Sleepers at Quarterback
Marcus Mariota, Washington (vs Las Vegas) **Monitor Daniels' Status**
Mariota played well in Week 18 last year while Jayden Daniels rested for the playoffs. He threw for two scores and ran for another, posting a strong fantasy QB1 weeks in the process. The Raiders' defense is traveling across the country on a short week, and the Commanders' offense is well-rested after playing Thursday night in Green Bay. After playing the Packers' defense, facing the Raiders is going to seem like football on easy mode. We'll monitor practice reports on Friday to let you know whether Daniels rallies from his knee injury to make a bid to play this week.
Mac Jones, San Francisco (vs Arizona) **Monitor Purdy's Status**
Brock Purdy (toe) returned to practice in a limited fashion, but until we hear otherwise, expect Jones to start. He might be without Jauan Jennings, but the Cardinals' secondary is banged up, and they have only faced Spencer Rattler and Bryce Young so far this year. Jones should be at least modestly successful for fantasy and gives you a safe option if you are in a pinch.
Carson Wentz, Minnesota (vs Cincinnati)
Wentz is taking over at just the right time. Left tackle Christian Darrisaw could return this week, and the Vikings are facing what might be the worst defense in the NFL. Wentz should be set up for a big game as long as Jake Browning does enough against the Vikings' defense to keep this game competitive into the second half.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas (at Washington)
Smith's play on Monday night was a debacle, but expect him to be more productive against a Commanders defense that let Jordan Love do just about whatever he wanted against them on Thursday night. The Raiders can't seem to open holes in the running game, so the offense is going to depend on Smith, which at least gives him a decent ceiling after he performed at the level of his floor against the Chargers.
Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh (at New England)
Rodgers is facing the defense that has been the worst against the pass so far this year. He's a reasonable streaming quarterback play after the Steelers' pass offense looked so good against the Jets in Week 1. They sputtered in Week 2, but the Seahawks are going to do that to a lot of offenses this year. The Steelers' defensive woes almost ensure that Rodgers will have to air it out to keep them in the game.