All is right with the world. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are once again top-five quarterbacks in fantasy football and offenses are back to scoring plenty of points.
Week 2 was more like we anticipated, albeit with some surprises (we’re looking at you Trevor Siemian).
Week 3 is always an interesting week where teams start to show us who they really are. Here’s the week 3 start ’em, sit ’em guide for quarterbacks in fantasy football.
Start
Matthew Stafford vs. Atlanta Falcons
OK, I’m finished doubting Stafford for now. He looked good against a New York defense that we may have misjudged and an Arizona defense with plenty of team speed in the secondary level.
Stafford looks good, even without a true dominant receiver.
In week 3 he matches up with a defense that rushes the passer well, but can give up plenty of yards through the air. The Falcons have gotten after the quarterback plenty in the early going, much like they did in the final part of 2016.
However, an injury to Vic Beasley takes away a main weapon for the Falcons pass rush. Both teams should do well through the air, with Stafford easily being in the top-10 discussion again.
Carson Wentz vs. New York Giants
We may have to reexamine how good this New York defense can really be. Normally I don’t take too much stock in the first two weeks, but New York’s defense hasn’t done much to show it belongs in the conversation as one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Even if New York was living close to the hype, Wentz deserves a start. The preseason chatter was impossible to ignore regarding Wentz. Everyone said he was getting better. It doesn’t hurt that the weapons are better and the team can’t run the football, either.
Wentz has gone for back-to-back 300-yard performances and started to show confidence in his best receiver, Alshon Jeffery in week 2. That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses.
Wentz is a high-volume passer who also can move the chains with his legs. He needs to get better at throwing touchdowns and cutting down the mistakes, but you’re going to get plenty of opportunity for production.
Kirk Cousins vs. Oakland Raiders
Cousins will probably drive you nuts this season. He’s going to need solid matchups to do work, but this one should set up nicely.
The Raiders haven’t seen a passing offense like they’ll see in week 3. Washington can still move the ball with a dink and dunk style in the passing game. The New York Jets and Tennessee Titans don’t employ that same kind of strategy.
I’m still not sold on Oakland’s rejuvenation against the pass, so I’m leaning toward Cousins to have a top-10 day at home against an Oakland team making a trip east for the second time in three weeks.
Cousins hasn’t been very good this season, but he’s squared off against two of the better pass defenses in the NFL. He should have more success this week, so give him a look.
Sit
Marcus Mariota vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Titans are still good, but Mariota has been a little slow out of the gate.
If you have some depth on your roster, consider giving Mariota a rest in week 3. I still believe Mariota will be a top-tier fantasy quarterback, but his matchups in the early going haven’t been favorable.
Jacksonville is a legitimate pass defense, while the Raiders just had a better game plan in week 1. Now, Mariota must play the Seahawks, which traditionally have one of the better defensive units in the NFL. So far this season, they haven’t disappointed, with a dominating effort in week 2 to go along with a solid outing against Aaron Rodgers in week 1.
You can find better matchups this week than the one Mariota must face.
Philip Rivers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Life hasn’t been very good for Rivers in recent years against the Chiefs. He’s been prone to blowouts and low-scoring affairs in the last few years against a Chiefs defense that knows how to stop Rivers.
The offensive line still isn’t among the above-average units, which should play into Rivers’ struggles once again against the Chiefs.
Despite being good this season already, going for four touchdowns overall and a near 80 percent completion rate in week 2, I’m sitting Rivers in anticipation of another tough outing against the Chiefs.
Watch for the Chiefs to patch up some holes in the secondary to stymie the Chargers and move to 3-0.
Jay Cutler vs. New York Jets
The Jets are terrible. And it’s tempting to take Cutler this week after a semi-decent week in his opener against the Chargers.
But don’t take on Cutler just yet.
He was pretty much a carbon copy of Ryan Tannehill in week 2, going for short passes and using all of Jarvis Landry’s ability to run underneath routes and catch balls. He wasn’t testing deep too much, electing to stay within the offense and not take any chances.
That will likely help the Dolphins win some games, but it won’t make Cutler a QB1, not even against the Jets.
New York was terrible last week on defense, but that was to be expected. The Jets get Cutler in back-to-back road games, with the Dolphins going from east to west to east in the matter of two weeks.
Not even the Jets are worth betting against with those odds.
