DANDY ANDY
Steelers clash could be boost for Bengals QB
THERE are some players who just don’t inspire. Putting them in your fantasy lineup is the equivalent of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich for lunch — sure, it’s fine and gets the job done, but you won’t be caught licking your lips in anticipation.
If you are unclear regarding the feeling we’re talking about, just put Andy Dalton in your starting lineup and you will know exactly what we mean.
Are you excited? Not really, right? But you’ re not excited about PB&J, either, are you? But how do you feel after you gobble it up? Surprisingly satisfied, right? So get ready to rub your tummy at the fantasy feast Dalton will provide this week versus the Steelers.
We’re going full Dalton on this. We’re not cutting off the crust or nothing. How much Dalton are we consuming? We’re ready to start him over ... gasp! ... Ben Roethlisberger.
You heard that right. Yeah, that’s opting for PB&J over f ilet mignon, but we’ve been to the Road Ben Fantasy Steakhouse before, and the meat there often is spoiled.
Just look at the past two seas ons’ worth of Big Ben road steaks, er, stats: In 10 games away from home, he has averaged 272.3 yards, 1 .6 touchdowns and 1 .0 interceptions. In 10 home games in the same span, he averaged 319.2 yards, 2.3 TDs and 1.0 INTs.
Or ,27.8 fantasy points at home compared to 21 . 2 on the road.
Roe th li sb er ger also hasn’t topped the 300-yard mark against the Bengals since 2014 and has just one three-TD game in the past six meetings. In other words, this steak is overcooked. Nevertheless, we’re not benching Big Ben for just any old option. A bad steak still is better than a prune salad.
And we already have established, Dalton is much better than a prune salad. When you examine Dalton’s personal history versus the Steelers, it might seem prunish — just two 300-yard games in 14 career games and five of fewer than 200 yards, never more than two TDs in a single game and a woeful 17-12 TD-INT ratio.
But, fear not, there is a jelly lining. This is perhaps the most vulnerable Steelers defense he has faced. Pittsburgh has yielded the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks (only the Buccaneers are worse). They are tied with Tampa Bay for the most passing TDs allowed with 13. And they have given up the third-most passing yards and the fourthmost per game.
Then factor in the fact that Dal to n also has his most diverse set of weapons. Joe Mixon easily is the best running back Dalton has had at his disposal, and Mixon is featured in the passing game as well. A.J. Green continues to be a top-tier wide receiver, and Tyler Boyd has emerged as a legitimate second receiving threat.
Filling in for bye weeks or stale options and finding the waiver cupboard bare, do what you do every other time the fridge is empty, make a fantasy PB&J and spread some Dalton into your lineups.