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Dan's top quarterback Week 3 fantasy pickups (2025). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 3 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB and superflex leagues.
There were some impressive performances by quarterbacks in Week 2. Six quarterbacks (as of Sunday night) threw for at least 300 yards, led by Russell Wilson's 450-yard performance against the Cowboys. Jared Goff threw for five touchdowns, and Lamar Jackson had four. Six other quarterbacks had three passing scores.
Of course, it wasn’t all good. Early draft picks Josh Allen (148 passing yards) and Jalen Hurts (101 passing yards) disappointed, and of course, Joe Burrow suffered a foot injury that could, at worst, end his season early. There are plenty of moves to be made on the waiver wire, especially at the quarterback position.
In this article, I will focus on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered). Let’s look at who you should consider picking up for Week 3 below. All roster percentages will be from Yahoo fantasy leagues.
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Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals- < 1% rostered
With Burrow set to undergo surgery on his toe, he is expected to miss at least the next three months of action, which will leave Jake Browning as the team's clear QB1 for the foreseeable future.
The #Bengals and QB Joe Burrow have determined he needs toe surgery and will be out indefinitely, per multiple sources. Expectation is he is out at least 3 months. Brutal. https://t.co/oFfhyjT61v
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 15, 2025
That means that once again, we are looking to Browning for fantasy production. The veteran completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions against the Jaguars, while also adding a rushing touchdown in the red zone. His 17.7 points helped him post a QB16 finish heading into Sunday night.
Browning made seven starts in 2023, completing 70.4% of his passes for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions, so we know he can produce as a starter. The Bengals have a subpar offensive line, but their offensive weapons are good enough to mitigate that risk.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders – 30% rostered
We won’t know what Geno Smith’s Week 2 stat line is until after tonight’s game. However, we can still revisit how good he looked in Week 1.
Smith was the QB15 in fantasy points in Week 1’s game against the Patriots, scoring 18.5 points. However, he was a top 10 quarterback in deep ball attempts (6, QB3), air yards (351, QB3), yards per attempt (10.6, QB2), adjusted yards per attempt (8.9, QB8), expected points added (16.2, QB6), and deep ball completion rate (66.7%, QB6).
#Raiders QB Geno Smith had nine completions for 20-plus yards — tied for the most in a single game by a Raiders QB since at least 1991.
“I don't think it was a big statement game or anything like that. I just think it's just what he does,” said Pete Carroll pic.twitter.com/5pPOXdRCcV
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) September 8, 2025
All of that aligns with who Smith developed into during his time with the Seahawks, except now it is happening on a team with better weapons and a worse defense. Upcoming matchups against the Commanders, Bears, Colts, Titans, and Chiefs are also enticing for fantasy football.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts – 17% rostered
Daniel Jones has been a revelation during his first two games with the Indianapolis Colts. Through two games, Jones has completed 71.4% of his passes for 588 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He’s also added 13 carries for 28 yards and three rushing scores. Jones has scored at least 20.0 fantasy points in back-to-back weeks.
Through two games, it appears Indianapolis has made the right choice. There is still a lot of football left in this season, but it is okay to take a flier on Jones in fantasy in case this hot start can continue.
Tough upcoming matchups against the Titans, Rams, and Cardinals in three of the next four weeks keep him from ranking higher on this list, but it is still fine to add him in all formats in case his resurgence is real.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings - <1% rostered
A rough Sunday night performance from J.J. McCarthy (11 of 21 passes for 158 yards and two interceptions) against the Falcons got worse on Monday when the team announced that McCarthy was set to miss two to four weeks due to a high-ankle sprain. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury and desperately needs repetitions, but will not get them for the foreseeable future.
That means that veteran Carson Wentz is set to start in Minnesota. The Vikings have strong matchups in two of their next three games (Week 3 vs. Cincinnati and Week 4 at Pittsburgh) and have their bye during Week 6. It is highly likely that fantasy managers will get three games of Wentz under center, making him a worthy add in single-QB formats.
Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes
Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers – 3% rostered
Mac Jones made his first start for the San Francisco 49ers against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, and the results were surprisingly good. Jones didn’t have George Kittle (hamstring) or Brandon Aiyuk (knee) in the passing attack, but still completed 66.7% of his passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns and 23.7 fantasy points.
It was an encouraging first start for Jones, who will likely have more starting opportunities with Purdy facing a multi-week injury. We don’t have much clarity on how many games Jones will start, and there are tougher matchups than the Saints on the horizon, which makes it difficult for him to be an add in all formats.
Still, Jones has proven that he can execute the 49ers' offense. That makes him fantasy viable for the foreseeable future.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks – 11% rostered
Sam Darnold’s Week 1 debut with the Seahawks was extremely underwhelming (16 of 23 for 150 yards and 5.4 fantasy points). However, Week 2 gave signs of hope.
That’s a big-time play by Sam Darnold on 3rd/9. Spins away from pressure before the touch pass to AJ Barner. The deep ball to JSN came after this. Field completely flipped. pic.twitter.com/nrPNjgr0vl
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) September 14, 2025
Darnold completed 22 of 33 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, scoring 15.8 points. It was far from perfect, but it was a sign that Darnold can post positive fantasy results in the right matchups.
Two of his next three matchups are against the Saints and Buccaneers, which are more than enough to help Darnold put up big fantasy points. It is hard to trust him completely, but at least we know the version of him that thrived in Minnesota still exists in flashes in Seattle.
Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders - <1% rostered
Jayden Daniels had scans on his knee over the weekend, which revealed a strained knee. Head coach Dan Quinn has said that there is a chance that Daniels could miss Week 3's game against the Raiders.
If the team elects to give Daniels time to fully recover, that means that Marcus Mariota will be set to make his 2025 debut. The veteran quarterback had two games last season with a higher than 50% snap share. In those contests, he completed 80.5% of his passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns.
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