Andy Dalton (QB, CIN) - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 2QB Leagues

OWNED IN: 9% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Andy Dalton lost the starting nod earlier in the year and was riding the pine as soon as in Week 10. He did so for three games and was back starting again for the Bengals in Week 13. This past weekend, though, marked his best game of the year: 396 passing yards on 33-of-56 passes for 4 (!) touchdowns. Sure, the throwing volume was massive, but also the raw stats Dalton was able to put on the box score.

As if he was playing for his life — which, at this point, he might — Dalton put on a show last Sunday against Miami and finished the day with a massive 35.8 fantasy points. It was by far his best outing of the year, as he had not topped 29 FP on the season through Week 15. Even with that, though, benching Dalton was not reasonable from a fantasy perspective and it was nice to have him back. In the first eight weeks of the season, Dalton averaged 281 passing yards and 25.5 completions for 1.1 TD and 1.0 INT per game. All in all, an average of 21.6 FP. The low touchdown numbers paired with a bunch of interceptions killed him in real life, but he’s always brought high upside with him due to his high-volume tendencies.

For the last week of the season, Cincinnati (already locked into drafting first) hosts the Browns. Good matchup for Dalton, as Cleveland ranks 21st against QBs in fantasy this season and is already out of the playoffs. Dalton is a top-tier 2QB league option this week and a borderline streaming player to consider in deeper one-QB leagues too. He’s barely rostered at this point but he offers a high floor of around 15 points and should reach the 20 FP without a problem, with the potential to get you more than 25 if he is able to get a couple of throws inside the paint.