2017 Fantasy Report Card: Andy Dalton
If you subscribe to the life of living on the edge and drafting a QB late in your drafts (and you should if you are a member of the #FootClan), then Andy Dalton was likely on the short list of QBs you targeted last year. If you snagged him as I did, you went into Week 1 feeling pumped knowing you were stocked up at RB & WR and willing to foresee the potential in a QB who has been a top 5 guy before. Let’s dive into Dalton’s 2017 season and hand out the report card grade to the resident red head student in the classroom.
2017: Season Review
Dalton’s season went to the crapper from the get-go as the Bengals lost their first 3 games. He got back on track with a monster Week 4 against Cleveland with 4 TDs and yet still came in as the QB25 for the first half of the season. The offensive line play was definitely to blame as Dalton saw 39+ sacks in back-to-back years and the unit ranked 24th in run blocking. How did Dalton fare staistically?
ANDY DALTON 2017 STATS
| Completions | Attempts | Yards | TDs | INTs | Comp % | QB Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 297 | 496 | 3,320 | 25 | 12 | 59.9 | 86.6 |
Final Grade: C+
In terms of fantasy production, Dalton finished as the QB17 averaging a meager 13.2 fantasy points per contest. He was probably a forgotten man and draft day letdown by many (not the #BillsMafia) in 2017. He still had 6 QB1 weeks on the season including 3 top 5 weeks, also known as more than Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and Philip Rivers… COMBINED. Dalton showcased that he can give you some absolute boom games at his rock-bottom price. However, owners (like myself) that drafted him as their late-round QB were obviously disappointed and dropped him by the wayside within the first month of the season.
2018: Outlook
Dalton and the entire Bengals team is somehow in for another go-around with Marvin Lewis for the coach’s 16th season in Cincinnati, one of the most stupefying statements in sports considering he’s 0-7 in the playoffs. Alliteration aside, Dalton should have a plethora of returning weapons with Tyler Eifert returning (#fingerscrossed) and John Ross available to actually do something positive. A.J. Green should shake off the worst season of his career and return to his formidable form. The Red Rifle is nothing more than a late-round QB with the added upside of having a top-10 ceiling at a basement price.