Jaxson Dart exited Monday night’s loss to the Rams with a knee injury, and the Giants just received some bad news on the quarterback. Dart will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
With Dart done for the season, many fantasy mangers need to pick up a quarterback to start for Week 3.
Below, I have featured my three favorite options that are available in most leagues.
Best QB Waiver Wire Adds for Week 3
1. Tyler Shough, Saints
After ending last season strong, Shough is off to a great start in 2026 and he is only rostered in 60% of leagues on Yahoo. Shough scored 29.2 FPTS vs. the Lions and 22.4 FPTS vs. the Ravens in his first two starts of this season, and he has topped 20 FPTS in his last six starts overall.
Shough is the No. 4 quarterback for fantasy this season, and he has been efficient with his arm, averaging 7.4 YPA and throwing four touchdowns to two picks. Shough has also been active with his legs with 12 carries, including five red zone attempts, which is tied for the most among quarterbacks.
Just last week, Shough rushed the ball a career-high nine times for 23 yards and a touchdown, which sealed the win for the Saints over Ravens. New Orleans has been the fastest team in the NFL under Kellen Moore this season and the Saints also rank 10th in PROE.
Shough is a legitimate QB1 for fantasy in this offense and for Week 3, he is going against a Raiders team that ranks 11th in pace. Las Vegas has been solid against the pass, sitting 16th in YPA allowed (6.8), but these two up-tempo offenses going head-to-head should result in a fantasy-friendly environment.
This game carries a 44.5-point total and the Saints sport a 23.5-point implied team total on DraftKings Sportsbook. Shough is a top-eight quarterback for Week 3 and, if available, he is a must-add if you just lost Dart.
2. Bryce Young, Panthers
Young has many haters, but he has been proving those haters wrong this season. Young has been outstanding, scoring 35.44 FPTS vs. the Bears and 24.08 FPTS vs. the Falcons, making him the No. 2 quarterback for fantasy, trailing only Josh Allen.
Young is leading the NFL with six passing touchdowns and he has only thrown one pick. Young is also averaging an elite 8.9 YPA, which ranks third among quarterbacks. The 25-year-old only has carried the ball three times, but all those rushes came in the red zone, one of which he converted into a touchdown.
Young was up-and-down in his first three seasons, but the former No. 1 pick finally looks comfortable under center. So, what changed? Well, HC Dave Canales is no longer the play caller for this offense. He handed those duties to OC Brad Idzik this offseason and the move clearly has helped Young tremendously.
The Panthers rank second in PROE and fourth in pace with Idzik calling the plays, after ranking 29th in PROE and 24th in pace last season. On top of Young and Idzik being on the same page, Young has two legitimate receivers in Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker at his disposal, and veteran tight end Darren Waller has been a great red zone threat.
For Week 3, Young is facing a Browns’ defense that is giving up the fifth-most passing touchdowns (5) and 11th-most yards per pass this season (7.2). Young shouldn’t slow down in this matchup and he is only rostered in 46% of leagues on Yahoo.
3. Deshaun Watson, Browns
If in a deeper league, and Shough and Young aren’t available, I like taking a chance on Watson, who is only rostered in 4% of leagues on Yahoo. There was speculation if Watson played poorly in Week 2 that Sheduer Sanders would start in Week 3, but this isn’t likely to be the case after Watson led the Browns to a road win over the heavily favored Buccaneers this past Sunday.
Watson scored 19.72 FPTS in this victory and he posted 15.0 FPTS vs. the Jaguars in Week 1. After sitting out last season due to his second torn Achilles, the expectations were very low for Watson this season, but he has been surprisingly effective. The quarterback has thrown three touchdowns to just one pick and he ranks seventh in YPA (8.5). Two of those touchdowns have gone to rookie Denzel Boston, who has been impressive as Watson’s top option.
Watson also been strong as a rusher, despite coming off some major injuries. Among quarterbacks, the veteran ranks third in rushes (13) — including two red zone attempts — and first in missed tackles forced (7).
Watson is going to find the endzone with his legs soon, maybe as soon as this Sunday, as he is facing a Panthers’ defense that has already allowed two rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks. As noted above, Carolina ranks fourth in pace this season and Watson should eclipse 20 FPTS as the Browns attempt to keep up with Young and the Panthers.
