Fantasy Football Week 3 Quarterback Start Decision: Joe Burrow, Derek Carr, Dak Prescott and More

Sunday’s week 3 NFL regular season games are nearly here, and that means fantasy football owners are wondering who to put in their starting lineups.

Let’s go over several quarterbacks and determine the best starting options. We’ll discuss Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, Derek Carr, Anthony Richardson, Geno Smith, Jayden Daniels, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, C.J. Stroud, Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.

Season Stats

Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to a 2-0 start. He’s completed 36 of his 49 passes so far for 474 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He’s added 55 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Prescott is 46-of-71 passing through two games. He has 472 passing yards, two touchdowns and two picks. Prescott has 15 rushing yards on three carries.

Carr has a case for early-season MVP and has the Saints sitting at 2-0. He’s completed 30 of his 39 passes for 443 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Carr has added 14 rushing yards and one touchdown on three carries.

Richardson and the Colts are 0-2 and will be desperate for a win this weekend. The second-year QB has 416 passing yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions on 26-of-53 passing. Richardson has 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Smith and the Seahawks are 2-0 to start the season. He’s got 498 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 51-of-69 passing. Smith has 38 yards and a score on nine rushing attempts.

Daniels has a win across his first two starts for the Commanders. He’s 40-of-53 passing for 410 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions so far. Daniels does have 132 yards and two scores on 26 rushing attempts so far.

Burrow has started slow and the Bengals are another desperate 0-2 team. The QB is 44-of-65 passing for 422 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Burrow has 24 rushing yards on 10 attempts.

Cousins has the Falcons at 1-1 through two weeks. He’s completed 36 of his 55 passes for 396 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Cousins has lost a yard on five rushing attempts.

Stroud and the Texans are out to a 2-0 start. He’s got 494 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 47-of-68 passing. Stroud has just 12 rushing yards on five attempts.

Purdy and the Niners are surprisingly 1-1, and dealing with a number of injuries now. Purdy has 550 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception on 47-of-65 passing, while adding 23 rushing yards on three attempts. 

Darnold and the Vikings upset the Niners last week and are 2-0. Darnold is 36-of-50 for 476 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He has 35 rushing yards on eight attempts.

Week 3 Matchups

Mayfield and the Bucs face the Broncos in week 3. It’s an average matchup based on the first two weeks of action, as the Denver defense allows 15 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs.

Prescott also has a pretty average matchup against the Ravens in week 3. Baltimore’s D allows QBs to score 14 fantasy points per game.

Carr has a slightly-above-average clash against the Eagles. Philly allows QBs to score 17 points per game so far.

Richardson has a tough matchup on paper against the Bears. Chicago allows just 10 fantasy points per game so far.

Smith has a similar tough matchup against the Dolphins. Miami’s defense allows just 10 fantasy points per game.

Daniels takes on a Bengals’ defense that also surrenders just 10 points per game. On the other side of things, Burrow takes on a Commanders’ defense that’s surrendered 24 fantasy points per game (the most in the league) to QBs so far.

Cousins takes on a tough Chiefs’ defense, but the matchup is actually a bit more favorable than you might think. KC’s defense has allowed opposing QBs to go for 21 fantasy points per contest so far.

Stroud has one of the stiffer challenges in week 3, facing a Vikings’ defense that allows just nine fantasy points to QBs.

Purdy has an easier matchup against the Rams. LA’s defense has allowed opposing QBs to go for 19 fantasy points per game so far.

The matchup for Darnold against the Texans is slightly better than average. Houston’s D allows 17 fantasy points per game to QBs.

Projections and Starting Recommendations

Burrow is tied for the highest fantasy projection (23) among fantasy quarterbacks in week 3. Daniels, Prescott, Purdy and Richardson are all tied with 19-point projections.

Smith and Mayfield are projected for 18 points, while Carr and Darnold are at 17 points. Stroud is set at just 16 points. Cousins is at just 14 points.

I’m sticking with the projections and saying Burrow is the top option among this group of quarterbacks. He might have his full complement of receivers around him for the first time this season, but the big thing is the matchup against the Commanders and the team being desperate for a win. Expect Burrow to go off.

I like Carr to stay hot, even though I have the Eagles winning against him, and would take the New Orleans QB second. He’s been arguably the best QB so far, and the matchup is a pretty favorable one, so I’m sticking with him for at least this week.

I like Cousins third, which might come as a surprise to many. Cousins looked much better in week 2, and should continue to improve as he knocks the rust off. The matchup against the Chiefs looks rough, but it’s actually favorable based on the first two weeks. Expect Cousins to pass a ton as the Falcons try to keep pace with the Chiefs.

I’d take Mayfield fourth. He’s projected for more points than the Broncos’ defense usually allows, and I think he’ll accomplish just that. The only thing I really worry about is Tampa Bay dominating, which would take away passing opportunities for Mayfield.

I’d take Richardson next in this QB battle. The matchup isn’t great, and the QB hasn’t looked great yet, so this is more of a gut feeling than anything. If Richardson avoids turnovers, he could easily finish atop this QB battle because of his dual-threat ability - the chance for turnovers is why I have him this low.

I’d go with Stroud next. The matchup isn’t the best, and that’s why I have Stroud this low in the starting decision. He’s a top-end quarterback for a reason and should be trusted against all defenses.

I’d take Purdy here. He’s going to be without several offensive playmakers, but the matchup is pretty solid and it should allow the QB to rack up a good amount of fantasy points.

Give me Daniels next because of his dual-threat ability. I do not like the matchup against the Bengals, but Daniels should be able to post enough passing and rushing yards combined to post a decent fantasy score.

I’d take Smith in his matchup against the Dolphins here. It’s not a great matchup on paper, and there’s a chance Seattle dominates Miami because of Skylar Thompson starting, so that concerns me with Smith.

I’d finally take Prescott here. He’s not looked good this season and will be facing off against a really desperate Baltimore team and defense. It could be a really rough week for Prescott for a second straight week.

I’m going with Darnold last. He’s been good so far this season, and the matchup is decent, but I think Darnold comes crashing back to earth this week. I simply trust him the least of all these quarterbacks right now.