The awful injury to Nick Chubb cast a pall over Week 2 just as season-ending injuries to Aaron Rodgers and J.K. Dobbins did in Week 1. Here's to a healthier, cleaner and more productive Week 3.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Week 3 Start and Sit calls for QB below His Waiver Wire also can direct you to the best options that may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 3 numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 3 premium projections over at Sportsline.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Quarterbacks
QBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Cousins is on pace for 6,018 passing yards, which is insane. He won't keep this up, but he's been great so far in two games this season against Tampa Bay and Philadelphia with 708 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception. This week, he's facing a Chargers defense that has already allowed 712 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception against Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Tannehill, and the projected score for this matchup is the highest of the week at 54 points. Look for a shootout between Cousins and Justin Herbert in Minnesota on Sunday.
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The Broncos so far have allowed 19.1 Fantasy points to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1 and 25.3 points to Sam Howell in Week 3. And now they get to face Tagovailoa and Miami's passing attack -- good luck. Tagovailoa didn't have his best game in Week 2 at New England with just 14.3 Fantasy points, but he scored 33.1 points in Week 1 at the Chargers and has proven capable of those types of performances on a weekly basis. He's also averaged 288.8 passing yards per game in his past five home outings going back to last year. I wouldn't be surprised if Tagovailoa is a top-five Fantasy quarterback once again in Week 3.
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Goff excelled as the Start of the Week in Week 2 against Seattle, continuing his trend of playing well at home. In nine home games last year, Goff averaged 26.5 Fantasy points per game, and he scored 28.9 points against the Seahawks in Detroit last week. This week, Goff gets a Falcons defense that just allowed Jordan Love to score 26.3 Fantasy points in Week 2, and I'm going to consider Goff a top-10 Fantasy quarterback almost every week when he's playing at home.
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I was wrong about Smith last week when I said he was a bust alert, and he did great against the Lions with 27.1 Fantasy points. He should have the chance for another quality outing against the Panthers at home in Week 3. Carolina is without two of its best defensive players with cornerback Jaycee Horn (hamstring) and linebacker Shaq Thompson (leg) on injured reserve, and Smith should be able to lean on his playmakers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker III in this matchup. I like Smith as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback this week.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Sportsline
The reason Prescott isn't considered a slam-dunk starter this week is the potential for another Cowboys blowout at Arizona. The Cowboys have already trounced the Giants and Jets in two games by a combined 70-10, but Prescott was still successful in Week 2 against the Jets for 23.6 Fantasy points. Now, he also scored just 6.3 points in Week 1 against the Giants, so keep that in mind, but the Cardinals just placed standout safety Budda Baker (hamstring) on injured reserve. And Daniel Jones also had 37.4 Fantasy points against Arizona in Week 2. I'd use Prescott as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in Week 3.
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Purdy only scored 14.7 Fantasy points in Week 2 at the Rams, which ended a nice streak he had going to start his career. Going back to last season, Purdy had scored at least 20.0 Fantasy points in six games in a row in the regular season. He should get back on track this week against the Giants in the 49ers first home game of the year. The Giants just allowed Joshua Dobbs to score 27.2 Fantasy points in Week 2, and I wouldn't be shocked if Purdy had similar success on Thursday night.
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Stafford and Kirk Cousins are the only two quarterbacks with at least 300 passing yards in each of the first two games. The difference is Cousins has six touchdowns compared to just one for Stafford, which is why Stafford isn't a must-start Fantasy quarterback. We'll see if Stafford can get a multiple-touchdown game this week against the Bengals, and he's trying with an average of 46.5 pass attempts a game. With the way Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell are playing right now, you hope one or both will find the end zone since neither has scored. Stafford has top-15 upside in Week 3 against the Bengals, who just allowed two passing touchdowns to Lamar Jackson in Week 2.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Four designed runs. That's it for Fields so far this season, and it likely explains his struggles in Fantasy and reality. Now, part of that is teams are taking away his rushing lanes by playing zone defense on 74 percent of his dropbacks, which is the third-highest rate among quarterbacks, per ESPN. But still, let him use his legs since he rushed for 1,143 yards last season. He's averaging just 16.6 Fantasy points per game this season, and the Chiefs have held Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence to a combined 25 Fantasy points in two games. I still have Fields as a low-end starter in most leagues, but he'll likely need garbage time to help his Fantasy production this week.
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Jones was miserable in Week 1 against Dallas with 4.5 Fantasy points, but he rebounded nicely as expected in Week 2 at Arizona with 34.7 points. His protection was much better, and he went from seven sacks against the Cowboys to three against the Cardinals. Now, he gets to face the 49ers and Nick Bosa in Week 3, and Jones should be under duress again. On top of that, Saquon Barkley (ankle) is hurt, so the threat of a rushing attack is minimized. I would only start Jones in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3, and the 49ers have allowed two passing touchdowns and four interceptions in two games against Kenny Pickett and Matthew Stafford.
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Love has been among the best surprise stories this season, and he's the No. 2 Fantasy quarterback through two weeks at 27.7 points per game. What's more remarkable is he's done that without Christian Watson (hamstring), and hopefully Watson can return in Week 3 against the Saints. But even if that happens, I would still just use Love in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. While it isn't the best of opponents, the Saints have shut down Ryan Tannehill and Bryce Young in two games with a combined 351 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. And going back to last year, the Saints have allowed just one quarterback to score multiple touchdowns in their past eight games, with five touchdowns and nine interceptions over that span.
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Wilson comes into Week 3 as the No. 3 Fantasy quarterback with an average of 25.6 Fantasy points per game. He got a boost with a 50-yard Hail Mary to end Week 2 at Washington, but Wilson has definitely looked better under new coach Sean Payton. In Week 3, however, I'm expecting Wilson to struggle at Miami. Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gets the chance for some revenge against his former team, which fired him as the head coach after the 2021 campaign. And Miami has allowed just two passing touchdowns against Justin Herbert and Mac Jones despite facing 75 pass attempts. I would only start Wilson in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 3.
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Sit in 2QB/Superflex (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
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Carr struggled at Carolina on Monday night with 228 passing yards, no touchdowns and one interception for 6.7 Fantasy points, and he only scored 16.6 points in Week 1 against Tennessee. He seems to have limited upside, despite a stellar receiving corps, and I'm not willing to trust him in most formats in Week 3 at Green Bay. The Packers have only allowed 453 passing yards in two games against Justin Fields and Desmond Ridder with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Until Carr shows more upside on a consistent basis, Fantasy managers shouldn't be inclined to start him.
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Jones had a great Fantasy outing in Week 1 against the Eagles with 30.1 Fantasy points, but he struggled in Week 2 against Miami with 15.7 points. He's attempted 96 passes in two games, which is great, but I don't love this matchup against the Jets. In four career games against the Jets, Jones is averaging 233.3 passing yards per game with three touchdowns and one interception. While Dak Prescott scored 23.6 Fantasy points against the Jets in Week 2, Josh Allen was held to 11.0 Fantasy points at New York in Week 1. This should be a low-scoring affair with a projected total of 37, and I'm not expecting a big outing from Jones in Week 3.
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Tannehill showed some life in Week 2 against the Chargers with 23.0 Fantasy points, and he needed that kind of game after scoring 2.4 points in Week 1 at New Orleans. He's back on the road this week, and the Browns have been great so far against Joe Burrow and Kenny Pickett, holding them to a combined 304 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Titans offensive line should be tested in this game, and Tannehill could be running for his life. I would try to avoid him in most formats if you can.
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