
| 11 | Tom Brady, NE vs. NYJ. Even if we classify New England as a team that prefers to run, Brady is hard to sit with all the weapons around him. The Antonio Brown connection looked dynamite early Sunday, and there's still Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon and Phillip Dorsett for defenses to deal with, too - and the Pats went four-wide on a number of occasions to make themselves as tough a cover as possible. |
| 12 | Matt Ryan, ATL @ IND |
| 13 | Philip Rivers, LAC vs. HOU |
| 14 | Kyler Murray, ARZ vs. CAR. Murray has thrown for more than 300 yards in the first two games of his NFL career. He's still showing moments of being a rookie, but in Kliff Kingsbury's offense, it's looking like Murray will produce more often than not. While the Bucs didn't air it out against Carolina in Week 2, Jameis Winston completed more than 60 percent of his passes and didn't have to deal with too much pressure, making this a decent matchup for Murray to produce again. |
| 15 | Kirk Cousins, MIN vs. OAK |
| 16 | Matthew Stafford, DET @ PHI. The Eagles allowed Case Keenum to throw for 380 yards in Week 1, then gave up 320 yards to Matt Ryan on Sunday Night Football. Stafford is a great candidate as a fill-in if you own Drew Brees. |
| 17 | Derek Carr, OAK @ MIN |
| 18 | Jameis Winston, TB vs. NYG. Winston provided us with a bit of hope on Thursday Night Football in Week 2, completing more than 60 percent of his passes and not turning the ball over. The Giants are a great matchup for a quarterback, so if you're in a bit of a pinch, Winston could have one of his bigger games of the season in Week 3. |
| 19 | Jimmy Garoppolo, SF vs. PIT |
| 20 | Cam Newton, CAR @ ARZ. Many of you may have drafted Newton as a fantasy starter. In Week 2, he went 25-51 against a subpar Buccaneers' defense, and more concerning, he only tried to run on two occasions (picking up no yards). If Newton is going to remain a pocket passer, his fantasy upside is very capped, despite a good matchup with Arizona in Week 3. |
| 21 | Mason Rudolph, PIT @ SF. With Ben Roethlisberger out for the season in Pittsburgh, Rudolph is the new starting QB. |
| 22 | Marcus Mariota, TEN @ JAX |
| 23 | Jacoby Brissett, IND vs. ATL |
| 24 | Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ WAS. Trubisky looked like a fun fantasy option with his ability to run, but after two terrible weeks, he looks like he needs to at most sit on your bench until further notice. |
| 25 | Andy Dalton, CIN @ BUF |
| 26 | Gardner Minshew, JAX vs. TEN. Minshew ran for 56 yards on Sunday in addition to leading what would've been a game-tying/winning drive if not for a failed two-point conversion. The Titans defense should be more forgiving than the Texans', so in a two-QB league, Minshew made his case as a possible start. |
| 27 | Teddy Bridgewater, NO @ SEA. If you're a Brees owner looking for a savior, we don't think it'll be Bridgewater in front of the 12th Man in Week 3. Maybe a week of preparation will help Bridgewater find a rhythm that was lacking in L.A., but not enough to make him worth starting in fantasy. |
| 28 | Eli Manning, NYG @ TB |
| 29 | Joe Flacco, DEN @ GB |
| 30 | Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA @ DAL |
| 31 | Luke Falk, NYJ @ NE |
| 32 | Case Keenum, WAS vs. CHI |