by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)
It feels like the season just started, but we are already three weeks into the season and (hopefully) are starting to get a read on who are the trustworthy options and who are not. Some of the early season breakouts are starting to fade, though we are also starting to see some slow starters figure things out. Of course what we think we now know will likely change come Sunday night, but let’s take a look and see how things stack up heading into Week 4:
- Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago
- Tom Brady – New England Patriots – vs. Carolina
- Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – at Miami
- Matt Ryan – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Buffalo
- Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions – at Minnesota
- Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Indianapolis
- Trevor Siemian – Denver Broncos – vs. Oakland
- Jay Cutler – Miami Dolphins – vs. New Orleans
- Carson Wentz – Philadelphia Eagles – at Los Angeles Chargers
- Derek Carr – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
- Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans – at Houston
- Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New York Giants
- Eli Manning – New York Giants – at Tampa Bay
- Carson Palmer – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
- Philip Rivers – Los Angeles Chargers – vs. Philadelphia
- Kirk Cousins – Washington Redskins – at Kansas City
- Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals – at Cleveland
- Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams – at Dallas
- Alex Smith – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Washington
- Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Baltimore
- Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – vs. Tennessee
- Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – at New England
- Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars – at New York Jets
- Tyrod Taylor – Buffalo Bills – at Atlanta
Thoughts:
- Trevor Semian had a poor showing in Week 3, with 259 yards, 0 TD and 2 INT, after thriving in his first two starts at home (Week 3 came on the road). This week he returns home to take on an Oakland team that is allowing the fourth most points to opposing quarterbacks per week thanks to 5 TD vs. 0 INT. Look for Semian to get back on track and be worth using in even single-quarterback formats.
- The Houston Texans were supposed to be a good defense, though they’ve allowed the seventh most points per week to opposing quarterbacks (727 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT). Coming off a strong showing against the Seattle Seahawks (225 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT) it’s easy to envision Marcus Mariota posting another good stat line. The key for him is going to be throwing for a few TD, something that’s unfortunately not a given considering the running game behind him (he has 3 TD in the first three weeks). That risk keeps his value down slightly, but he’s still a viable option.
- Alex Smith has made a splash this season, though it’s important to note that the yardage has been trending down (368 to 251 to 155) and he’s thrown 3 TD over the past two weeks (he had 4 TD in Week 1). Is he moving more towards the “safe” option as opposed to the big play threat we wanted to believe he was? He’s still a borderline QB1, but after Washington silenced the Raiders’ passing game he’s going to be a tough sell.
- In two games the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed 670 passing yards, 4 TD and 2 INT. After watching Eli Manning and the Giants’ passing attack finally find its footing late in Week 3 there’s a good chance he continues producing in a big way.
- Deshaun Watson tossed for 300 yards, 2 TD and 2 INT against the Patriots, though they obviously needed to throw a lot to try and keep up. While they may not be in the same position this week, he has a favorable offense and the coaching staff is clearly growing comfortable with him. As a QB2, don’t shy away.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 rankings:
Quarterbacks |
Running Backs |
Wide Receivers |
Tight Ends |
Kickers |
Defenses |
Sieman or Prescott this week.
Siemian for me
Prof,
Someone in my league dumped Dak Prescott last week. I have Big Ben and Andrew Luck. Should I dump DeAndre Washington to pick up Dak, drop Big Ben to pick up Dak? Or Drop DeAndre to pick up Wendell Smallwood? My other RB’s are Gurley, Gordon, CJ Anderson and Robert Kelley. I’m a little worried about Big Ben’s match ups the next 3 weeks..
Thanks.
I’m, not a big Prescott fan, so I wouldn’t go nuts and it’s hard to justify carrying 3 QB. I’d rather grab Smallwood
I have A. Rodgers and S. Bradford for the bye week but A. Luck is on the waver wire. Who do you think has the best chance to play well week 8?
It’s impossible to count on Luck until we have a better idea of his health. While he has the higher upside, I wouldn’t bank on him being a better Week 8 option
Why Tyrod so low? Isn’t he a safe play with a chance for a lot of yardage?
I don’t consider him a safe play, though a low-end one in 2 quarterback formats. In single QB leagues, I wouldn’t touch him.
hey professor, which qb do i start this week mariota, rivers or a.smith
Mariota for me! I’d love to say Smith, but he scares me this week
Hey Prof-
A.Smith, Winston, or Palmer at about?
At quarterback
I’d be going Winston, with Palmer as the second choice
Wentz/Rivers this week? I know wentz is ranked ahead, but any afterthought considering LAC pass defense is pretty formidable? Or should I hit the wire…Keenum/Bortles/Dalton are my
options there. Thanks always for the advice.
No second thoughts for me. I’d go Wentz of those options as a low-end QB1
Started sieman and sat Dak..That sure sucked. Thinking of. Dropping Sieman.
Would you.
In a 1 QB format I’m not against it.