Fantasy Football Week 3 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: Jake Browning a sleeper, plus more start/sits
Quarterbacks you want in Week 3 lineups, and those you should avoid
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1 min read
We said coming into the season that quarterback was the deepest position for Fantasy managers. And that depth is already getting tested in Week 3 due to injuries.
Joe Burrow (toe) is out for the season, and J.J. McCarthy (ankle) will miss multiple weeks. Brock Purdy (toe) isn't expected to return for Week 3, and we're waiting on the status of Jayden Daniels (knee) and Justin Fields (concussion) as of Wednesday morning to see if they can play.
While some of you might be riding high with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Daniel Jones, who is a top-five quarterback through two weeks (more on him below), others in your league are scrambling for help. For Week 3, you might be starting Jones for the first time along with guys like Jake Browning, Carson Wentz and potentially Marcus Mariota and Tyrod Taylor in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
I'm fascinated to see how the position looks after Week 3. But heading into this scoring period, we have you covered with the quarterbacks to start, as well as the ones to avoid. And don't forget to check out the full-length Start 'Em & Sit 'Em with all the positions, as well as the Start of the Week, which will be posted by Wednesday evening.
QBs to Start
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I thought Prescott would have a solid Fantasy outing in Week 2 against the Giants, and he finished with 26.1 points, although he needed overtime. That said, he should stay hot in Week 3 at the Bears, who just allowed Jared Goff to score 43.9 Fantasy points last week. Prescott has top-five upside in this matchup, and the projected total for this game is 50.5 points, which also bodes well for Caleb Williams.
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Normally we would avoid the Broncos matchup, but Herbert is playing too well right now to sit. He's scored at least 22.8 Fantasy points in each of his first two games against the Chiefs and Raiders, and I love that he's averaging 31.5 rushing yards per game. He scored 26.2 Fantasy points against Denver at home in Week 16 last year, and the Broncos just allowed Daniel Jones to score 24.8 Fantasy points in Week 2.
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Williams might be inconsistent with his performance in reality, but in Fantasy he's scored at least 20.9 Fantasy points in each of his first two starts. I love that he's averaging 42.5 rushing yards per game, and he has a fantastic matchup in Week 3 against Dallas. The Cowboys just allowed Russell Wilson to pass for 450 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Week 2, and this could be Williams' best game to date. Dallas also has allowed 18 carries for 82 yards and two rushing touchdowns to Jalen Hurts and Wilson this year.
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Is it time to buy into Jones as a starting Fantasy quarterback? He's been awesome through two home games with at least 24.8 Fantasy points in matchups against Miami and Denver, but now he has to perform on the road at Tennessee. The Titans were great against Bo Nix in Week 1 (8.8 Fantasy points), but Matthew Stafford scored 21.3 Fantasy points in Week 2. I expect Jones to be in that range this week, which makes him a low-end No. 1 quarterback. Hopefully, he'll continue to find the end zone with his legs since he has three rushing touchdowns in two games.
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Maye took advantage of Miami's subpar defense in Week 2 with 30.3 Fantasy points, and he gets another favorable matchup in Week 3 against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were abused by Justin Fields in Week 1 for 31.5 Fantasy points, and Sam Darnold scored 19.8 points at Pittsburgh in Week 2. At some point we might see this defense wake up, but Maye is worth trusting in this matchup at home as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Rodgers managed just 12.4 Fantasy points in Week 2 against Seattle, but an interception in the end zone off a deflected pass cost him a potential 20-point outing since that was an eight-point swing in production. I expect Rodgers to rebound in Week 3 at New England, and the Patriots have allowed the most passing yards in the NFL this season with 677 against Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa, as both quarterbacks topped 300 yards. We'll see if Rodgers can follow suit, but he's worth trusting as a low-end No. 1 quarterback in all leagues.
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It's fitting that Browning's first start in place of Joe Burrow (toe) comes against the Vikings, who cut him in 2021. He faced Minnesota in Week 15 of 2023 when Burrow was out with a wrist injury and scored 22.9 Fantasy points, which included two fourth-quarter touchdowns in an eventual 27-24 overtime win. Browning averaged 22.2 Fantasy points in seven starts in place of Burrow in 2023, and he scored 21.7 Fantasy points against the Jaguars in Week 2 after Burrow was injured. He's worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues this week.
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Jones scored 27.8 Fantasy points in Week 2 at New Orleans, and he's expected to start again in Week 3 against Arizona with Brock Purdy (toe) out. Jones has now scored at least 21.2 Fantasy points in four of his past seven starts going back to last season when he played in Jacksonville. The Cardinals just allowed 27.3 Fantasy points against Bryce Young in Week 2, and Arizona's secondary was beat up in that game with cornerbacks Max Melton (knee), Garrett Williams (leg) and Will Johnson (groin) all leaving due to injuries. Jones has the chance for another standout performance in this matchup.
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QBs to Sit
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Tagovailoa performed better in Week 2 against New England with 22.6 Fantasy points than he did in Week 1 at Indianapolis when he scored just 7.3 points. We'll see what happens in Week 3 at Buffalo, but Tagovailoa doesn't have the best history against the Bills. He scored 21.5 Fantasy points at Buffalo in Week 9 last season, but he's averaging just 15.0 points against the Bills in his past seven meetings. Tagovailoa is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues on Thursday night.
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Lawrence scored 25.2 Fantasy points in Week 2 at Cincinnati, but he continues to make costly mistakes with three interceptions on the season, including one in the end zone against the Bengals. He's averaging just 16.0 Fantasy points in his past seven healthy games against Houston, and the Texans are allowing just 19.8 Fantasy points on the season in two matchups against Matthew Stafford and Baker Mayfield. I would only start Lawrence in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3.
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Young scored 27.3 Fantasy points in Week 2 at Arizona, but he needed 55 pass attempts to get 328 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. We might have considered this an easy matchup against the Falcons prior to the season, but Atlanta has allowed just 325 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, with a lost fumble, against Baker Mayfield and J.J. McCarthy in two games. The interior of the offensive line is a mess for Carolina with right guard Robert Hunt (biceps) and center Austin Corbett (knee) out, and the Falcons should be able to keep Young in check in this matchup.
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Stafford had a solid outing in Week 2 at Tennessee with 21.3 Fantasy points, but we'll see how he does on the road again at Philadelphia. He's actually done well against the Eagles in his career in the regular season with 1,645 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception in seven career games. Last year, Stafford faced Philadelphia twice in Week 12 and the playoffs, and he scored at least 23.2 Fantasy points in each outing. But I'm skeptical of him continuing that success in Week 3, and the Eagles so far have held Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes to a combined 375 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in two games. I would only consider using Stafford in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I loved Goff as the Start of the Week in Week 2 against Chicago, and he delivered in a big way with 43.9 Fantasy points. The Lions bounced back after a bad loss at Green Bay in Week 1 when Goff scored just 12.9 Fantasy points on the road, and I'm not expecting a strong outing from Goff on the road again at Baltimore in Week 3. Goff has never done well against the Ravens with 713 passing yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions in three career meetings. Baltimore struggled against Josh Allen in Week 1 when he scored 42.8 Fantasy points, but the Ravens limited Joe Flacco to 10.8 Fantasy points in Week 2. Goff won't be that bad, but sub-20 Fantasy points is likely in this matchup, making him just a starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.
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