Fantasy football has hit been hard by quarterback injuries early in the 2025 NFL season. The 49ers have already needed to turn to a backup QB with Brock Purday being shelved for a while with his toe injury.
They are set to be joined by four more teams. The Bengals, with Joe Burrow down for about three months, are turning over their offense to Jake Browning starting in Week 3 at Minnesota. In the same game, Carson Wentz will make his first start for the Vikings with J.J. McCarhty on the shelf.
There's also a good chance that the Jets' Justin Fields (concussion) and Commanders' Jayden Daniels (knee) don't play in their Week 3 games, leading to more attrition.
Luckily, even with four quasi-weekly starting QBs down and McCarthy also not available, there are plenty of replacement options available to play in fantasy, whether in one-QB, two-QB or Superflex leagues.
You can read more about these names in our Week 3 waiver wire.
Here's exploring the best options based on Yahoo! league availability:
Fantasy's best QB streaming options Week 3
Daniel Jones, Colts (available in 76% of Yahoo! leagues)
Jones is not getting much trust at all for his new team, despite his QB4 status after two weeks (behind Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff and Justin Herbert, ahead of Josh Allen). The Dolphins are a bad defense which he ripped, but then he did rather well vs. a much tougher Broncos group.
The Colts should keep rushing the ball well in Tennessee, which was helped by shoddy play from the Broncos' Bo Nix in Week 1 but got ripped by the Rams' passing game in Week 2. Jonathan Taylor going nuts opens up a lot for Jones, from downfield throws to running well through the red zone. Jones should at least be rostered and played at least as a QB2.
Aaron Rodgers, Steelers (73% available)
Rodgers is QB12 so far with Pittsburgh after one spectacular road revenge game against the Jets and one absolute dud of a home opener vs. the Seahawks. He's back on the road against the Patriots' leaky defense in Week 3, which made lesser passers Geno Smith and Tua Tagovailoa look good.
Rodgers and DK Metcalf can dominate the matchup, which is also good for his supporting receivers. Rodgers will be a roller coaster at age 42, more of a matchup-based play. But with the potential of high volume opposite Drake Maye working against a struggling Steelers defense, this tracks as a worthy stream.
FANTASY WEEK 3 RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST | PK
Matthew Stafford, Rams (72% available)
Stafford lacks a floor because of his lack of rushing production. He played well relaity-wise in Week 1 in defeating the Texans' tough defense but the numbers only came his elite 1-2 punch of wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in Week 2 at the Titans. Stafford, in one-QB leagues, is down to strict streaming status. The Rams should need to throw a ton in Philadelphia against a team that just enough holes to lead to at least effective volume-based prodution.
Jake Browning, Vikings (94% available)
Browning is also a reasonable option for Burrow managers because he is armed with elite wide receivers, too, in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. He has experience and chemistry with those weapons and the offense won't change much. Browning also has proved he can give something in the rushing attack when needed in the red zone.
This is a more volatile, boom-or-bust choice and you will need to live with some turnover mess. The Vikings' matchup could be somewhere in the 250-300 yard passing range with more of multiple TDs and multiple turnovers, but in the end it can add up to start-able numbers. He is a must-roster in two-QB leagues with Burrow down.
FANTASY LINEUP TIPS: Week 3 Start-Sit | Week 3 Sleepers | Week 3 Busts
Mac Jones, 49ers (96% available)
Jones was the QB6 in Week 2 filling in for Purdy with 279 passing yards and 3 TDs against the Cardinals, or the kind of game Purdy could have had on the road vs. the lowly Saints. Jones seems like the ideal backup for Kyle Shanahan's system and keep in mind he got it done on the road without George Kittle.
The Cardinals' defense just gave up a QB5 finish for Bryce Young at home when he was struggling. That's promise for Jones at home, with the only hope being it's not a massive Christian McCaffrey rushing game.
Carson Wentz, Vikings (99% available)
Kevin O'Connell knows how to coach QBs into fantasy relevance. including Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold and for one week (so far), McCarthy. Wentz is the next man up. Don't forget about Wentz's 2023 backup stint with Sean McVay's Rams to help him make a quicker transition to O'Connell's system.
There's a shot for some initial rust, given he joined the team only Aug. 24. The Bengals and Steelers upcoming matchups can help lift him: so can having Justin Jefferson and the rest of Minnesota's weapons.
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