Fantasy Football:NFL Week 3 QB Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
Looking at week 3 of the fantasy football season there are a bunch of QBs who are in excellent spots, but which ones offer the best fantasy value?
What about the big name QBs who are facing really tough match ups, what should you do with them?
Let’s find out in this week’s QB start/sit.
Fantasy Football Week 3: START THESE QBS…
Matt Ryan, ATL (@ NO)
Ryan also leads the NFL in passer rating with 121.4, and has the second-most touchdowns and passing yards (730-5).
Ryan is playing his best football in years. Julio Jones may have and injured ankle/calf, but Jacob Tamme is catching everything and Mohamed Sanu seems to be keeping defenses far more honest than Roddy White or Harry Douglas ever could. This week the Falcons travel to New Orleans to face a Saints team that really allows secondary receivers to put up good numbers against them. Just look at Michael Crabtree is week 1 and Sterling Shepard last week. The fact is that this game very well could be a shootout, and you want a piece of that. Ryan also leads the NFL in passer rating with 121.4, and has the second-most touchdowns and passing yards (730-5).
Philip Rivers, SD (@ IND)
If you started Rivers last week, you were quite pleased with his four touchdowns and 23.8 fantasy points in a win over the Jaguars. More importantly, he did it without Keenan Allen and (for a time) Danny Woodhead. This week he’s facing a questionable Colts pass defense that hardly has any healthy corners and has allowed an average of 18.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Rivers is in for another big game.
Marcus Mariota, TEN (vs. OAK)
Just like last year, it’s smart to start as many offensive players against the Raiders as you can and this week the Titans are the lucky team that gets to welcome the Raiders to town. The Raiders have allowed the No. 1 passing game in both weeks 1 and 2, giving up 819 passing yards and 7 pass TDs. Even if they suddenly right the ship, there’s no reason to think Mariota won’t at least put up a decent game for the Tom Brady/Tyrod Taylor/Andy Dalton owner who is streaming QBs. Mariota is averaging a completely serviceable 25/37, 250, 2 TD, 1 interception line and should easily do better than that this week.
Ryan Tannehill, MIA (vs. CLE)
Tannehill should have the chance for another game with 20-plus Fantasy points this week.
Sure most of Tannehill’s 26 fantasy points last week came in garbage time against the Patriots, but for fantasy purposes, we finally got a glimpse of what the Dolphins passing attack could be like with a healthy DeVante Parker. Now Tannehill gets a juicy match up at home against the Browns who have allowed at least 275 passing yards and two touchdowns in both games so far against Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco, and Tannehill should have the chance for another game with 20-plus Fantasy points this week.
Next: SIT THESE QBs...
Fantasy Football Week 3 – SIT THESE QBs…
Derek Carr, OAK (@ TEN)
Carr scored 23.36 fantasy points in week 1 and 27.96 fantasy points in week 2
Carr has been better than advertised to start the season, scoring 23.36 fantasy points in week 1 and 27.96 fantasy points in week 2. Those numbers look great but are a little inflated because in both games the Raiders defense has been so bad the games have turned into shootouts. Carr should have a quieter performance this week on the road against a Titans defense that’s allowed just 20 points per game so far in 2016 and has given up the 8th fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks so far this season.
Andy Dalton, CIN (vs. DEN)
Dalton was better than expected last week against the Steelers, throwing for 366 yards with one touchdown while scoring 19.3 fantasy points. But Dalton was limping badly after the game and this week, he gets Denver. Denver is eating QBs for lunch, and those QBs are healthy until they get through with them. Just last week the Broncos held Andrew Luck to single-digit fantasy points and Dalton isn’t going to fare much better.
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Jameis Winston, TB (vs. LA)
Winston has had quite the polar opposite start to his season. He had four touchdown passes in Week 1 … and four interceptions in Week 2. Next up is a date with the Rams, who held Russell Wilson to a modest 11.56 fantasy points in a win over the Seahawks. Winston has also thrown for one or fewer touchdowns in five of his eight career home contests.
Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. SF)
Wilson can easily play his way out of his two-game funk to start the season, and the 49ers just gave up a monster performance to Newton on the road with 353 passing yards and four touchdowns. This is also the second of back-to-back road games for the 49ers, and Wilson beat them up at home last year with 260 passing yards and three touchdowns. But that’s his only game against San Francisco with multiple touchdowns in his past five meetings and his only performance with more than 250 passing yards over that span. It’s not so much the 49ers defense this week as Wilson looks off, and his ankle injury from Week 1 could be a problem. Factor in the offensive line struggling and Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett both dealing with knee issues, and it could be another tough game for him.
Best of luck in your Week 3 Fantasy Football contests!