Last week was weird on virtually every level. Dak Prescott was vulturing rushing touchdowns from Ezekiel Elliott. Both Drew Lock and Jimmy Garoppolo failed to finish their games (and Tyrod Taylor didn't even start his). Gardner Minshew and Josh Allen both threw for a ton of yards, while a hot Tom Brady start was followed by barely more than 20 passing yards in the final quarter and a half. The big question in our Week 3 fantasy QB rankings is how much of Week 2 should we believe in, and how much was just randomness that can happen in any particular week of fantasy football?
Brady's as good a place to start as any -- he threw for nearly 200 yards in the first half and was cruising, but a big lead meant he slowed down and finished with 217 yards. Bruce Arians has the reputation of a "passing coach," but Brady was due to start leaning more on his running game eventually. This could be the year. On the other side, Teddy Bridgewater threw for 367 yards but two interceptions and no touchdowns. No, you don't want Bridgewater over Brady, but it's proof of how game flow can matter.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
One misconception worth getting rid of after Week 2 is the idea that Ryan Tannehill can't be a productive fantasy QB because the Titans run too much. Plenty of running Sunday didn't stop Tannehill from throwing two touchdowns or more for the ninth straight regular season game (and in this case, he threw four touchdowns). His upside might be lower than someone like Jared Goff, who could throw 60 passes in a given week, but Tannehill deserves every-week starter consideration for his consistency. We're also going to stop hating on Matt Ryan's garbage-time production because he also puts up numbers in close games, too (though he was helped by some great field position after three first-half Cowboys fumbles).
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
It was also encouraging to see the Bengals let Joe Burrow attempt more than 60 passes on Thursday night as they worked on a comeback. It's obvious the rookie will be free to do his thing all season long, and that includes rushing that makes him an intriguing fantasy option. With 10 days off after a second straight loss, Burrow should come out ready to go in Week 3 against an Eagles defense that's been underwhelming thus far.
WEEK 3 DFS CASH LINEUPS: Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
And we just want to remind you how good Kyler Murray is. Hopefully you drafted the guy who can do this. And that Cam Newton dude is pretty good, too.
WEEK 3 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
Justin Herbert was a surprise starter in Week 2 as Tyrod Taylor (chest) sat on the sideline looking sad with trainers surrounding him. Whoever starts for the Chargers is at least worth consideration in 2-QB/superflex leagues, but it probably won't be obvious until later in the week who that is. Herbert might actually be the more appealing play here, showing he could both run and throw in his first career start. If word is Herbert will keep the job, he's worth grabbing even in one-QB leagues of 12 teams or more.
MORE WEEK 3 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
We'll have to keep an eye this week on two notable injuries. Drew Lock was taken down hard on his right (throwing) shoulder and didn't return to Sunday's game, and Jimmy Garoppolo didn't return from halftime after playing through an injured right ankle for much of the first half. Neither figures to be worth starting in single-QB leagues next week if they return, but virtually every QB is important in two-QB/superflex leagues. (Update: Taylor, Lock, and Garoppolo will all be OUT this week).
WEEK 3: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Note: Check back throughout the week, as we'll continue to update our QB rankings up until kickoff based on the latest news, as well as provide individual player analysis.
