Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books. Hopefully, your team pulled out the victory. However, the only easy win was last week’s win. So, let’s look at the top streaming quarterback options for Week 3.
All the quarterbacks in this article are rostered in under 50% of ESPN 1QB leagues and under 25% in Superflex leagues.
Fantasy Football Quarterback Streamers & Waiver Wire Targets (Week 3)
Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues
Mac Jones (NE) vs. New York Jets (12.6% Rostered)
Fantasy players will be scared away from starting Jones this week because of the matchup against the Jets. Yet, New York’s defense hasn’t played well this season. They held Josh Allen to only 9.04 fantasy points in Week 1. However, that was because of the superstar quarterback’s four turnovers. He would have scored over 17 fantasy points despite having only one touchdown in the game if not for the four careless turnovers. Meanwhile, the Jets had no answers for Dak Prescott, surrendering 255 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 19.6 fantasy points after failing to force a turnover.
Last year was a nightmare for Jones and his fantasy players, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per game. However, the former Alabama star has played much better this season. He has completed 68.8% of his pass attempts for 273.5 yards, two touchdowns, and 18.94 fantasy points per game against two talented defenses. Jones has even become a decent runner, totaling 40 yards on seven rushing attempts this year. More importantly, he has been solid in his career against the Jets, averaging 249 passing yards and 14.7 fantasy points per game over his last three matchups against the division rivals.
Baker Mayfield (TB) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (10.4% Rostered)
Some thought Mayfield would have lost the starting job by Week 3. Instead, the former Oklahoma star has a 2-0 record as the Buccaneers starting quarterback. More importantly, he’s been an under-the-radar streaming option for fantasy players. Mayfield has completed 69.1% of his pass attempts for 245 yards, 1.5 touchdowns, and 17.2 fantasy points per game this season. The veteran has a higher fantasy points per game average than multiple superstars, including Lamar Jackson and Trevor Lawrence. This week, the former Oklahoma star faces the Eagles. While that might seem like an awful matchup on paper, that’s not the case.
Philadelphia had an elite pass defense last season, holding quarterbacks to 11.5 fantasy points per game, the third-fewest in the NFL. However, between the losses in the offseason and the injuries, the Eagles have been awful at stopping the pass this year. They surrendered 316 passing yards, three touchdowns, and 24.14 fantasy points to Mac Jones in Week 1. Then the Eagles made Kirk Cousins a top-five quarterback last week, giving up 364 passing yards, four touchdowns, and 28.56 fantasy points. While Mayfield might not score 24-plus fantasy points this week, he has an appealing matchup.
Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues
C.J. Stroud (HOU) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (7.4% Rostered)
Are the Texans winning games? No, both losses this season have been by at least 11 points, and that trend likely continues in Week 3. However, Stroud is quietly providing fantasy players QB2-level production early in his career. While the rookie only scored 10.2 fantasy points in Week 1, he did have 44 pass attempts for 242 yards. More importantly, Stroud played better last week against the Indianapolis Colts. The former Ohio State star had 47 pass attempts for 384 yards, two touchdowns, and 21.5 fantasy points, making him a top-15 quarterback for the week.
After taking advantage of the appealing matchup in Week 2, Stroud has another fantasy-friendly matchup this week against the Jaguars. The reigning AFC South champions have surrendered just under 21 fantasy points to Anthony Richardson in his NFL debut. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes had 21.2 last week despite both offenses struggling in the contest. More importantly, Stroud has two explosive young wide receivers – Nico Collins and Tank Dell. The Texans will end up chasing points most of this game, creating plenty of opportunities for the rookie to rack up fantasy points.
Desmond Ridder (ATL) vs. Detroit Lions (2.3% Rostered)
Is Ridder an elite quarterback? No, but he has only six starts under his belt. Hopefully, everyone in the fantasy football community remembers that before calling him awful every Sunday. The former Cincinnati Bearcat had the best performance of his short career in Week 2. Ridder had 32 pass attempts for 237 yards, 39 rushing yards, and two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers en route to scoring 21.4 fantasy points. He put up that production a week after the Packers held Justin Fields to 216 passing yards and 14.5 fantasy points. More importantly, Ridder has an excellent matchup in Week 3.
Last year, the Lions were a goldmine for fantasy players streaming quarterbacks. They surrendered 23.2 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the most in the NFL. Detroit has struggled to slow down quarterbacks in 2023 despite making several additions on defense in the offseason. The Lions have given up 277 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 21.33 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, surrendering at least 19.5 fantasy points in both contests. All fantasy players need is for Detroit to score on Atlanta’s defense. That will force Arthur Smith to give Ridder more than 18 pass attempts, leading to a solid QB2 finish.
Streamer to Avoid
Sam Howell (WAS) vs. Buffalo Bills (9.4% Rostered)
Typically, streaming articles tell you which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback each week that you should avoid.
Howell had a rocky Week 1, totaling only 202 passing yards and two turnovers against the Arizona Cardinals. A rushing touchdown saved his fantasy performance, as he scored 15.2 fantasy points. However, the former UNC star was significantly better last week against the Denver Broncos, totaling 299 passing yards, two touchdowns, zero turnovers, and 21.3 fantasy points. Howell saw his completion rate increase by 7.9%, and his fantasy points per pass attempt improved by nearly 50% from Week 1 to Week 2. Unfortunately, fantasy players shouldn’t count on him this week against the Bills.
Buffalo has destroyed quarterbacks this season. They surrendered only 140 passing yards and 8.2 fantasy points to Zach Wilson in Week 1. Furthermore, the former BYU star would have scored only 4.08 fantasy points if not for a highlight reel touchdown catch by Garrett Wilson. Meanwhile, the Bills shut down Jimmy Garoppolo on Sunday. The veteran quarterback had 15.1 fantasy points in Week 1 against the Broncos. However, he had only 7.5 fantasy points against the Bills on Sunday. While he had an impressive performance in Week 2, Howell will struggle against an elite Buffalo defense.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.