Fantasy Football Week 3: Quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues
By Dan Salem
As injuries mount and players under-perform, we are left scrambling to start two quarterbacks in SuperFLEX leagues. Who can you trust in Fantasy Football Week 3? We rank them all.
Down goes Drew Brees. Down goes Ben Roethlisberger. The NFL quarterback rankings are taking a hit early in the 2019 season. Other than the two Pro Bowlers, we are already without Nick Foles, Sam Darnold, and Eli Manning, and perhaps Cam Newton as well. For standard leagues, none of these changes make that much of a difference. But for SuperFLEX leagues using two quarterbacks, all these moves have an impact.
Even the putrid scene in New York may come into play. Both the Jets and Giants have made quarterback moves that are relevant to top 24 rankings. Who can you trust in Fantasy Football Week 3? The pickings have gotten slim, but hope is on the fantasy football horizon.
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate Fantasy Football Week 3 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Fantasy Football Week 3 – The Top 12
Patrick Mahomes (Dan’s Ranking: 1, Todd’s Ranking: 1), Tom Brady (Dan: 2, Todd: 2), Dak Prescott (Dan: 3, Todd: 3), Deshaun Watson (TIE – Dan: 5, Todd: 4), Lamar Jackson (TIE – Dan: 4, Todd: 5), Matt Ryan (Dan: 6, Todd: 6), Russell Wilson (Dan: 7, Todd: 7), Aaron Rodgers (Dan: 8, Todd: 9), Carson Wentz (Dan: 10, Todd: 8), Jared Goff (Dan: 9, Todd: 10), Kyler Murray (Dan: 12, Todd: 12), Baker Mayfield (TIE – Dan: 15, Todd: 11), Josh Allen (TIE – Dan: 11, Todd: 15)
Dan Salem on Mayfield at 15: One or two big plays aside, Mayfield was thoroughly unimpressive last week. I expect the Rams to slow him down even further, so he comes with questions for me. The floor is still high, which puts him on the top half of our rankings.
Todd Salem on Allen at 15: We can’t hold him down any lower any longer. Allen continues to run and produce with his legs as well as anyone in the league. He’s a better fantasy quarterback than real-life player, which isn’t really relevant to this discussion other than perhaps offering chances to buy low on him. Incidentally, this is also the part of the rankings where a big drop-off occurs after Allen.
12: (TIE) Matthew Stafford (Dan: 13, Todd: 13)
Todd Salem: Just missing the top 12, Stafford is one of the more reliable veteran passers in the league right now. Some of the young guys have rightfully passed him, but I’d still count on his consistency over higher upside plays.
Dan Salem: Stafford has been his quintessential fantasy “stud” for a losing team. He’s not as great as our top 12, but pretty darn close thus far. Ride his success for as long as possible.
15: Philip Rivers (Dan: 14, Todd: 14)
Todd Salem: Pickings are already slim in two-QB leagues thanks to all that aforementioned movement. Rivers hasn’t been great. I still trust him to be good though.
Dan Salem: Rivers rarely has two bad games in a row, so I’m on board this week. The Texans have not been shutting anyone down, so I expect a solid performance that pushes him even closer to our top 12.
16: Jimmy Garoppolo (Dan: 16, Todd: 17)
Todd Salem: Color me dubious that Garoppolo is his Week 2 self. But he gets another plus matchup in Week 3 and, as I said, Week 3 feels incredibly shallow. Some guys who I would otherwise rank ahead of Jimmy G face defenses that make me push them down the list.
Dan Salem: I like the matchup for Garoppolo this week, as Pittsburgh has not looked very good defensively. If he is going to become the player we all thought, then it starts this week with an improvement upon his stellar week 2 performance.
17: Jameis Winston (Dan: 18, Todd: 16)
Todd Salem: Winston is trash, but you can’t beat this Week 3 matchup unless you’re Dak Prescott.
Dan Salem: It pains me to back Winston, but facing the Giants is a solid opportunity to reap some unexpected rewards. He’ll still turn the ball over, but Winston should also get solid numbers. This ranks him above a slew of other quarterbacks.
18: Jacoby Brissett (Dan: 17, Todd: 21)
Todd Salem: You’ve been higher on Brissett thus far and have benefited. I’m coming on-board. He faces a good matchup this week, and maybe an opponent who likes to throw the ball will boost his pass attempts as well.
Dan Salem: I love what Brissett is doing with the Colts offense, and Atlanta’s shaky defense opens the door for another big game from him. He’s no Andrew Luck, but he’s slowly morphing into a dynamic player all the same.
19. Teddy Bridgewater (Dan: 19, Todd: 20)
Todd Salem: Coming in midgame for an injured Brees did Bridgewater no favors. He was bad. But after practicing for a week with the first team, can he be usable in a talented offense? I wager yes.
Dan Salem: I’m not sure what to expect from Bridgewater, but the weapons he has makes his ceiling very high. Facing Seattle is tough, but I’m taking my chances.
20. Kirk Cousins (Dan: 21, Todd: 19)
Todd Salem: This is entirely matchup based. Cousins has been very disappointing thus far, even in fantasy circles. Normally, his limitations harm the Vikings more than fantasy owners, but neither is benefiting right now.
Dan Salem: Now we get into truly desperate territory, because Cousins is not putting up the fantasy numbers you need. At least we know Oakland isn’t stopping anyone, but I’m not sure that helps his stats.
21. Joe Flacco (Dan: 23, Todd: 18)
Todd Salem: Flacco is throwing the ball often despite low-scoring games. He was serviceable against Chicago last week and seems to have found multiple options he likes to look for.
Dan Salem: If you’re starting Flacco, hopefully the rest of your team is really great. He has been underwhelming in classic Flacco fashion, but at least he’s consistent.
22. Andy Dalton (Dan: 20, Todd: 23)
Todd Salem: If the Bengals weren’t facing Buffalo, I would consider Dalton as high as 16th on this list. With his hot start, he is still worth starting and moves up if Newton is declared out.
Dan Salem: I love what Dalton has put together so far, and Buffalo is another opportunity for success. I’m not sure how good the Bills actually are, so I like Dalton’s chances in this game.
23. Cam Newton (Dan: 22, Todd: 22)
Todd Salem: If he sits, no Carolina quarterback is of interest to me. Surprisingly, even if Newton suits up, he can’t really be trusted at this point beyond a late SuperFLEX player.
Dan Salem: We will get 50 percent of Newton at best, which is not good enough. This is a longshot which I truly hope you don’t have to use.
Next. NFL Week 3 Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS). dark
24. Case Keenum (Dan: 24, Todd: 24)
Todd Salem: Keenum has been the poor man’s version of Dalton. He’s off to an okay start, not a great one. And he has a really tough matchup here. Nevertheless, you have to trust him over the likes of Mason Rudolph, Daniel Jones or Gardner Minshew.
Dan Salem: See Flacco… or Cousins. You don’t want to be considering players this far down our least in Week 3.