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Week 3 Quarterback Rankings & Matchups Analysis

Below you will find our Week 3 quarterback rankings, to help determine your QB starts/sits for this week, brought to you by Bill Dubiel (@Roto_Dubs), Nick Mariano (@NMariano53) and Ben Ruppert (@Ben_Ruppert_21).

Lead columnist Bill Dubiel also highlights some QB rankings and matchups analysis for Week 3, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 3.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests for Week 3. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

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Week 3 Quarterbacks - Rankings & Matchups Analysis

Drew Brees will be the top QB play in fantasy this week. At home against a Falcons defense that he did well against last season, throwing for over 300 yards with a TD in each outing. With how poorly they’ve defended the pass so far this season, Brees is very likely to have a dominant week. Matt Ryan also has a ton of potential. He was statistically even if not better than Brees was in both games last season, and had a better TD:INT ratio on the road compared to at home last season (Home: 12:11 Road: 9:5). Ryan is ranked a little too low in these rankings, these two will put on a passing frenzy.

The 2015 MVP faces the top rated fantasy defense, as Cam Newton takes on the Minnesota Vikings. Newton has already showed us this season he can take on any level of defense and find success, with his solid showing in Week 1 against the Broncos. He should be safely deployed this week.

Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers meet in what is expected to be one of the highest scoring games of the week. Both of these QBs are missing some weapons, with Rivers losing Danny Woodhead, Keenan Allen, and potentially Antonio Gates this week. Luck recently loss Donte Moncrief. Outside of the top CBs on each team, these defenses don’t have much to offer. Even without their primary weapons, both QBs will have a shot at a great game.

On the road against a Buffalo defense looking to rebound, Carson Palmer may have a more difficult game ahead than many imagine. Contrary to what was seen last week against the Jets, the Bills possess an above average secondary, let by CBs Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby. The duo was one of the high rated pairs in the league coming into the season, and could lead to a couple INTs for Palmer.

Russell Wilson enters a tough matchup this week with the 49ers. Interdivisional games are always tougher grinds than normal games, evidenced by his showing last week against the LA Rams. Wilson is hobbled by a high ankle sprain, limiting his famous ability to scramble and turn broken plays into huge gains. With the Seattle offense not clicking as a whole, at #12 he is still rated too highly in our rankings.

The Oakland Raiders have had the worst passing defense to open the season, allowing an average of 404 yards per game. Granted that was against Brees and Ryan, but this is coming off a year where the Raiders were the seventh worst team in football at defending the pass. Marcus Mariota is in store for a top-10 QB performance this week.

The Baltimore Ravens on the other hand, were in the top-10 in defending the pass last season, and have been the stingiest against the pass this season at only 168.5 yards per game allowed. They will go on the road to face Bake Bortles and the Jaguars in Week 3. Bortles has thrown for 649 yards through two weeks, but only a 1:1 TD:INT ratio. With a difficult matchup and his inability to get anything going, it could be a troubling week once again for the third year QB.

Difficult one. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Bucs have done a nice job of limiting opposing RBs. They held Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman to 2.2 YPC in Week 1, and Chris and David Johnson to 3.5 YPC in Week 2. Gurley has only averaged 2.7 so far this season, as teams continue to stack the box with the lack of QB play on the Rams. Gurley will see another tough outing in Week 3, meaning owners will have to wait another week for his breakout game.

 

Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings - Quarterback

Rank Player Name Pos
1 Drew Brees QB
2 Cam Newton QB
3 Aaron Rodgers QB
4 Eli Manning QB
5 Carson Palmer QB
6 Andrew Luck QB
7 Matthew Stafford QB
8 Ben Roethlisberger QB
9 Derek Carr QB
10 Matt Ryan QB
11 Blake Bortles QB
12 Russell Wilson QB
13 Philip Rivers QB
14 Joe Flacco QB
15 Kirk Cousins QB
16 Jameis Winston QB
17 Marcus Mariota QB
18 Andy Dalton QB
19 Dak Prescott QB
20 Ryan Fitzpatrick QB
21 Carson Wentz QB
22 Ryan Tannehill QB
23 Alex Smith QB
24 Brock Osweiler QB
25 Tyrod Taylor QB
26 Sam Bradford QB
27 Blaine Gabbert QB
28 Jimmy Garoppolo QB
29 Jay Cutler QB
30 Josh McCown QB
31 Robert Griffin QB
32 Mark Sanchez QB
33 Tom Brady QB
34 Colin Kaepernick QB
35 Tony Romo QB
36 Paxton Lynch QB
37 Jared Goff QB
38 Geno Smith QB

 


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Luis Arraez

Signs One-Year Deal with Giants
Troy Terry

Ready to Return Sunday
Victor Hedman

Set to Return Sunday
Connor McMichael

Out Week-to-Week
Kris Letang

Out for Four Weeks
Nico Hischier

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Jack Hughes

Won't Play Saturday
Linus Ullmark

Returns to Action Saturday
Blake Snell

Dodgers Plan to Have Blake Snell Ready for Opening Day
Paul George

Suspended for 25 Games
Shohei Ohtani

Will be Ready to Pitch to Start the 2026 Season
Francisco Lindor

Won't Play in WBC After Elbow Surgery
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Unlikely to Play Against Miami
Tre Jones

Still Sidelined as Bulls Face Miami
Tyler Herro

Remains Sidelined Saturday vs. Bulls
Norman Powell

Ruled Out vs. Bulls
Jeremy Sochan

Still Sidelined as Spurs Visit Charlotte
Keyonte George

Injures Ankle Late in Loss to Nets
Stephen Curry

Exits Early Against Pistons with Knee Issue
Charlie Coyle

Pots Second Career Hat Trick
Filip Hronek

Expected to Play Saturday
Pavel Zacha

Not Traveling With Bruins
Elias Lindholm

to Miss at Least Two More Games
William Nylander

on Track to Return Saturday
Kris Letang

Misses Practice, Uncertain for Saturday
Evgeni Malkin

Iffy for Saturday
Cade Cunningham

Ready to Rock Friday
Gui Santos

Available Against Pistons
Caris LeVert

Remains Sidelined Friday
Craig Porter Jr.

