Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Top 25 Quarterbacks

Now two weeks into the season, we are getting a better idea of whom we can trust and who has been disappointing.  However, these conclusions just lead to more questions. 

Can Cam Newton continue his hot start?  Has Matthew Stafford entrenched himself as one of the top QBs in the league?  Let’s take a look at how things stack up for Week 3:

1. Tom Brady – New England Patriots – at Buffalo
2. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – vs. Houston
3. Philip Rivers – San Diego Padres – vs. Kansas City
4. Michael Vick – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. New York Giants
5. Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – at Chicago
6. Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – at Minnesota
7. Tony Romo – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Washington
8. Matt Schaub – Houston Texans – at New Orleans
9. Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – at Tampa Bay
10. Josh Freeman – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. Atlanta
11. Jay Cutler – Chicago Bears –vs. Green Bay
12. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Buffalo Bills – vs. New England
13. Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – vs. Jacksonville
14. Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Indianapolis
15. Kevin Kolb – Arizona Cardinals – at Seattle
16. Joe Flacco – Baltimore Ravens – at St. Louis
17. Kyle Orton – Denver Broncos – at Tennessee
18. Rex Grossman – Washington Redskins – at Dallas
19. Matt Hasselbeck – Tennessee Titans – vs. Denver
20. Eli Manning – New York Giants – at Philadelphia
21. Mark Sanchez – New York Jets – at Oakland
22. Sam Bradford – St. Louis Rams – vs. Baltimore
23. Chad Henne – Miami Dolphins – at Cleveland
24. Colt McCoy – Cleveland Browns – vs. Miami
25. Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. San Francisco

Thoughts:

• It has become crystal clear that, if he can stay healthy, Matthew Stafford is capable of posting gaudy numbers.  Over the first two weeks of the season he has thrown for 599 yards and 7 TD (tied with Tom Brady and Ryan Fitzpatrick).  Taking on a Vikings team that has allowed 288.0 passing yards per game, he is a must-play option in all formats.
• Speaking of Fitzpatrick, he has been extremely impressive to open the season, though he’s going to be put to the test this week against New England.  Can the Bills keep up?  They are going to have to put the ball in the air early and often to try (while they likely will try to keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands, it’s not likely to work), making Fitzpatrick a very intriguing option as a QB1 for the coming week.  He may not throw for over 300 yards, but he’s showing that he can find the end zone early and often.
• Tony Romo suffered a punctured lung in Sunday’s game, but returned and helped bring the Cowboys back to beat the 49ers.  The fact that they let him come back in Week 2 would make you think that he’s going to play in Week 3, wouldn’t it?  We’ll include him on the rankings for now, though a change could be needed.
• Does Schaub vs. Brees smell like a shootout to anyone else?  Both quarterbacks could post some big-time numbers in that one.
• I am not going to say that I am not still skeptical about Cam Newton.  He did throw 3 INT in the Week 2 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, as he tried to keep up with Aaron Rodgers.  However, it’s hard to overlook the fact that he’s thrown for over 400 yards in each of his first two NFL games.  Then again, against the Jaguars, will they need to throw the ball quite as much?  While he could produce some points with his feet, you have to think that the Panthers will finally try to establish DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  I would consider Newton a QB2, as it is unlikely that he reaches those types of numbers again.
• Mark Sanchez showed why fantasy owners have reason to be concerned about him in Week 2.  Sure, he tossed 2 TD while going 17-of-24 for 182 yards.  However, he also tossed 2 INT.  It’s hard for me to consider him anything but a low-tier QB2.

Make sure to check out the rest of Rotoprofessor's Week 3 information:

• Top 40 Running Backs
• Waiver Worthy