Welcome to Week 3 as we recover from the buzzsaw that was last week! Whether you lost your starting quarterback this past weekend or your fantasy team had the misfortune of opposing the cheat code that is Josh Allen, you have our condolences here and a reminder to the former that we also run a streaming quarterback weekly article here on the QBList front page. Here are a few light-hearted highlights that act as a good metaphor for Week 2 in fantasy:
- Rams head coach Sean McVay’s candid explanation for his team’s performance this season through two weeks.
- Even when you do something good, reality is right there to step on you while you’re down.
- From 3rd and 7 all the way back to 4th & 43.
This past week was a little rough as we are still figuring out what the hierarchy of the 2026 season is. The 49ers took care of business in their home opener. The Buccaneers bent to the stress of keeping the yards allowed low, but broke in leagues that do not count that as a scoring category. This is a good reminder here at the beginning of the season to check and see if your league counts yards allowed (ie- ESPN) or if it does not (ie- Yahoo). Tampa Bay didn’t kill you if you played in an ESPN-like scoring system, but it did kill you if you are more in a Yahoo-like scoring system. Meanwhile, it didn’t matter which scoring system you used if you streamed the Chiefs, as allowing 30 points from opposing drives sustained off your repeated penalties against you will reflect poorly regardless of the fact.
Now we prepare for Week 3, where trends will emerge, and meaningful statistics can be utilized for the current season after this one is in the books. So while the pecking order for the 2026 season begins to pan out, let’s see what we have to work with before the dust settles. I have also listed a few teams at the end that I’m keeping an eye on to see where they will land in the coming weeks in relation to the rest of the season. So let’s get after it as we look for teams that are available around 50 percent of leagues or fewer.
Please note that there’s a decent chance that better teams above this 50 percent threshold are available in your league, but we can’t assume they’re available to everyone. We have to draw the proverbial line somewhere, so stay active and monitor the league home page; someone might drop a desirable defense after waivers clear.
Cincinnati Bengals
Opponent: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
ESPN % Rostered: 8%
Yahoo % Rostered: 7%
Offseason acquisition Dexter Lawrence is already paying off dividends for Cincinnati as they have shown out these first two weeks, recording four sacks in each of their games, putting them as a league leader in both sacks and turnovers generated while inside the top three for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. Last week neither David Montgomery nor Woody Marks could average a measly 2.0 yards per carry against this defense. Now this team, tied for the most sacks this season, travels to face Aaron Rodgers, who has already been sacked six times this season. I expect trends to continue as Pittsburgh has yet to have a single ball carrier rush for 50 yards while Rodgers is averaging under 200 yards passing between two games so far. I’m looking forward to this one, as there’s nothing quite like some old-fashioned AFC North hate when the Steelers and Bengals meet up every year.
Green Bay Packers
Opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons
ESPN % Rostered: 20%
Yahoo % Rostered: 24%
Green Bay finally gets to its home opener for the season, hosting the Falcons on their quest to re-establish themselves as having the best LaFleur-Love combination outside of Arizona. This early-week matchup on Thursday features Michael Penix making his debut for the season. The Falcons currently reside at the bottom of the league in turnover differential, having given the ball away seven times through two games. While I think that number will cut down now that Atlanta has their starter behind center, the offensive line is still tied for third-most sacks allowed through two weeks. While both teams are off to a rough start to find their identity this season, one of the few things Green Bay is not struggling with is getting to the quarterback, as they have seven sacks already and Micah Parsons isn’t even eligible to return for another two weeks still. Lambeau will be loud this Thursday, so I like the Pack’s chances on defense here.
New York Giants
Opponent: vs. Tennessee Titans
ESPN % Rostered: 3%
Yahoo % Rostered: 5%
If we’re keeping it a buck, this one solidified its place for me because Cam Ward continues into this season eating multiple sacks every game, and it turns out LB Brian Burns called his low ankle sprain from last week “not serious” and expects to be fine for this one. This one is a little apprehensive at first given where New York stands in fantasy through two games, but they’ve faced two high-caliber prolific offenses, and now host a Titans team that is averaging 15 points per game and is just barely ahead of the worst team in the league for total offensive yards(242.5) through two games. So this is more a product of who the team is playing rather than the defense itself.
After the Cut
Buffalo Bills (E:4% Y!:14%) – I almost went with the Bills instead of the Giants. While Buffalo gives up big yards, they also excel at getting to the quarterback. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert has been sacked three times in each of their two games to open the season. The Chargers simply look terrible so far this season.
San Francisco 49ers (E:61% Y!:70%) – Some doubters argue they remain “untested”. Barring that upcoming test in Week 5, the first half of their schedule remains favorable, so I will continue to buy stock in this defense.
Kansas City Chiefs (E:60% Y!:35%) – While they did let us down last week, they now travel to Miami and face current sacks-taken leader Malik Davis. I will give them another shot because it’s the Dolphins.
Fraud or For Real?
These are teams I wanted to share that I’m keeping an eye on as they’ve caught my attention and will see how they perform over the next two weeks.
Minnesota Vikings (E:11% Y!:64%) – Averaging two turnovers and four sacks per game, do they look as good as they currently do if Caleb Williams doesn’t exit the game with an injury?
Houston Texans (E:95% Y!:94%) – This unit was elite last season, but they are off to a rough start, and it will remain difficult until Week 5 at the earliest. I will keep an eye out on waivers if they continue this slump and managers dump them before their schedule gets easier.
Jacksonville Jaguars (E:35% Y!:60%) – This group tends to hover right on the edge of being top ten and performs strong at home. I will be curious to see how they look after Week 4.
New England Patriots (E:65% Y!:71%) – Only 16 points allowed through two games? These next two games will tell us a lot, as their schedule looks good after that.
New York Jets (E:3% Y!:1%) – The Jets are averaging three sacks and a turnover per game while only giving up 15 points, as they will get tested this week on the road. If they can hold it down, I could see them being featured soon in this weekly article.
If you see something I don’t, leave a comment here or hit me up with feedback on Reddit!
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) / Photography by Jeff Moreland/ Icon Sportswire