The quarterback world was quiet in Week 2 with only four quarterbacks throwing for more than two touchdowns: Aaron Rodgers: Jay Cutler, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning. Besides those guys, players such as Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Geno Smith turned in solid games. In fact, all of them outscored fantasy studs Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees in most formats.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 quarterbacks to target for Week 3
Week 2 brought a lot of injuries and you may be looking for a quarterback to replace Robert Griffin III on your fantasy team.
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The seemingly random outbursts are not all that surprising. Fantasy quarterbacks are often based on matchups, which is a big reason why it's risky to invest so much on one QB. Besides the lackluster performances, the big headline is Robert Griffin III suffering a dislocated ankle. RGIII is expected to miss close to a month and possibly more. His fantasy owners may have to cut him depending on their league depth and current needs on their roster. Here are five potential replacements:
Kirk Cousins, Washington (owned in 8 percent of leagues)
He started off his 2014 with a bang, completing a 20-yard touchdown on his first throw of the season. Cousins finished with an effective stat line of 250 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 109.4. That's even more impressive considering receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a shoulder injury in the first half and tight end Jordan Reed did not play at all due to his ailing hamstring. Not to mention he didn't have a week to prepare with the first team.
While he’s looked good in some spots, Cousins did only have a 52.3 completion percentage on his 155 attempts last season. Plus, his 58.4 passer rating was inexcusably low. However, he was a little better in his rookie season.
Washington should get plenty of possessions against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, which gives Cousins some upside. He's a good fit for coach Jay Gruden's system and could get rolling while RGIII is down. After the Eagles, he'll face the New York Giants in a great matchup, but then he gets the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. It gets a little better from Weeks 7-9 against the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He could be a top-10 quarterback over the next six weeks, but there is a lot of risk involved.
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Geno Smith, New York Jets (owned in 9 percent of leagues)
The Jets had a bad loss in Green Bay, but it wasn't Geno's fault. He should have had his third TD with a pass to Jeremy Kerley, but it was called back because of a "timeout" from offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Still, Geno was a top-10 fantasy quarterback with 176 passing yards, 26 rushing yards and two total TDs in Week 2.
The concern of Michael Vick taking his job has subsided and Geno should be good to go for a while. The Jets have a decent set of weapons, but they will need receiver Eric Decker to come back healthy from his hamstring strain suffered in Week 2.
He will get the Bears on Monday Night Football next week, a team which has struggled to stop opponents so far this season. The game is also at home and Geno's home-road splits have been much better at MetLife Stadium so far.
Beyond that, the Jets get a very friendly schedule with the Detroit Lions in Week 4, the San Diego Chargers in Week 5, the Denver Broncos in Week 6 and the New England Patriots in Week 7. He should have a fairly high floor and could be a top-eight guy in that aforementioned span. Again, he will need Decker to be back.
EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills (owned in 8 percent of leagues)
Hey, the Bills are 2-0 and EJ Manuel has scored at least 14 fantasy points in each of his two games. The addition of Sammy Watkins has really helped him, and the Bills have been able to score at least 23 points in each of their two games.
Manuel has run the ball a total of 10 times this year, but he’s racked up only 25 rushing yards. That will probably change as teams respect the pass more and play more straight man-to-man coverage, which will allow EJ to get those double-digit yard runs.
They will take on the San Diego Chargers at home in Week 3, which has resulted in some positive outings from a stats standpoint for Carson Palmer and Russell Wilson in Weeks 1 and 2.
Austin Davis/Shaun Hill, St. Louis Rams (owned in 0/1 percent of leagues)
Matchups can trump talent and that’s why Davis is here. The Rams will get the Dallas Cowboys next week and could have their best scoring output of the season. Of course, this is moot if Shaun Hill is able to return from his leg injury. He was active Sunday and just acted as an emergency guy.
If you really swear by the matchups, the starting Rams quarterback could put up numbers, despite how disappointing Jake Locker was against the Cowboys on Sunday.
Blake Bortles (owned in 4 percent of leagues)
The Jaguars can't protect their quarterback and that's why Bortles isn't out there yet. Additionally, they can't get their ground game going, so they would really be throwing their prized first-round pick to the lions if they do start him.
However, he was just too good in the preseason to not be excited about him. Bortles excelled at throwing the ball down the field, and that is music to the ears of fantasy owners.
The Colts aren't a very strong defense, but they are likely to destroy the Jaguars in Week 3. It'll be one week closer until it's Bortles time.
