Fantasy Football Week 3 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: Joe Burrow shreds, Derek Carr stays hot, more

Burrow has been shaky to start the season, but hopefully he's ready to take off in Week 3 against Washington. He only scored 8.1 Fantasy points in Week 1 against New England before improving in Week 2 with 21.2 points at Kansas City. Tee Higgins (hamstring) could return this week, and the matchup against Washington is fantastic. In two games, Baker Mayfield and Daniel Jones combined for 467 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions against the Commanders. Burrow is a top-five quarterback this week.

Daniels failed to score a touchdown in Week 2 against the Giants, but he led the Commanders on seven scoring drives that resulted in seven field goals. He should find the end zone this week in his first appearance on Monday night at Cincinnati. You know Daniels will show off his rushing prowess (he's averaging 66 rushing yards per game), and this game might actually turn into a shootout with a projected score of 48.5. Daniels once again has top-five upside against the Bengals.

Carr is the No. 2 Fantasy quarterback this season, and he's averaging 26.6 points per game. He should stay hot against the Eagles in Week 3, and Philadelphia has allowed Jordan Love and Kirk Cousins to combine for 501 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception in two games. It's been fun to watch Carr's start to the 2024 campaign under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and it's time to trust him as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.

Mayfield is the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback so far this season, and he's averaging 29.2 points per game. Going back to last year, Mayfield has scored at least 20.3 Fantasy points in eight of his past nine games, including the playoffs. Despite the Broncos struggling at 0-2, this isn't an easy matchup since Geno Smith (19.8 Fantasy points) and Justin Fields (13.4) posted modest stats against Denver. That said, I'm buying into Mayfield as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues, and he's worth trusting in this matchup at home.

Goff has underperformed in two games so far against the Rams and Buccaneers, and he's only averaging 11.1 Fantasy points per game. It's been extra disappointing since both of those contests were expected to be high-scoring affairs. Week 3 is the same story for Goff since the Lions-Cardinals game has a projected score of 52.5, but this time Goff will come through. Arizona has allowed six of the past eight opposing quarterbacks to score at least 22.4 Fantasy points, and Goff has been good lately following a loss. In his past three games after a loss, Goff has scored at least 20.3 Fantasy points in each outing and is averaging 28.7 points over that span. Also, Goff has scored at least 20 Fantasy points in five straight games against the Cardinals. Over that span, he's averaging 305.2 passing yards with 12 total touchdowns and no interceptions.

You're sitting Stafford in one-quarterback leagues, but you might have to bench him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues as well. Without Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) behind a banged-up offensive line, it could be ugly for Stafford against San Francisco. Through two games, Stafford is averaging just 11.7 Fantasy points, and he has six touchdowns and seven interceptions in his past five meetings with the 49ers, while averaging 245.8 passing yards per game over that span.

Herbert will hopefully be OK after injuring his leg in Week 2 at Carolina, but even if he plays in Week 3 at Pittsburgh, he will once again be tough to trust in one-quarterback leagues. Through two games against the Raiders and Chargers, Herbert has combined for just 27.4 Fantasy points, and he has yet to top 145 passing yards in any contest. The Steelers have yet to face a prolific quarterback in two outings against Kirk Cousins and Bo Nix, but Pittsburgh has also allowed just one touchdown in two games. Herbert is just a low-end starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.

Lawrence has looked at times this season, but he hasn't been consistent or put together a quality stat line in two games against Miami or Cleveland. He's only averaging 13.3 Fantasy points per game, and he should have another rough outing at Buffalo. The Bills held Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa to a combined 23.7 Fantasy points in two games, and Lawrence has a lot to prove before Fantasy managers can trust him. He's only worth using as a low-end starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3.

We keep waiting for that big game from Fields, but he's playing under control and doing exactly what is asked of him. As a result, Fields is averaging just 12.7 Fantasy points per game in two outings against Atlanta and Denver. It's hard to expect a dramatic shift in production for Fields against the Chargers as both teams will likely take a conservative approach, and the expected total for this matchup is 35.5, which is the lowest of the week. I would only start Fields in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3.

Darnold has been one of the darling stories of the season so far as the starter for the Vikings, who are 2-0. He's averaging 21.3 Fantasy points per game against the Giants and 49ers, and we'll see if he can stay hot against the Texans. But I don't love this matchup for Darnold, and he's only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. This Houston defense is nasty and just sacked Caleb Williams seven times in Week 2, and this should be Darnold's worst game of the season, which means I expect him to score fewer than 18 Fantasy points in Week 3.

I was initially looking forward to trusting Purdy in Week 3. The Rams were just abused by Kyler Murray in Week 2 for 266 passing yards and three touchdowns (he also added 59 rushing yards), and Purdy has been good coming off a loss. In his past two games after a loss, Purdy combined for 526 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions, and he scored at least 21 Fantasy points in each outing. But you can't trust Purdy if he's down Christian McCaffrey (calf), Deebo Samuel (calf), and potentially George Kittle (hamstring). That seems like too much firepower for Purdy to overcome, and he's only scored 10.3 Fantasy points in Week 1 and 15.9 Fantasy points in Week 2. I would only use Purdy in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for Week 3.