Plenty of notable injuries have decimated fantasy football rankings over the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season. The one silver lining for NFL fans is that not many of them have been to quarterbacks.
Green Bay Packers starter Jordan Love suffered an MCL sprain in the team’s Week 1 game while Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion that landed him on IR in Week 2. Aside from that, the only Week 1 starter who didn’t make it to Week 3 is Bryce Young, who was benched by the Carolina Panthers in favor of 36-year-old Andy Dalton.
The bounty of quarterbacks available has made life easy on fantasy football managers in some regards. It has also created some difficult start-sit decisions for owners with two quarterbacks or those scouring the waiver wire for weekly streamers at the position.
Week 3 brings about a handful of great-looking matchups for some fringe QB1 options while injuries to other top skill position players will limit the potential of some of the more touted quarterbacks.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Here’s a breakdown of who you should start and who you should sit at quarterback in Week 3 of the fantasy football season.
Fantasy football start ’em: Week 3 QBs
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
The Saints’ offense has been explosive thus far in Klint Kubiak’s first year as offensive coordinator. They are averaging a league-leading 45.5 points per game and thanks to that, Carr is one of just two NFL quarterbacks to throw for five touchdowns across his first two games.
Carr now gets a favorable matchup against a Philadelphia Eagles secondary that has allowed the fifth-most passing yards per game (242) through two contests. That should allow him to maintain his early-season status as a top-12 fantasy QB for at least another week.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Speaking of favorable matchups, that’s exactly what Burrow will have against the Washington Commanders in Week 3. Washington has allowed a league-high six passing touchdowns across its first two games while playing against Baker Mayfield and Daniel Jones.
With Ja’Marr Chase rounding into form and Mike Gesicki establishing himself as a reliable tight end target, Burrow and the Bengals might finally hit their offensive stride in Week 3.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The Arizona Cardinals just put together a terrific performance against Matthew Stafford and the Rams, but that shouldn’t stop fantasy owners from trusting Goff. The Lions quarterback leads the league in passes attempted with 83 and should continue to get plenty of chance to throw against the high-flying Cardinals, who are averaging the second-most points per game this season (34.5).
Detroit’s defense should fare better than Los Angeles’ did last week, but Goff is still a good bet to approach 250 yards and two touchdowns against a defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Fantasy football sit ’em: Week 3 QBs
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield is tied with Carr for the league-lead in touchdown passes, but this isn’t a great spot for him. The Denver Broncos have allowed just 134 passing yards per game over their first two games of the season, as Patrick Surtain II has been excellent in erasing half the field with his top-end coverage.
Mayfield could still have a good game because the Buccaneers have two great receivers, but Tampa Bay is more likely to trust the running game against a Denver defense that has struggled to contain running backs. That could quickly become an issue for Mayfield owners, especially if the Buccaneers are able to build a strong second-half lead on the Broncos.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Richardson has struggled out of the gate in his second season. He has completed just 49.1 percent of his passes for 416 yards, three touchdowns and a league-worst four interceptions; even worse, he hasn’t run as much as fantasy owners have hoped, as he has just 93 yards and a touchdown on 10 scrambles through two games.
It’s best to stay away from Richardson until he gets an easier matchup. The Chicago Bears don’t qualify as one after they limited C.J. Stroud to just one touchdown in their Week 2 ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash. Chicago is allowing just 10.5 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks overall, the sixth-best mark in the NFL.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Jim Harbaugh made a commitment to the running game when he took the Los Angeles Chargers’ coaching job. He has stuck to that through two weeks, as Los Angeles has the third-highest run-play rate in the NFL (59.66 percent).
Without volume, Herbert is relying on explosive plays and touchdowns to establish his value as a fantasy asset. Those won’t be there against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that has allowed just one touchdown to opposing quarterbacks through two weeks.
Complicating matters is Herbert’s ankle issue. It seems to be a non-issue, according to head coach Jim Harbaugh, but it’s still something worth monitoring heading into the weekend.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Stafford is set to be without his top two receivers (Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua) and two interior offensive line starters (Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson) against a San Francisco 49ers defense with a respectable 20.6 percent pressure rate. That could make it another painful week for the Los Angeles Rams offense.