Out Against Suns
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Active Friday
Jamal Murray

Upgraded to Available Friday
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Officially Available Friday
Vinnie Pasquantino

Royals Agree on Two-Year Contract
Neemias Queta

Back in Action Friday
Miles McBride

Misses Friday's Game
Josh Hart

Active Against Trail Blazers
Tre Johnson

Out Against Lakers
Khris Middleton

Sits Out Meeting With Lakers
Austin Reaves

Remains Out Friday
Jacob Wilson

Signs Seven-Year Extension
Diego Lopes

An Underdog At UFC 325
Alexander Volkanovski

Set For UFC 325 Main Event
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Dan Hooker

Set For UFC 325 Co-Main Event
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev

Returns At UFC 325
CFB

Texas Lands Wake Forest Transfer Sterling Berkhalter
Samuel Ersson

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Pavel Zacha

Exits Early Thursday
Charlie Lindgren

Hurt Versus Red Wings
Jack Hughes

Exits With Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Brad Marchand

Suffers New Injury Blow
Patrick Kane

Becomes NHL's Highest-Scoring U.S-Born Player
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Expected to Miss a Week
Tommy Edman

Will Have Delayed Start to Spring Training, Could Miss Opening Day
Kirk Cousins

Falcons Expected to Release Kirk Cousins
Chase Brown

Working on Extension With Bengals
Michael Penix Jr.

Hopes to be Ready for Week 1
Isaac Paredes

Not a Lock for Opening Day Lineup?
Dalton Kincaid

Doesn't Need Offseason Surgery
Josh Allen

Undergoes Foot Surgery
Josh Allen

on Crutches, Wearing Walking Boot
Corbin Carroll

a Top Fantasy Outfielder After Joining 30-30 Club
Jonah Tong

Won't Pitch in the World Baseball Classic
CFB

Michigan RB Bryson Kuzdzal Withdrawing from Transfer Portal
Aaron Judge

Appears to be Past his Elbow Issues
Bo Nix

Expected to Resume Training in 4-6 Weeks
Michael Penix Jr.

Thinks he'll be Ready by April
Evan Carter

Establishes a Goal to Steal 30 Bases
Edouard Julien

Traded to the Rockies
Cleveland Browns

Browns Hiring Todd Monken as Next Head Coach
Sahith Theegala

Off to Much Better 2026 Start
Gary Woodland

an Intriguing Option at Torrey Pines This Week
CJ Abrams

Giants Offer "Aggressive Pitch" for CJ Abrams
Andrew Putnam

Hopes to Keep Momentum Rolling This Week
Matthieu Pavon

Seeks to Return to 2024 Form at Torrey Pines
Luke List

Still Looking For Birdies at Torrey Pines
Jake Knapp

Faces Stiff Challenge at Farmers Insurance Open
Rasmus Hojgaard

Needs to Play Better at Torrey Pines
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Could Struggle at Farmers Insurance Open
J.J. Spaun

A Steady Option At Farmers Insurance Open
Andrew Novak

Looking For More Success At Torrey Pines
Denny McCarthy

A Wild Card At Farmers Insurance Open
Max Homa

Looks To Keep Resurgence Going At Torrey Pines
Joe Highsmith

Struggling Heading Into Torrey Pines
Wyndham Clark

Looks To Carry Momentum Into Farmers Insurance Open
Tony Finau

Aims To Turn Things Around At Torrey Pines
Akshay Bhatia

Looks to Bounce Back at Torrey Pines
Paul Goldschmidt

Yankees Expressing Interest in Re-Signing Paul Goldschmidt
Bo Bichette

Won't Play in World Baseball Classic
NFL

Bill Belichick Won't be First-Ballot Hall of Famer
Carlos Correa

Won't Play for Puerto Rico in World Baseball Classic
Si Woo Kim

Looks to Continue Incredible Run at Torrey Pines
Jason Day

has a Good Chance to Keep Momentum This Weekend
Keegan Bradley

has Good Course History at Torrey Pines
Billy Horschel

Isn't a Great DFS Option at Torrey Pines
Aaron Rodgers

Mike McCarthy Says he Wants Aaron Rodgers to Return
Will Zalatoris

Has a Shot to Challenge at the Farmers Insurance Open
Drake Maye

Expected to be Fine for Super Bowl
Tennessee Titans

Titans Set to Hire Brian Daboll as New Offensive Coordinator
Buffalo Bills

Bills Promote Joe Brady to Head Coach
CFB

Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi Signs with Michigan
CFB

Darian Mensah Reaches Settlement with Duke, Expected to Land at Miami
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Not Drawing Interest on Open Market?
Shedeur Sanders

Named as Pro Bowl Replacement
Framber Valdez

Among Many High-End Pitchers on Free-Agent Market
Jose Altuve

Won't Participate in World Baseball Classic
Harrison Bader

Agrees With Giants on Two-Year Deal
Paddy Pimblett

Drops Decision
Justin Gaethje

Becomes the New Interim-Lightweight Champion
Song Yadong

Suffers Unanimous Decision Loss
MMA

Sean O'Malley Gets Back In The Win Column
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Extends His Win Streak
Derrick Lewis

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Officially Hire Mike McDaniel as Offensive Coordinator
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates in NFC Championship Game Win

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP