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

Nick Musial

Fantasy QB Rankings Week 3: Who to start, sit at quarterback in fantasy football image

Week 3 of the fantasy football season is here following yet another wild Sunday of NFL action. Hopefully, you were able to secure a "W" this week, and if you ended up starting Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, or Lamar Jackson as your QB, you most likely did. If Tom Brady, or Trey Lance was your QB this week, then you better have had some monster weeks from your other position groups to carry your team to victory. Now it's time to look forward, and our Week 3 fantasy QB rankings are here to guide you in the right direction when contemplating your start 'em, sit 'em decisions.

With it only being two weeks into the fantasy season, it's still a bit premature to write off some of your players as "busts" (barring a season-ending injury like what happened to Lance) or lose hope if you're sitting at 0-2. It's beyond cliche, but fantasy football is truly a week-to-week grind, and at times it can be beneficial to just completely forget what happened one week and not let it have an impact on your decisions for the next week. 

That being said, we do have another set of data points to evaluate. It was a bit alarming to see Brady (vs. Packers in Week 3) and Russell Wilson (vs. 49ers) struggle, and as a result, both have seen downticks in their Week 3 rankings (especially Brady with Mike Evans suspended). Joe Burrow's subpar Week 2 performance isn't as worrisome, but it's worthwhile to monitor his play moving forward. A matchup with the Jets this week should cure what ails him, though.

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

Other QBs whose rankings see downticks in Week 3 include Tagovailoa (vs. Bills), Jameis Winston (@ Panthers), and Justin Fields (vs. Texans). Tagovailoa is coming off a career day, so it's probably weird to see him drop in the rankings, but fantasy is all about weekly matchups. The Bills are as tough as it gets. Tua always has upside because of the home-run ability of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but bad turnovers always lurk for him. That's also true of Carson Wentz (vs. Eagles), but we like his matchup much more. Winston (@ Panthers) looked like the "Bad Jameis" from his Buccaneer days last week, and the Panthers' pass defense is solid. Fields simply hasn't shown us much of anything this year, so even in what looks like a decent matchup, he drops. If the Texans can slow down Wilson, they can certainly do well against Fields.

WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Some bubble QBs with favorable Week 3 matchups include Kirk Cousins (vs. Lions), Wentz (vs. Eagles), Marcus Mariota (@ Seahawks), and Mac Jones (vs. Ravens). The Lions defense once again struggled against the pass, making Cousins a must-start QB in Week 3. Wentz had another impressive performance despite some turnovers, and Mariota had another respectable week despite ending the game with consecutive turnovers. Jones is the tough one because the Pats offense has been beyond stagnant, but Baltimore's pass defense has been abysmal. It's tough to recommend Jones in single-QB leagues given the glut of talent at the position, but clearly there's upside there.

WEEK 3 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo

Trevor Lawrence (@ Chargers) and Jared Goff (@ Vikings) also make cases to be in your starting lineups after solid Week 2s, but Lawrence has a relatively tough matchup in L.A., and Goff is always unpredictable, especially on the road. Like Jones, they're tough to recommend in single-QB leagues, but they are possible streaming options if you need a Dak Prescott (thumb) or Lance replacement and you're playing the streaming game.

WEEK 3 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

Note: We'll be updating these QB rankings as needed throughout the week, so check back for the latest changes.

WEEK 3 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

Week 3 fantasy QB Rankings

These rankings are based on four-point passing TD scoring

Rank Player
1 Josh Allen, Bills @ Dolphins
2 Justin Herbert, Chargers vs. Jaguars
3 Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs @ Colts
4 Lamar Jackson, Ravens @ Patriots
5 Jalen Hurts, Eagles @ Commanders
6 Matthew Stafford, Rams @ Cardinals
7 Kirk Cousins, Vikings vs. Lions
8 Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. Rams
9 Joe Burrow, Bengals @ Jets
10 Derek Carr, Raiders @ Titans
11 Russell Wilson, Broncos vs. 49ers
12 Carson Wentz, Commanders vs. Eagles
13 Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ Buccaneers
15 Tom Brady, Buccaneers vs. Packers
15 Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. Bills
16 Marcus Mariota, Falcons @ Seahawks
17 Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars @ Chargers
18 Justin Fields, Bears vs. Texans
19 Jared Goff, Lions @ Vikings
20 Mac Jones, Patriots vs. Ravens
21 Jameis Winston, Saints @ Panthers
22 Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers @ Broncos
23 Baker Mayfield, Panthers vs. Saints
24 Geno Smith, Seahawks vs. Falcons
25 Matt Ryan, Colts vs. Chiefs
26 Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. Raiders
27 Cooper Rush, Cowboys @ Giants
28 Joe Flacco, Jets vs. Bengals
29 Davis Mills, Texans @ Bears
30 Daniel Jones, Giants vs. Cowboys
31 Jacoby Brissett, Browns vs. Steelers
32 Mitchell Trubisky, Steelers @ Browns

Week 3 QB fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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Nick Musial

Nick Musial Photo

Nick Musial is a Content Producer at The Sporting News. He recently joined the team after studying sport management and journalism at the University of Kansas. Nick’s an avid sports bettor who’s always looking for value.