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Dave's quarterback start 'em, sit 'em picks for fantasy football Week 3 lineups (2025). Read his expert QB start/sit advice for Drake Maye, Russell Wilson, Caleb Williams, others.
We’re only three weeks into the 2025 season, and quarterback injuries are already piling up. Joe Burrow and J.J. McCarthy are looking at extended absences due to toe and ankle injuries. Washington Commanders’ QB1 Jayden Daniels suffered a knee injury and is trending toward missing this weekend’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. McCarthy mostly impacts managers in superflex leagues. Burrow and Daniels, though, were early-round draft picks, so their presence in lineups will be sorely missed.
These injuries have prompted managers to explore alternative options for Week 3. While injuries are frustrating, they are sadly a part of fantasy football. Not to worry, though, we’ve got you covered and will do our best to present some viable starting alternatives for this week, as well as several quarterbacks you may want to avoid.
Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and download the RotoBaller app for all your fantasy football needs. Here are our Week 3 quarterback start ‘em and sit ‘em picks.
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Week 3 Starts - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Drake Maye - QB, New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
So far this season, the Steelers' defense appears to have taken a significant step backward. That’s good news for Maye, who bounced back in Week 2 after a disappointing opening week. Maye threw two touchdown passes and ran for an additional 31 rushing yards and scored a touchdown on the ground as well. He finished Week 2 as the overall QB3.
Drake Maye & Kayshon Boutte extend the Patriots lead!
NEvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/R9tXMsK5jL
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Pittsburgh struggled to defend another mobile quarterback in Week 1 when Justin Fields ran for 48 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. We could see Maye have similar success with his legs against Pittsburgh. He should also post decent passing totals against a Steelers defense that’s allowed the eighth-most passing yards in the league.
Fire up Maye again this week. He’s up for another top-5 finish.
Caleb Williams - QB, Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys
Williams hasn't played very well through two games. He has completed only 61.5% of his passes (below league average) and has been sacked six times already this year. Williams’s advanced metrics aren’t much better. Among 34 quarterbacks with 20+ dropbacks, Williams currently ranks:
- 26th in catchable throw percentage per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- 26th in adjusted completion percentage per Fantasy Points Data Suite
- 28th in EPA/dropback per FTN Fantasy
- 32nd in highly accurate throw percentage per Fantasy Points Data Suite
Luckily, the Bears get to face a Cowboys defense that was torched by Russell Wilson in Week 2. Dallas currently ranks 23rd in defensive passing DVOA according to FTN Fantasy and has allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks through two games per Fantasy Football Today.
This game currently has the second-highest projected total in Week 3, so we could see plenty of points scored. Williams has not been great, but this is a good spot for the Bear offense to get rolling. If you’re streaming quarterbacks, Williams is a great option this week.
Geno Smith - QB, Las Vegas Raiders at Washington Commanders
Smith is coming off one of the worst performances of his career this past Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers. He completed 24 of 43 passes, threw for only 180 yards, and tossed three interceptions as well.
Daiyan Henley comes down with the interception on the first play of the game!
LACvsLV on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/8PB7QDKeIv— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2025
Smith has a great shot at bouncing back this week against the Washington Commanders. Washington currently ranks 31st in PFF’s pass coverage grade. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw for 292 yards against Washington’s defense in Week 2. The Commanders don’t boast a formidable pass rush, so Las Vegas’ porous offensive line could hold up in pass protection and give Smith time to find open receivers.
Gamers in single-quarterback leagues can start him as a viable streaming option. Managers in superflex leagues should consider him a backend QB2 with potential for more.
Week 3 Sits - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Jake Browning - QB, Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
Browning performed well in relief of Joe Burrow last weekend, but that was against a bad Jacksonville Jaguars secondary. This week, Cincinnati travels to Minnesota and takes on a Vikings defense that’s allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this year. Minnesota also ranks ninth in defensive passing DVOA.
Cincinnati has not been effective at all this year when trying to run the football. While that might seem like a good thing for Browning’s outlook, it could actually have the opposite effect. Since the Bengals haven’t shown a consistent ability to run the ball, Minnesota will not feel any need to stack the box. That means fewer one-on-one opportunities for the Bengals' star wide receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
We could see Minnesota play a lot of two-high coverage and gamble that their front four can get pressure/stop the run against a bad Bengals offensive line. That would mean Browning has little room to throw the ball downfield, and he could make several bad decisions as a result. There’s also the possibility that Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores overwhelms Cincinnati’s offensive line with a wide variety of blitzes and completely shuts down the Bengals' offense.
This might seem like a good spot to throw Browning into lineups, but it might be better to take a cautious approach for this weekend.
Russell Wilson - QB, New York Giants vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Wilson turned back the clock last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. He threw for 450 passing yards, three touchdowns, and finished as the overall QB2.
RUSSELL WILSON MOON BALL TO Malik Nabers.
GIANTS LEAD. pic.twitter.com/Chl9HdjldL
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
It was super fun to watch vintage Russell Wilson again, but we should brace ourselves for a hard crash back to Earth this weekend. New York takes on a Kansas City Chiefs defense that just held Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles offense to a measly 94 total passing yards. Kansas City has started the year 0-2, but its defense can still get pressure on Wilson. That would mean less time for him to complete passes further down the field.
This just feels like a letdown spot for Wilson and the entire Giants offense after emptying the tank last weekend in Dallas. Don’t expect anything close to what we saw last week, and it’s probably best to avoid Wilson altogether.
Bryce Young - QB, Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
So far, Young’s 2024 end-of-season mini-breakout looks to be a mirage. He had a strong outing last week against the Arizona Cardinals and threw for 328 passing yards and three touchdowns. However, most of that production came in the second half when Carolina was in clear catch-up mode after trailing all day.
Young's advanced data points to a quarterback still struggling with consistency. Among 34 quarterbacks with 20+ dropbacks so far this year, Young is 23rd in FTN Fantasy’s expected points added (EPA) per dropback and 23rd in total EPA. He also ranks 23rd in PFF’s adjusted completion percentage. All of this means he will struggle to consistently produce high-end fantasy results over the course of the season.
Atlanta’s defense will be missing cornerback A.J. Terrell in this game. That should be good news for Tetairoa McMillan’s outlook, but it might not matter for Young’s. Atlanta currently ranks second in defensive passing DVOA and has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks so far in 2025.
This is a tougher matchup for Young than it may appear. Look at other streaming options in single quarterback leagues and pivot off of him in superflex leagues, too.
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