Every week we will bring you our advice on which signal-callers have the potential to help your fantasy teams win. We will look at the previous weeks’ performances, the quarterbacks’ supporting cast, the matchup, and smart statistical insights to offer you the clearest picture of which QB to pick up from your waiver wire.
Remember, we will only consider QBs who are less than 70% rostered in Yahoo! leagues so as to give you an honest chance at picking one up for your team’s matchup.
Week 2 was brutal across the fantasy landscape for injuries but the quarterback position came away relatively unscathed. It was a better week for production with 12 signal-callers eclipsing the 20 point barrier and returning healthy scores for their fantasy manager. Two of our recommended streamers achieved that mark including our preferred option Jordan Love (20.34 fantasy points in Yahoo!). The Packers young quarterback threw three touchdown passes for the second week in a row despite only throwing for 151 yards. He was efficient and clinical and still remains only 62% rostered. Pick him up this week or he could be gone forever. The other to beat the 20 point mark was Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (21.26 fantasy points), who sparked a comeback for Washington in Denver and inspired him team to an unlikely win. Howell was in a 21-3 hole but clawed his team all the way back with brave, accurate throws and leadership on and off the field.
The only one to disappoint was Mac Jones (14.74 fantasy points). He had 42 pass attempts which was again encouraging but he could not find his guys in the end zone like in Week 1. Jones remains an upside quarterback but he failed miserably to take advantage of a less-than-impressive Dolphins secondary. He’s not trustworthy as a streamer right now.
| QB | Matchup | % Rostered (Yahoo!) | Fantasy Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love, Packers | GB at ATL | 33% | 20.34 |
| Mac Jones, Patriots | NE vs. MIA | 9% | 14.74 |
| Sam Howell, Commanders | WAS at DEN | 22% | 21.26 |
Going into Week 3 there is a question mark over the availability of Colts rookie Anthony Richardson, who remains in the concussion protocol heading into the late-week practices. Keep an eye on his status.
Let’s look at our recommendations for Week 3.
| QB | Matchup | % Rostered (Yahoo!) | Projected Fantasy Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford, Rams | LAR at CIN | 37% | 17.70 |
| Jordan Love, Packers | GB vs. NOS | 62% | 15.86 |
| Kenny Pickett, Steelers | PIT at LVR | 30% | 14.82 |
“Return of the Matt”
Matthew Stafford, Rams at Bengals
The veteran has been lights out so far over the first two weeks of the season, and Matthew Stafford knows it. Confident, aggressive throws have allowed his young receivers to show their qualities while also racking up the yardage. Stafford put up over 300 yards against the 49ers and he was unlucky to be tagged with two interceptions. There is enough here to suggest he’ll keep improving as he works out the rust from last year’s absence.
The other plus is the matchup against the Bengals, who so far this season are giving up the fourth most fantasy points per game against opposing quarterbacks. We like this for a big Stafford breakout.
That 9️⃣ ➡️ 1️⃣ 7️⃣ connection!@AsapPuka | 📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/NewumP24Yl
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 17, 2023
“Pac Man Eats”
Jordan Love, Packers vs. Saints
Two games of triple touchdown throws breeds confidence in Packers young arm Jordan Love. The volume is a quiet concern but not against a Saints defense that has been unremarkable to his point. Love is spraying the ball around and taking what the defense gives him. He’s also making a couple of those “oh, wow!” throws that really opens the field for his offense. There is an opportunity that both Christian Watson and Aaron Jones are back this week too, giving Love two primary weapons to go out and be creative.
Okay, Jordan Love.
We see you.
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) September 18, 2023
“Pick Of The Week”
Kenny Pickett, Steelers at Raiders
We fell heavy for Kenny Pickett in the preseason and got burned Week 1. However, a mature, ballsy performance against the Browns in the Steelers’ memorable win on Monday Night Football went a long way to restoring that confidence. The exciting long touchdown score thanks to George Pickens‘ speed was also an eye-opener. He need the Steekers to allow Kenny to pepper his talented wideout group to allow that yards after the catch.
Pickett has survived two of the better defenses but now comes up against a very poor linebacker and secondary group for the Raiders. There should be more time to execute and more space for the Steelers route running specialist receivers. In Kenny we trust, right?!
PICKETT TO PICKENS. 71-YARD TD.
📺: #CLEvsPIT on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/zWM8hlwdPY pic.twitter.com/jZJCBAqd81— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023
Don’t hesitate to give me your thoughts and hit me up for questions on X at @benjaminhaller1.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire