Fantasy Football Week 3: Andrew Luck and More QBs Owners Should Bench

The shift of the NFL toward high-powered passing attacks has changed the landscape of fantasy football. Running backs were king for awhile, but now quarterbacks hold that title and a poor performance from a starter likely sinks a team's chances.

That's why it's so important to make the right choice. There are a couple QB options in Week 3 that owners will surely spend most of the week debating. Let's take a look at three possibilities who should remain on the bench due to tough matchups.

Andrew Luck

Luck posted the first good fantasy game of his career on Sunday. The new face of the Indianapolis Colts tossed two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Minnesota Vikings, finishing with a total of 18 points—10 more than his Week 1 total.

It's not time to go all-in on the promising rookie, though. He faces a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that held a potent Houston Texans passing game to just 195 yards and no touchdowns. That makes Luck a risky start.

Like all rookies, he will go through a lot of ups and downs during his first year. When he has a favorable matchup, he's worth starting. This week doesn't fall into that category.

Philip Rivers

Rivers was a fantasy disappointment last season. Instead of solidifying himself as one of the elite producers at the position, he took a step back due to a high interception rate and didn't live up to the hype he had going in.

He's bounced back nicely to start the new season. The San Diego Chargers' signal-caller scored 34 points in two games and has thrown just one interception. It's a signal that last year was just a bump in the road, and not a sign of things to come.

That said, he faces an Atlanta Falcons defense that made Peyton Manning look clueless at times on Monday night. If Rivers owners have another reliable option available, put him on the bench for a week.

Sam Bradford

Bradford turned some heads in Week 2 with a 23-point performance. He was viewed as a post-hype sleeper before the season began and it's games like that which lend credence to the label. The former Oklahoma star definitely has the talent to succeed.

His rise is likely to take a one-week hiatus, however. The St. Louis Rams face off with the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Bears defense has gone against the aforementioned Luck and Green Bay Packers superstar Aaron Rodgers and has only allowed 18 fantasy points to QBs.

It's tough to imagine Bradford outperforming Rodgers' 10 points against the Bears, mostly because he lacks weapons to utilize. He has some upside, just not in Week 3.