The number one fantasy quarterback is Andy Dalton. I never thought I would omit these words earlier in the season and plenty of my drafts saw Dalton go undrafted or taken in the closing rounds as a complete sleeper. Dalton has totally taken off and is having a career year so far this season. Dalton lit up the Seahawks this week at home showing that he can certainly hang with the cream of the crop. Plenty of fantasy owners are still baffled about how well Dalton has been doing and what is causing him to do so good. The answer is simple and easy to understand once put into perspective.
Preseason Hype
Who in all honesty had faith in Andy Dalton prior to the start of the season? Anyone? The most I heard about Dalton was his inability to prove in the playoffs (still unsolved) and how hot and cold Dalton is (hot all year through 5 weeks). Literally no one believed in Andy Dalton and so far this year it appears as all the preseason resentfulness towards Dalton only added fuel to the fire. Dalton was by no means a great fantasy quarterback last season that only broke the 20 point barrier twice. Dalton scored in the negatives once last season and pretty much scored around 10-15 points a game and occasionally would have a miserable week. So far Dalton has already scored north of 20 three times with one of them being a 30 point game. Dalton is currently ranked 1st among fantasy quarterbacks compared to last season where he finished outside the top 15. Dalton has significantly improved and appears to be proving plenty of people wrong.
A.J. Green Impact
Dalton’s favorite wide receiver is clearly A.J. Green. Last season Green set new career lows in all major categories such as touchdowns and yards. This was simply because Green could not stay healthy and be on the field for the entire season. Plenty of people criticized Dalton and criticized Green. Both are proving plenty of people wrong and showing why they are one of the best wide receiver-quarterback combinations in the entire NFL. So far this season Green has caught 3 touchdown passes and picked up 495 yards with 31 receptions. This equates out to about 99 yards a game with 5 a little over 6 receptions each game. Green is finding the endzone more like he did in 2012 and 2013. If Green continues to play well then him and Dalton will only get better as the year goes on.
Tyler Eifert
Eifert was relatively unheard of prior to the season and has transformed into a top tier tight end. Eifert has found the endzone 5 times already this season and has picked up 312 yards over the first 5 weeks. Eifert is certainly helping Dalton and getting in the endzone when Dalton throws him the ball. Eifert presents the Bengals with a new dynamic that the franchise has not seen in recent years: a red zone threat. Eifert is one of the best in the NFL at getting the ball in the endzone. The stocky 6’ 6” tight end is never easy to cover and has broken out this year. The trio of Dalton, Eifert, and Green is the type of material that Super Bowl contenders are made of and certainly fantasy championship winners.
Verdict
Andy Dalton has been outstanding this fantasy season. The value of two legit threats is unmatched by other NFL teams. Dalton, Eifert, and Green are beginning to more and more resemble the combination of Brady, Brown, and Branch that lead the Patriots to multiple titles. There is simply not enough of a track record to base this comparison on but if the trio continues to win games, then this core may be one of the greatest football has seen. As far as fantasy goes, owning any of these players, a combination of 2, or all 3 is certainly setting you up for success. Pending injuries, this team is star studded and is proving doubters wrong so far this NFL season.