Week 3 Quarterbacks: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

Hey again guys, it's time for another round of my quarterback waiver wire picks for Week Three of fantasy football action. Even though waivers ran for most leagues last night, it’s never to late to see who’s sitting out there on your waiver wire and identify some sleepers to beef up your fantasy teams.

Last week a few of us may have relearned a valuable lesson – don’t bench your studs. That being said, matchups are also very very important when determining who to insert into your lineups (case in point: Aaron Rodgers - Week One, season opener). Hopefully your teams stayed healthy in Week Two, given all the injuries around the NFL.

If they didn't, or if you are looking to beef up your lineups, here are a few quarterbacks who have the potential to have very productive outings this coming weekend and beyond. If they are still available on your league's waiver wire, you may want to consider picking them up.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
• Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
• Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
• NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Editor’s Note: RotoBaller’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups list is updated constantly, and is a running list of waiver wire pickups for all positions. You can also read more in-depth waiver wire analysis at each position, as we dig deeper and identify even more waiver wire options weekly. Here are some of the other Week 3 waiver wire articles:

• Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups Overview for Fantasy Football
• Week 3 Running Backs: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds
• Week 3 Wide Receivers: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds
• Week 3 Tight Ends: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds
• Week 3 Dynasty Leagues: Waiver Wire Pickups & Trade Targets
• Defenses (DEF) to Start in Week 3: Fantasy Tiers & Rankings

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks (QB) - Week 3

EJ Manuel - Buffalo Bills (20% Owned on Fleaflicker)

Week Three Matchup: San Diego Chargers

BALLER MOVE: Manuel has showed competency and has a standout passer rating to this point this season. He is a strong QB2 start and a low end QB1 start this week.

ANALYSIS: EJ Manuel was a guy I did not trust being anywhere near the football in week one. I was underwhelmed by the Bills as a whole, and found myself with more questions than answers when thinking about any player on that unit.

Two weeks and two wins later, I am convinced. Manuel has a passer rating of 90+ for both weeks, only throwing one INT in week one and completing a touchdown pass both weeks, as well as a rushing touchdown score in week one. He is averaging nearly eight yards per reception on at least 22 attempts per week. Look for Manuel and the Bills talent to ride momentum to a week three win over the Chargers.

Geno Smith - New York Jets (21% Owned on Fleaflicker)

Week Three Matchup: Chicago Bears

BALLER MOVE: Look for Smith to end up a worthy QB2 and super low end QB1 this week. With all the injuries and tough matchups this week, he's definitely viable.

ANALYSIS: The Chicago Bears struggled in week two through the first half to stop anything. The 49ers  were in route to look just as dominant as they did in week one before Cutler and Brandon Marshall changed that game up a bit. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go check their stats from last week.

The Jets are not the 49ers, and Geno Smith is not Colin Kaepnernick. In this particular instance, I think that fact actually boosts Geno’s value this week. I think that the Jets will have to use a similar passing attack as the Bears did in week two, except it will be for the entire game rather than just one half. Geno will get to take some shots on offense this week, hence his mention here.  Keep an eye on Eric Decker's health - if Decker is out, Geno's stock goes down a lot for Week 3.

Kirk Cousins - Washington Redskins (8% Owned on Fleaflicker)

Week Three Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles

BALLER MOVE: This replacement for RGIII is no joke. Look for him to take the reigns early and often this week (and deep into the season, for that matter) as a viable QB1 candidate.

ANALYSIS: Kirk Cousins is a better quarterback than Robert Griffin III. There. Someone had to say it. We all are thinking it anyway.

Cousins is set to have a dominant week against a week Eagles defense which has been bailed out by Darren Sproles and the offense in week 1 and 2. Washington's defense is terrible as well, so this one is set to be a shootout, and I think the Redskins definitely have an advantage considering how poorly the Eagles have been playing in the first half of games.

*A side note here: I don’t see RG3 taking the reigns back anytime soon, healthy or not. Cousins is a better fit for the pocket passing role that the offense in Washington needs to thrive. Cousins is going to have a McCown-esque season this year, mark my words. Rant over.

Derek Carr - Oakland Raiders (15% Owned on Fleaflicker)

Week Three Matchup: New England Patriots

BALLER MOVE: Carr has impressed me in his last two starts, and I think he could be the upset candidate of the week. Viable QB2 option this week against a struggling secondary.

ANALYSIS: The New England Patriots don’t look like the dominant unit they once were, especially defensively. The addition of Darrelle Revis has been one of the (if not the only) high points on defense, and that really isn’t saying too much.

The Oakland Raiders have been mildly impressive this season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After being the only rookie to start week one of the regular season, Carr has been calm under center, and moved the ball up and down the field effectively. Decent play from his running backs has given Carr the cushion he needs to have poise in the pocket.