Streaming Quarterbacks: Week 3 Targets

Sep 22, 2020

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If you escaped Week 2 without a significant injury to your team, count yourself lucky. Some of the biggest names in fantasy football were quickly sidelined, or in some cases, carted off the field due to catastrophic injury. While some fantasy managers celebrated their Week 2 victory, others were already scanning depth charts for possible relief. After a fun-filled Week 1, the realities of a shortened offseason kick into high gear as practice reports and injury updates will be the focus ahead of next week.

Other Week 3 Streaming Articles: TE | K | DST

Injuries at the quarterback position have opened up additional streaming options for Week 3. Tyrod Taylor’s rib injury (forcing him to go to the hospital mid-game) brings Justin Herbert into consideration after a promising surprise start. Drew Lock’s shoulder injury is expected to keep him off the field for multiple weeks bringing Jeff Driskel back into our lives. With the pool of options expanding, we’ll need to be secure in our process to find the best recommendations for Week 3.

Week 2 Review

Only two quarterbacks rostered at less than 40% finished in the Top 12 for Week 2: Gardner Minshew and Ryan Fitzpatrick. It’s possible we overrated the Bills’ defense given their Week 1 performance against the Jets. A negative game script was plausible inducing more passing volume. Fitzpatrick just needed to play a clean game. We’ll need to consider him moving forward with a clear look at his ceiling. Now, let’s review last week’s recommendations.

Top Streamers

Gardner Minshew – 23.5 pts (QB12)
Mitch Trubisky – 13.2 pts (QB24)

Deep Play

Philip Rivers – 10.9 pts (QB28)

The main concern with Minshew was the lack of offensive plays in Week 1. Jacksonville seemed unwilling to match Indianapolis’s pace, but that all changed in Week 2. They ran 74 plays while maintaining a balanced offense against the Titans. We haven’t seen Minshew's true talent as a runner, but he’s put up enough on the ground to sustain his value moving forward.

After Minshew, we’re left with a lot of missed opportunities. Allen Robinson somehow caught a ball that got wrestled away from him causing an interception. Anthony Miller dropped a touchdown. Trubisky hasn’t rushed from inside the 20-yard line to access his ceiling, but a couple of missed opportunities resulted in a six-point swing that would have salvaged his day. Rivers dealt with similar issues. Parris Campbell suffered a PCL injury early in the game and T.Y. Hilton dropped a 44-yard touchdown. While the results aren’t up to our expectations, we can still find some elements to their games to keep them in our consideration as the season progresses.

Key Defensive Injuries

Again, Week 2 was filled with injuries. Offensive injuries take center stage, but we’re looking for any defensive injuries that could raise the floor for some of our streaming candidates. The list is long but we’ll focus on how this can help the prospects of any potential streamers.

Rayshawn Jenkins (Chargers, Groin) and Justin Jones (Shoulder) – Patrick Mahomes needed overtime to get over 300 passing yards against the Chargers’ secondary. Already missing Derwin James, losses to both their coverage and pass rush should brighten the prospects for Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers. Bridgewater was constantly under pressure in Week 2 after taking five sacks against the Buccaneers. Any additional time to work behind the Panthers’ weak offensive line should keep him from another 8.9-point outing.

Byron Jones (Dolphins, Groin) – Jones had the unfortunate assignment of trailing Stefon Diggs in Week 2. In his absence, Josh Allen set another career-high in passing yardage against the remaining members of Miami’s secondary. Since the Dolphins play on Thursday night, Gardner Minshew will likely face them without Jones in the lineup. With Minshew finding success with 10 different receivers in Week 2, he’ll have multiple options to attack the weakened secondary that’s allowed an average 30.1 points to opposing quarterbacks.

Malik Hooker (Colts, Achilles) and Matthew Adams (Ankle) – Hooker’s injury is the headliner as the starting safety had only allowed a single reception while in coverage through Week 1. With an ailing pass rush (only one hurried pass in Week 1), the Colts’ secondary had to take charge and now faces a setback. There’s not much Sam Darnold can do with multiple players out due to injury, but a secondary in disarray could give the Jets some life in Week 3.

Takk McKinley (Falcons, Groin), Foye Oluokon (Hamstring), and Ricardo Allen (Elbow) – The Falcons’ defense has allowed 39 points per game to opposing offenses. Their defensive front has generated just four sacks and their secondary has zero interceptions. Their offensive tempo already promotes high-volume games and their defensive woes set up a positive game environment for Mitch Trubisky. After a middling performance in Week 2, Trubisky gets a slight boost with the Falcons recovering from multiple injuries to their defense.

Quincy Wilson (Jets, Concussion) and Arthur Maulet (Groin) – The Jets defense allowed 31 points after San Francisco lost their starting quarterback and running back to injury. It doesn’t take much to get excited about a streaming quarterback facing this defense, but Philip Rivers and the Colts are also dealing with injuries to their offense. The bulk of their offensive production came on the ground, but we can rely on Rivers for as a floor play in Week 3.

DJ Hayden (Jaguars, Concussion) – Hayden will need to clear the league’s concussion protocol before their game on Thursday. If forced to sit, Jacksonville will be down their starting slot corner after Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with both Mike Gesicki and Isaiah Ford for over 200 yards. Fitzpatrick, while erratic at times, looks to be in a better situation should Hayden miss some time on the short week.