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Fantasy football rankings - quarterbacks (QB) Week 3 rankings early edition for 2026. Read the top-accuracy fantasy football QB rankings.
Amazingly, we are already two weeks into the 2026 NFL season. There are a few quarterback injuries to monitor, including Caleb Williams and Jaxson Dart. Working his way back from a torn ACL that ended last season prematurely, Michael Penix Jr. makes his return on Thursday against the Packers. Whether you are looking for an injury replacement or a streamer, at RotoBaller HQ, we break down the quarterback position with our early fantasy football quarterback rankings for Week 3.
Our quarterback fantasy football rankings for Week 3 are put together by Nick Mariano. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important QB fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Week 3 Quarterback Rankings for Fantasy Football
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| QB Tier |
QB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Allen | QB |
| 1 | 2 | Lamar Jackson | QB |
| 1 | 3 | Jalen Hurts | QB |
| 2 | 4 | Brock Purdy | QB |
| 2 | 5 | Patrick Mahomes II | QB |
| 2 | 6 | Jared Goff | QB |
| 2 | 7 | Dak Prescott | QB |
| 3 | 8 | Trevor Lawrence | QB |
| 3 | 9 | Joe Burrow | QB |
| 3 | 10 | Tyler Shough | QB |
| 3 | 11 | Kyler Murray | QB |
| 3 | 12 | Jordan Love | QB |
| 4 | 13 | Drake Maye | QB |
| 4 | 14 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
| 4 | 15 | Bryce Young | QB |
| 4 | 16 | Justin Herbert | QB |
| 4 | 17 | Kirk Cousins | QB |
| 5 | 18 | Geno Smith | QB |
| 5 | 19 | Bo Nix | QB |
| 5 | 20 | Drew Lock | QB |
| 5 | 21 | Malik Willis | QB |
| 5 | 22 | Jacoby Brissett | QB |
| 5 | 23 | Baker Mayfield | QB |
| 5 | 24 | Marcus Mariota | QB |
| 6 | 25 | C.J. Stroud | QB |
| 6 | 26 | Daniel Jones | QB |
| 6 | 27 | Deshaun Watson | QB |
| 6 | 28 | Tyson Bagent | QB |
| 6 | 29 | Cam Ward | QB |
| 6 | 30 | Jameis Winston | QB |
| 6 | 31 | Aaron Rodgers | QB |
| 6 | 32 | Michael Penix Jr. | QB |
Week 3 Quarterback News
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (knee) has been named the team's starting quarterback for their Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football, per Tori McElhaney of atlantafalcons.com. Penix Jr. has missed the first two games of the 2026 season while working his way back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign in Week 11. Across nine games before getting injured last year, the 26-year-old completed 60.1% of his pass attempts for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Penix Jr.'s return should provide a massive upgrade in quarterback play for Falcons wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., both of whom have gotten off to slow starts to the year while catching passes from Cooper Rush and Jack Strand. Penix Jr.'s own production outlook is uncertain, as he's now suffered three major knee injuries and two major shoulder injuries since the start of his college career in 2018. Still, Penix Jr. profiles as a worthy waiver-wire target in two-quarterback formats now that he will be back on the field in Week 3.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 22 of his 31 pass attempts for 327 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception during Monday's blowout win over the New York Giants. He also took one sack in the victory. After tallying 155 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception in last week's season opener, Stafford bounced back in a huge way on national television. Best of all, he did it without Puka Nacua (hip), who was ruled out shortly before kickoff.
Stafford relied heavily on his rapport with veteran receiver Davante Adams, and the reigning MVP should continue to produce at a high level once Nacua rejoins this elite receiver room. The 38-year-old quarterback may not have the same rushing upside as some of the other flashy names in fantasy football, but his elite arm keeps him in the top-eight quarterback range going forward. He's a borderline must-start quarterback for Week 3 against the Denver Broncos.
C.J. Stroud Houston Texans
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is producing solid game stats despite leading his team to a 0-2 start. Stroud has strung together two slightly above-average fantasy performances so far, and his last one didn't even require him to score a touchdown. Against the Bills, he racked up 355 passing yards on a whopping 55 pass attempts. He didn't have any touchdowns, but he also didn't have any interceptions or fumbles. Stroud now has 627 passing yards, 44 rushing yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and two lost fumbles in 2026.
He has been playing well enough to rank as a fringe top-12 fantasy quarterback in terms of total scoring, and he can be a matchup-dependent low-end QB1 going forward. He's a particularly intriguing waiver wire target ahead of Week 3, as the Texans prepare for a divisional battle against the Indianapolis Colts. In his last clash with Indy, Stroud threw for a modest 169 yards but totaled two touchdowns and zero turnovers. Stroud remains available in plenty of fantasy leagues, making him a solid waiver wire pick-up this week
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Michael Penix Jr., Bryce Young, Drew Lock, Justin Herbert, and Kirk Cousins. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 3.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 3 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 3 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 3 for Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Michael Penix Jr., Bryce Young, Drew Lock, Justin Herbert, and Kirk Cousins:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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