Week 3 Fantasy QB Rankings
These rankings are for four-point passing TD leagues.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. KC |
| 2 | Kyler Murray, ARZ vs. DET. The Lions defense will be so, so overmatched by Murray, who frequently avoided getting touched by a much superior Washington defensive front. Expect more highlight-reel plays in this one. |
| 3 | Russell Wilson, SEA vs. DAL |
| 4 | Dak Prescott, DAL @ SEA. Prescott isn't likely to pile up tons more rushing touchdowns this season, but the Cowboys have a potent offense and less-than-potent defense. That's a combination for plenty of stat-padding from Prescott all season long. |
| 5 | Josh Allen, BUF vs. LAR |
| 6 | Patrick Mahomes, KC @ BAL. Between Kansas City struggling at times against the Chargers and the Ravens' strong defense, it's fair to second guess Mahomes a bit this week. You still have to play the best quarterback on the planet, though. |
| 7 | Matt Ryan, ATL vs. CHI |
| 8 | Cam Newton, NE vs. LV. Unless you've got Lamar, Mahomes or Murray, it's time to consider Newton as your starting QB each week he's healthy. He won't rush for two touchdowns every games, but he also looks improved as a passer and should thrive against the Raiders in Week 3. |
| 9 | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT vs. HOU. Roethlisberger took an encouraging step forward in Week 2 in his willingness to throw down the field, placating some of our concerns about his elbow after Week 1. Houston doesn't have the manpower in the secondary to cover a deep Steelers WR group. |
| 10 | Ryan Tannehill, TEN @ MIN. Tannehill has thrown two or more touchdowns in nine-straight regular season games, and Minnesota is making its case for one of the season's most disappointing teams so far. Expect Tennessee to attack through the air early before riding Derrick Henry late. |
| 11 | Deshaun Watson, HOU @ PIT. Watson is a sit candidate this week. He's looked lost at times without DeAndre Hopkins, and the Steelers have a very strong defense. In the past, we viewed Watson as one of each week's highest-upside QBs, but without Hopkins, you're probably not missing out on immense upside if you sit Watson. |
| 12 | Gardner Minshew, JAX vs. MIA. Minshew teased us while only throwing 20 passes in Week 1, then he balled out on 45 attempts in Week 2. The only concern about playing the Dolphins on Thursday night is an early Jacksonville lead taking away Minshew's volume, but if that's the case, Gardner likely already put up solid numbers. |
| 13 | Aaron Rodgers, GB @ NO |
| 14 | Matthew Stafford, DET @ ARZ |
| 15 | Tom Brady, TB @ DEN. Brady started on fire Sunday, looking like he'd have a bounce-back Week 2, but then he slowed down mightily in the second half. There will be weeks when Brady has to be more than a game manager, and he remains a safe play with the weapons around him, but he's only likely to have a few really big weeks this year. |
| 16 | Drew Brees, NO vs. GB. Brees' ranking hinges on the health of Michael Thomas (ankle). Brees should likely sit without Thomas, but with Thomas, Brees is worth starting. |
| 17 | Carson Wentz, PHI vs. CIN. The Bengals' defense made Baker Mayfield look good, so maybe that's exactly what Wentz needs, but with his suspect play so far, it's fair to bench the former fantasy stud for a week or two until he sorts it out. |
| 18 | Joe Burrow, CIN @ PHI |
| 19 | Jared Goff, LAR @ BUF. Goff has proven he's likely a solid fantasy QB once again, if not a great real-life passer, but we'll hold off on using him in standard leagues until after he gets through a tough Week 3 matchup in Buffalo. |
| 20 | Mitchell Trubisky, CHI @ ATL |
| 21 | Philip Rivers, IND vs. NYJ |
| 22 | Baker Mayfield, CLE vs. WAS. Washington's front seven is the kind that can give the shorter Mayfield some problems, but his Week 2 performance was encouraging enough to at least trust Baker in superflex leagues this week. |
| 23 | Justin Herbert, LAC vs. CAR. It sounds like Tyrod Taylor won't be 100 percent, so Herbert could see another start after throwing for 300 yards and adding a rushing score in his NFL debut. |
| 24 | Daniel Jones, NYG vs. SF. Jones looked bad against the Bears, and there's no reason to believe one of our favorite sleepers will all of a sudden look better against the defending NFC champs even if its defense is depleted due to injuries. |
| 25 | Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA @ JAX. Fitzpatrick is usable in two-QB formats for this Thursday night matchup, after the bearded one mounted a solid comeback against Buffalo and Jacksonville gave up 33 points to Ryan Tannehill. |
| 26 | Dwayne Haskins, WAS @ CLE |
| 27 | Kirk Cousins, MIN vs. TEN |
| 28 | Nick Mullens, SF @ NYG. Mullens had a 13-10 TD-INT ratio in 2019, so he's not super appealing, even with a friendly matchup against the Giants. |
| 29 | Derek Carr, LV @ NE |
| 30 | Sam Darnold, NYJ @ IND |
| 31 | Teddy Bridgewater, CAR @ LAC |
| 32 | Jeff Driskel, DEN vs. TB. Driskel could prove the mightiest of DFS punt plays here thanks to his rushing ability, but the Tampa Bay defense is too scary to buy in too heavily even to that idea. |