Fantasy Football Week 3 Quarterback Rankings

September 24, 2020

Check out Marc Caviglia’s fantasy football rankings and hot takes on the Week 3 quarterback matchups:

Full disclaimer, I am not a Baker Mayfield fan and it’s not surprising that he’s off to a slow start. Mayfield’s 12.6 fantasy points per game ranks 26th amongst quarterbacks through two weeks and he’s been nothing more than a waiver wire option in all but leagues that require you start two quarterbacks. However, I think Mayfield is a sneaky play in Week 3 against the Washington Football Team. He did complete 69.6% of his passes in a Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington has really struggled against the quarterback position. They are allowing 278 passing yards per game and give up 22.6 fantasy points per game to the position. Call me crazy but my projections have Mayfield at 265 passing yards, 2 TD passes and a sneaky candidate for 20-25 rushing yards in this football game.
There is no more denying it, Drew Brees isn’t what he used to be. Yes, he is still a quality starting QB in the NFL, as evident by his 472 passing yards, 3 TDs and just 1 INT over two games, but he’s lost his fastball and it’s showing. The King of Primetime finished with 312 yards in Week 2 but struggled in the second half as he is down his top receiver in Michael Thomas. In most years a Brees vs. Aaron Rodgers showdown would be must start for both signal callers, but look for the Saints to be balanced on offense and try to keep Rodgers and the Packers off the field. Because of this, I don’t see Brees posting huge numbers. That said, the Packers are giving up 251.5 passing yards and 2 TD passes per game to the QB spot, which are realistically Brees’ ceiling. He’s a low-end QB1 borderline backup in 10-team and 12-team leagues.
DeShaun Watson was drafted as a top-5 fantasy QB entering 2020 but he ranks 16th at the position thus far. It’s beyond evident that Watson misses All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans offense in general are trying to work out the growing pains. Look for Watson to take a step forward in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Texans are in a must-win situation as they don’t want to go to 0-3 and even on the road against a tough defense, look for Watson to play his best fame of the season. The Steelers are giving up 277.5 passing yards per game and Watson should flirt with 300 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday.
The top five quarterbacks through two games are Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Cam Newton, Kyler Murray and Dak Prescott. Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson all sit right outside the top-5. All of these guys were drafted as top-10 QB options and have lived up to the preseason hype. The two guys that have really impressed me are Allen and Murray. Allen has shown off his big arm and improved accuracy while Murray has increased his quarterback runs this year and has been electric this season. The QB position is in a good place for years to come.
Some quarterbacks I am staying away from this week in traditional fantasy leagues as well as daily fantasy include; Jared Goff (@ Buffalo), Derek Carr (@ New England), Tom Brady (@ Denver) and Matthew Stafford (@ Arizona).
A couple of quarterbacks I am targeting in DraftKings & FanDuel GPP tournaments include; Mitch Trubisky (@ Atlanta), Nick Mullens (@ New York Giants) and Ryan Tannehill (@ Minnesota).