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Week 3 features a Battle of the Best as our Nos. 1 & 2 quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, square off in a likely 50+ point-total matchup. Fantasy’s overall QB2, Dak Prescott, comes in at No. 3 with a home date against the Minak-less Dolphins. Aaron Rodgers remains a QB2, being edged out by division rival Matthew Stafford.
Week 3 QB Rankings
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Opponent | High Floor/High Ceiling QB1s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Quarterback | Team | Opponent | High Floor/High Ceiling QB1s |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | KC | BAL | Mahomes is showing no ill effects of his ankle injury and Baltimore's secondary is banged up. He's a weekly lock for 300+ passing yards and multiple touchdowns. |
| 2 | Lamar Jackson | BAL | at KC | Jackson's 2nd-year development is breathtaking. In Week 2, he posted the 11th most passing yards in and 3rd most rushing yards across the league -- to be clear, running backs included. BAL at KC should be the highest scoring game of the week. Invest accordingly. |
| 3 | Dak Prescott | DAL | MIA | Prescott gets the Miami treatment in Week 3. Per Rotoworld's John Daigle, he threw a perfect 23/23 pass attempts completed through the 2nd-half of last week's Washington torching. Prescott deserves a ton of credit but Kellen Moore is a testament to how important analytically-informed coaching truly is. |
| 4 | Tom Brady | NE | NYJ | New England is primed to pummel the injured and ill New York Jets. |
| 5 | Josh Allen | BUF | CIN | Hot off a QB7 finish, Allen waltzes into another delicious matchup against a reeling Bengals defense. The rushing floor is real, as is his John Brown-infused ceiling. |
| 6 | Deshaun Watson | HOU | at LAC | It's a tough matchup so drop Watson out of the Top 3-5. |
| 7 | Russell Wilson | SEA | NO | If last week's 2nd-half is an indication of things to come, this will be a career year for RW. It's possible he drops a bit in the rankings as we gather more information about the Saints though. The installation of Teddy Bridgewater may lead to NO attempting to slow the pace of what would otherwise be a high-scoring affair. |
| 8 | Matt Ryan | ATL | at IND | Ryan still managed to clear 300+ yards passing, while being harassed by Philly's pass rush on SNF. |
| 9 | Kyler Murray | ARI | CAR | ***Per Rotoworld, "Murray is just the second QB in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards in each of his first two career games". |
| High Floor/Questionable Ceiling QB1s | ||||
| 10 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | DEN | Rodgers showed flashes of his normal self last week but this is a very difficult matchup. |
| 11 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | LAR | Week 2 gave us a glimpse of the Mayfield-Beckham connection. Even in a tough matchup, there's enough there for Mayfield to retain QB1 status. |
| 12 | Matthew Stafford | DET | at PHI | As improbable as it may seem, Stafford walks into Philadelphia with a decent matchup. Getting to play behind an stellar offensive line will help negate the Eagles' scary pass rush. Philadelphia's secondary has been workable thus far. |
| High Floor/Capped Ceiling QB2s | ||||
| 13 | Jimmy Garoppolo | SF | PIT | Per *Rich Hribar, of Sharp Football, Jimmy Garoppolo is one of just three quarterbacks to run play-action on over one-third of their dropbacks. According to **Jeff Deeney, of PFF, Garoppolo went 10/10 for 213 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 2 while doing so. He's in a great position to replicate that against a vulnerable Steelers secondary. |
| 14 | Jared Goff | LAR | at CLE | A tough matchup drops Goff out of QB1 range. |
| 15 | Carson Wentz | PHI | DET | Wentz is banged up, as is his receiving corps. |
| 16 | Philip Rivers | LAC | HOU | Philip Rivers: Not too hot. Not too cold. |
| 17 | Andy Dalton | CIN | at BUF | The revamped, analytical Bengals' offense has Dalton squarely in the fantasy-starter conversation. This is a brutal mathcup though. He'll be a fringe QB1/QB2 in Week 4 at Pittsburgh. |
| 18 | Jacoby Brissett | IND | ATL | Brissett finished Weeks 1 and 2 as the QB18 and QB12, respectively. A decent date with the Falcons gets him to the end of this tier. |
| 19 | Marcus Mariota | TEN | at JAX | The offense is improving and the opponent isn't too bad. |
| Shaky Floor/Capped Ceiling QB2s | ||||
| 20 | Cam Newton | CAR | at ARI | If Cam can't succeed here, his future is in question. According to Adam Schefter's report this morning, Newton is dealing with a new foot injury. Make others plans at quarterback. |
| 21 | Jameis Winston | TB | NYG | Even in this glorious matchup, it's tough to trust Winston. |
| 22 | Teddy Bridgewater | NO | at SEA | Play at Seattle's Centurylink Field is a tall task. |
| 23 | Gardner Minshew | JAX | TEN | The man's performed admirably and damn it, he's fun too root for. |
| QB3s | ||||
| 24 | Mason Rudolph | PIT | at SF | Rudolph should play his way into QB2 territory, given his supporting cast. |
| 25 | Derek Carr | OAK | at MIN | Very difficult matchup. |
| 26 | Daniel Jones | NYG | at TB | Expect Jones to be pressued by the up-and-coming Bucs front-seven, leading to fruitful scrambles mixed with dumpoffs to Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram. Jones is worth a bench stash, given his likely rushing floor and the short-area weapons around him. |
| 27 | Kirk Cousins | MIN | OAK | The offense is geared to negating Cousins' potential impact. |
| 28 | Mitchell Trubisky | CHI | at WAS | Trubisky could finish either as the QB1 or QB33 -- depending on if Taysom Hill scores on a gadget play. |
| 29 | Case Keenum | WAS | CHI | Terry McLaurin is the only thing to look forward to. |
| 30 | Joe Flacco | DEN | at GB | His supporting cast elevates him above the rest. |
| 31 | Trevor Siemian | NYJ | at NE | Darnold can't come back soon enough. |
| 32 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | MIA | at DAL | A brutal matchup for a brutal team. |
** Jimmy Garoppolo/Jeff Deeney