BALLER MOVE: Target ~130
CURRENT ADP: ~145
ANALYSIS: Andy Dalton was performing at an MVP caliber level in 2015 before a broken thumb derailed a top eight fantasy quarterback finish. Despite throwing for fewer touchdowns passes in 16 games, he still proved to be a decent option as the QB-12 last season for streaming in favorable matchups.
Dalton was missing his two most dangerous and prolific downfield threats in A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert for much of 2016 while still completing 64.7 percent of his passes. It’s notable that the Cincinnati Bengals opted to draft speedster John Ross and exceptionally talented runner Joe Mixon in the NFL Draft, arguably giving him one of the best supporting casts he has ever had. Still, the losses of Pro Bowl left tackle Andrew Whitworth and fixture at right guard Kevin Zeitler make it especially confusing as to how effective this offense will shape up to be.
Dalton exemplifies the term ‘sleeper’, as he is a high upside player that can perform at a high level while also having a few damning caveats next to his name. I feel comfortable taking him as my QB2 in round thirteen and potentially having him explode onto the scene at some point in 2017.
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