Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey or Justin Jefferson. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the 2023 NFL season.
Fabs’ Top 10 Quarterbacks
1. Jalen Hurts at Buccaneers (Mon.)
2. Patrick Mahomes vs. Bears
3. Josh Allen at Commanders
4. Lamar Jackson vs. Colts
5. Justin Herbert at Vikings
6. Jared Goff vs. Falcons
7. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Broncos
8. Kirk Cousins vs. Chargers
9. Dak Prescott at Cardinals
10. Trevor Lawrence vs. Texans
Complete Week 3 quarterback rankings
Week 3 Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES
Week 3 Start ‘Em: Quarterbacks
Start of the Week
Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports
Jared Goff vs. Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Goff continued to be gold at home last week, throwing three touchdown passes and scoring over 22 fantasy points. In nine games at Ford Field last season, Goff averaged 21.4 points. That’s the definition of consistency! He should continue to find success against the Falcons in what could be a high-scoring game. Get Goff into your fantasy lineups this week.
Start ‘Em
Dak Prescott at Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Prescott looked good last week against a tough Jets defense, throwing for 255 yards with two touchdowns while scoring 19.6 fantasy points. He should post another big stat line this week, as the Cowboys travel to Arizona. Their defense allowed over 30 points to Daniel Jones last week, and it’s allowed the third-most points to quarterbacks so far.
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Broncos (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Normally, a matchup against the Broncos would be considered difficult. But after two weeks, this defense hasn’t been all that formidable. It allowed two touchdown passes to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1, and Sam Howell beat them for 21.3 points last week. Tua, who didn’t have a huge game against the Patriots, should get back in our good graces.
Kirk Cousins vs. Chargers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Cousins is coming off a surprisingly huge stat line in Philadelphia, and now he gets a great chance to succeed when the Chargers come to town. In their first two games, the Bolts have allowed an average of 24.1 points including four touchdown passes to quarterbacks. Cousins is also better at home, and this could turn into a high-scoring contest.
Deshaun Watson vs. Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Titans defense is formidable against the run but bad against the pass, allowing 32 touchdown passes and the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks since the start of last season. That’s good news for Watson, who looked shaky (at best) on Monday night in Pittsburgh but should find statistical success in this AFC matchup.
More Starts
Brock Purdy vs. Giants (Thur. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Geno Smith vs. Panthers (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS)
Russell Wilson at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
DFS Bargains (DraftKings)
Jared Goff vs. Falcons ($6,500)
Geno Smith vs. Panthers ($5,700)
Desmond Ridder at Lions ($5,000)
Week 3 Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks
Sit of the Week
Chris O’Meara/AP
Justin Fields at Chiefs (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): Fields has been very average in his first two starts, averaging just 14.6 points with an awful completion percentage of 60.6. He’s also not succeeding on the ground, carrying the ball 13 times for just 62 yards. The Chiefs have been tough on quarterbacks early in the season too, so beware Fields, who is no longer a true must start option in fantasy leagues.
Sit ‘Em
Matthew Stafford at Bengals (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN): Stafford’s receivers are putting up huge fantasy numbers, but it hasn’t equated to big numbers for the veteran quarterback. In fact, he’s averaged just 14.2 points in his first two contests. I’d sit him against the Bengals, who have allowed just two enemy quarterbacks to record more than 17 points against them in their last 11 games at home.
Jordan Love vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Love has been on fire to start the year, throwing a combined six touchdown passes and averaging over 20 fantasy points. This week could be difficult though, as he’s facing a tough Saints defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest passing yards (205.9 YPG) and just seven touchdown passes to opposing home quarterbacks since the start of last season.
Derek Carr at Packers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Carr can be a viable fantasy starter when the matchup is right, but this week’s matchup against the Packers doesn’t fit the bill. Since the start of last season, no defense in the league has surrendered fewer points to road quarterbacks (11.3 PPG). Carr is worth a look in leagues that start two quarterbacks, otherwise he should be left to the fantasy sidelines.
Mac Jones at Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Jones has had an uneven start to the new season scoring 24.1 points in Week 1 but just 13.7 points in last week’s loss to the Dolphins. Next up is a matchup against the Jets, who have one of the league’s best defenses (despite what we saw last week against Dallas). Jones has also failed to score more than 11.7 points in three of four career games against them.
