Fantasy Football Quarterback Streamers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 3)

Week 2 of the 2024 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 fantasy football 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.

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Fantasy Football Quarterback Streamers & Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 3)

Streaming Targets in 1QB Leagues

Deshaun Watson (CLE) vs. New York Giants (31.3% Rostered)

Watson has been horrible since getting traded to the Browns three years ago. He was awful in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys, completing 53.3% of his pass attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown, and an interception, totaling 10.7 fantasy points. Last week, the veteran played better, completing 64.7% of his pass attempts for 186 yards. More importantly, Watson has made plays with his legs, totaling 10 rushing attempts for 59 yards and a touchdown over the first two weeks, averaging six fantasy points per game on the ground.

Fantasy players will hate the idea of starting Watson, even as a streaming option. However, his matchup in Week 3 gives him low-end QB1 upside. The Giants have surrendered 14 fantasy points per contest to quarterbacks this season despite facing Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels in his second career game. New York has allowed quarterbacks to complete 79.3% of their pass attempts, averaging 0.67 fantasy points per completion. More importantly, the Giants struggled to contain Daniels, giving up 44 rushing yards to the rookie last week.

Derek Carr (NO) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (9.5% Rostered)

I had Carr as the streamer to avoid last week, and it was a massive miss on my part. The veteran finished the week as a top-five quarterback, scoring 21.8 fantasy points. He only had 16 pass attempts but finished with 243 passing yards and two touchdowns. Furthermore, Carr had a goal-line rushing score. The former Fresno State star was outstanding despite Alvin Kamara totaling 180 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns. Carr has five passing touchdowns over the first two weeks after totaling 25 scores in 2023.

The veteran quarterback has an appealing Week 3 matchup against the Eagles. Philadelphia made several big-name additions to their defense in the offseason. However, they have struggled to slow down opposing passing attacks this year. The Eagles have allowed opposing quarterbacks to average 250.5 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 17 fantasy points per game, giving up 16.4 or more in both contests. Philadelphia had no answer for Kirk Cousins during the Atlanta Falcons’ game-winning drive on Monday night. Expect Carr to pick apart the Eagles’ struggling pass defense.

Streaming Targets in Superflex Leagues

Sam Darnold (MIN) vs. Houston Texans (5.6% Rostered)

One of the biggest surprises over the first two weeks has been Darnold and the Vikings. Minnesota is 2-0, including a 23-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. While the former No. 3 NFL Draft pick hasn’t been a fantasy star, the veteran has played well. He has completed 72% of his pass attempts for 238 yards, two touchdowns, and 17.3 fantasy points per game. Darnold hasn’t had to throw the ball at a high rate, totaling 24 and 26 pass attempts in the two contests.

Surprisingly, he showed off his athleticism last week, rushing for 32 yards on five attempts. Meanwhile, the Texans gave Caleb Williams nightmares, as he pressured on almost every snap last week. They held the rookie to 7.4 fantasy points while forcing two interceptions. However, Houston gave up 212 yards, two touchdowns, and 16.5 fantasy points to Anthony Richardson in the passing game in Week 1. The Vikings have one of the top offensive lines in the NFL. Darnold should have another strong fantasy performance if Minnesota can keep him upright.

Gardner Minshew (LV) vs. Carolina Panthers (2.8% Rostered)

The Raiders wanted to be a run-heavy offense this year. However, Minshew has 71 passing attempts over the first two weeks, totaling at least 33 in both contests. While the veteran hasn’t been outstanding for fantasy players, Minshew has played well. He has completed 77.5% of his pass attempts for 266.5 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 11.9 fantasy points per game. Last week, Minshew had 276 passing yards and 12.9 fantasy points against an elite Baltimore Ravens defense. Thankfully, his matchup in Week 3 is far more fantasy-friendly.

While some had high hopes for the Panthers under new head coach Dave Canales, the team has been a disaster. They have been outscored 73-13 this season, scoring one offensive touchdown all year. More importantly, their defense has been a fantasy goldmine. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged only 22 pass attempts per game against Carolina, totaling 24 or fewer in both matchups. Yet, quarterbacks have averaged 2.5 touchdowns per game and 0.98 fantasy points per completion. Don’t be surprised if Minshew has his way with the Panthers’ defense.

Streamer to Avoid

Matthew Stafford (LAR) vs. San Francisco 49ers (48.4% Rostered)

Typically, streaming articles provide which players to target off the waiver wire. However, I will give one quarterback that fantasy players should avoid streaming each week.

Stafford was a popular streaming option last week, thanks to his matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong happened to the Rams. The defense couldn’t stop Marvin Harrison Jr., giving up four receptions for 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. More importantly, Cooper Kupp left the game with an ankle injury that head coach Sean McVay said likely will land him on injured reserve. Stafford severely struggled without Kupp and Puka Nacua, totaling only 6.6 fantasy points against the Cardinals.

San Francisco has surrendered 17.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season. However, Stafford has always struggled against the 49ers since joining the Rams. The veteran has averaged 245.8 passing yards, 1.2 touchdowns, and 1.7 interceptions in five regular season matchups against the division rivals. Furthermore, he has had only two passing touchdowns and three interceptions in his past three games against San Francisco. With a banged-up offensive line and a depleted wide receiver core, Stafford likely finishes Week 3 outside the top 24 quarterbacks.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.