Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups- Week 3

How quickly things can change. After hoping and waiting for football, Week 2 of the NFL season was an absolute bloodbath on the injury front. A bunch of players missed snaps during the game for a myriad of injuries while major names like Saquon Barkley find them looking to 2021.

The quarterback position, while relatively safe, did see some turnover during Week 2. Jimmy Garoppolo will likely miss several weeks due to an ankle injury and Justin Herbert got a surprise start thanks to a Tyrod Taylor chest injury during the Chargers’ pregame. That means there are some options to consider heading into Week 3 (and preparing for bye weeks).

In this article, I will be focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues heading into Week 3 for seasonal 1-QB leagues and less than 20% for 2-QB leagues.

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Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

Yahoo: 45% rostered, ESPN: 34.4% rostered

Ryan Tannehill continued his run as the efficient signal-caller for the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, completing 75% of his passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns against the Jaguars. Tannehill also added four carries for 12 yards on the day. He was able to sustain the passing offense through Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis in the absence of A.J. Brown. The Titans will face another soft secondary in the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, a unit that is surrendering 30.8 points per week to quarterbacks, which is the second-worst mark in the NFL this season.

Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yahoo: 32% rostered, ESPN: 19.3% rostered

A little regression was a given for Minshew after he completed 95% of his Week 1 passes, but the QB still found a way to deliver in Week 2 against the Titans. Minshew completed 66.7% of his passing attempts for 339 yards and three touchdowns (with two interceptions) in a close loss to the Titans. At this point, it is very apparent that Minshew can be trusted in fantasy leagues as he has thrown for 512 yards and six touchdowns in two weeks. Minshew will now get a Dolphins Defense that has allowed 571 passing yards, 94 rushing yards, and six total touchdowns to Cam Newton and Josh Allen the first two weeks of the season.

Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears

Yahoo: 7% rostered, ESPN: 10.8% rostered

Week 2 started out promising for Mitchell Trubisky, but a slow second half and a couple of bad interceptions settled him back in as a low-end QB2 once again (which is probably where he belongs). Trubisky completed 64% of his passes for 190 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a close win against the Giants. It was a relatively disappointing day against a secondary filled with replacement-level players, but that’s Trubisky in a nutshell. However, he is worth rostering again in Week 3 thanks to a prime matchup against the Falcons' overmatched secondary. In two games, Atlanta has allowed 744 passing yards, including 9.2 yards per attempt and eight total touchdowns on the season. Trubisky has QB1 upside for at least one more week.

Two-QB League Options and Stashes

Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers

Yahoo: 0% rostered, ESPN: 0% rostered

Once Jimmy Garoppolo was finally taken out of the game and ruled out with a high ankle sprain in Week 2, Nick Mullens took over. High ankle sprains are notoriously fickle injuries, and Jimmy G. likely misses a few weeks while he is on the mend. Nick Mullens will be the quarterback to replace him with on the 49ers, and he showed that he still has some of the ability he flashed a couple of seasons ago when he was the starter in San Fran. Mullens was 8/11 for 71 yards and an interception but didn’t need to do much as the 49ers controlled the game against the Jets. Kyle Shanahan will surely do his best to maximize Mullens’ success, and the improving health of Brandon Aiyuk and return of George Kittle will give him intriguing upside against the porous Giants Defense in Week 3. At the very least, he makes for a solid QB3 to stash on your bench until bye weeks start popping up.

Jeff Driskel, Denver Broncos

Yahoo: 0% rostered, ESPN: 0% rostered

The second major quarterback injury of Sunday was Broncos’ starting quarterback Drew Lock, who suffered a sprained AC joint during a strip-sack in Pittsburgh. AC Joints are multi-week injuries, especially when they come to a quarterback’s throwing shoulder, so Driskel will be the starting QB for the foreseeable future in Denver. Driskel performed admirably once he was put in the game, throwing for 256 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Driskel will likely be a bench player or bye week pivot for the future but has some intriguing upside in Week 3 as the Broncos prepare to face the average Buccaneers secondary.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

Yahoo: 3% rostered, ESPN: 1.7%

Justin Herbert played fantastic in Week 2 after getting an emergency start against the Kansas City Chiefs. Herbert completed 22 of 33 passes for 311 yards and a touchdown (with one interception) while adding 18 yards and an additional score on the ground. It was a very encouraging start for a rookie quarterback who didn’t get any starter reps during the practice week. So why isn’t Herbert ranked higher? Because in the post-game interviews, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn stated that Tyrod Taylor would be the team’s starter once he was healthy regardless of Herbert’s performance. Even with that, he is worth a speculative add as a bench quarterback. He isn’t a priority over Mullens or Driskel but has shown he can provide upside potentially later in the NFL season.

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