Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Quarterbacks Fantasy Football Week 3: It’s a Kirk Cousins Comeback

After a Week 2 clunker, the Vikings QB is ready to atone.

Start ‘Em, Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football. This column will not cover the elite players in the NFL like Josh Allen, Jonathan Taylor or Cooper Kupp. Instead, I'll look at the players you have questions about who could exceed or fail to meet expectations at each position. For all of your final fantasy lineup decisions, be sure to check out my weekly player rankings which will be updated daily throughout the NFL season.

Fabs Top 10 Quarterbacks

1. Josh Allen at Dolphins
2. Lamar Jackson at Patriots
3. Jalen Hurts at Commanders
4. Patrick Mahomes at Colts
5. Justin Herbert vs. Jaguars
6. Kyler Murray vs. Rams
7. Kirk Cousins vs. Lions
8. Matthew Stafford at Cardinals
9. Joe Burrow at Jets
10. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Bills

Complete positional rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | K | DST

Week 3 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: QUARTERBACKS | RUNNING BACKS | WIDE RECEIVERS | TIGHT ENDS | KICKERS & TEAM DEFENSES

Week 3 Start ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Start of the Week

Kirk Cousins vs. Lions (1 p.m. ET, Fox): I know, Cousins looked terrible in a loss to the Eagles on Monday night. But that was last week, and this is a new game in a positive matchup against the Lions. Their defense has allowed an average of more than 26 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, as both Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz beat them for 20-plus. Forget last week and start Cousins.

Start ‘Em

Matthew Stafford at Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Stafford, listed as a start ‘em last week, produced three touchdowns and 18.9 fantasy points in a win over the Falcons. I’d start him again this week, as he faces a Cardinals defense that’s given up seven touchdown passes in its first two games of the season. Stafford has also scored 18.5 points or more in five of his last six games against Arizona.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Stafford over 273.5 passing yards

Joe Burrow at Jets (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Burrow has had a rough start to the 2022 season, throwing for just three scores while turning the ball over five times. His offensive line has been awful, allowing a league-high 13 sacks. The good news is that the Jets have recorded just three sacks in their first two games (T-6th fewest) and quarterbacks have averaged 19.8 points against them since Week 13, 2021.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Burrow over 266.5 passing yards

Russell Wilson vs. 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Wilson put up a big stinker in last week’s win over the Texans, but I’ll keep the faith and start him against the 49ers. Their defense has allowed the third-fewest points to quarterbacks after two weeks, but they’ve faced Justin Fields in a rainstorm and Geno Smith. Wilson has had success against the Niners, too, averaging 20.8 points in his last eight meetings.

Jared Goff at Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Believe it or not, Goff is the QB9 after the first two weeks of the season. That doesn’t mean he’s a must-start, but he is a viable streamer or DFS option when the matchup is right. That’s the case this week against the Vikings, who have allowed more than 18 fantasy points to quarterbacks in their last eight games. SI Sportsbook has the O/U at 52, too.

More Starts

• Tua Tagovailoa vs. Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Derek Carr at Titans (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Marcus Mariota at Seahawks (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)

DFS Bargains

• Tua Tagovailoa vs. Bills ($6,100)
• Jared Goff vs. Vikings ($5,800)
• Marcus Mariota at Seahawks ($5,500)

Week 3 Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks

Sit of the Week

Aaron Rodgers at Buccaneers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Rodgers has had a tough start to the season, scoring a combined 20.1 fantasy points in his first two games . Things might not improve this week either, as the Packers head south to face the Buccaneers. Their defense has allowed an average of 7.3 points to enemy quarterbacks this season and 14.1 points in their last eight games since last year.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Rodgers over 0.5 interceptions

Sit ‘Em

Justin Fields vs. Texans (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Fields has scored a combined 22.4 points in his first two games, and this weekend’s matchup against an underrated Texans defense makes him a fade. Houston held Russell Wilson to just 11.1 points last week, and quarterbacks have averaged just 16.5 points against them in their last eight games dating back to last season. Fields is a super flex option at best.

SI Sportsbook Player Prop: Fields over 0.5 TD passes

Jameis Winston at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Winston, who is playing with four fractures in his back, was held to 7.6 fantasy points in last weekend’s loss to the Buccaneers. Next up is a date with the Panthers, who have allowed an average of just 12 points per game to quarterbacks this season. What’s more, their defense has allowed fewer than 18 points to five of their last seven enemy quarterbacks.

Jimmy Garoppolo at Broncos (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Garoppolo was a hot name off the waiver wire this week, as he’s back atop the 49ers depth chart after the loss of Trey Lance. He’s still just a super flex option this week, though, as he has a bad matchup in Denver. In their last eight games dating back to last season, their tough defense has allowed an average of fewer than 15 points a game to quarterbacks.

Baker Mayfield vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Mayfield saw his numbers decline last week, as he was held to 13.1 points after scoring 18 in the opener. I’d beware the veteran this week, too, as he’ll face a Saints defense that’s held all but one opposing quarterback to fewer than 12 fantasy points in their last eight games dating back to last season. Mayfield is a super flex option, but that’s about it.

More Sits
• Tom Brady vs. Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Matt Ryan vs. Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Daniel Jones vs. Cowboys (Mon. 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

DFS Fades
• Aaron Rodgers at Buccaneers ($6,400)
• Tom Brady vs. Packers ($6,000)
• Justin Fields vs. Texans ($5,600)

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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!