This week my co-worker, Jeff Krisko, suggested that starting Andy Dalton is the smart fantasy football play. In our week eight quarterback sit or start counterpoint, I’d like to offer a different point of view on why starting Andy is a very savvy fantasy football decision. But that doesn’t make him the best choice. This week, the best option is to start Tyrod Taylor.
First off, I’ve made it clear in the past how I feel about the Red Rocket. I’m not a fan. I believe the quarterback is the heart and soul of a fantasy football team, but how can you lead without a soul?
Luckily for Andy Dalton, it won’t take much leadership to put up numbers against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have given up the 6th most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. What is even more impressive is how consistently quarterbacks score against the Colts defense. I’m not sure any quarterback this season has put up less than QB1 numbers for the week against them.
On average, quarterbacks are throwing for 309 yards, scoring 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. It is hard not to like those numbers, especially when the Colts have only played one high end QB1 so far this season. It will be difficult for Dalton to not have a great day.
Andy Dalton has a lot going for him this week. He is a guy who has a great match-up that even he can’t screw up. Starting Dalton is a smart fantasy football move. But the only match-up I like more than Dalton in week eight is Tyrod Taylor. This is the week you should start Tyrod Taylor.
You might remember last week I said didn’t trust Tyrod Taylor to consistently throw for over 200 yards or for multiple touchdowns. I was half right. He did throw for 268 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he only had 1 touchdown. However, he was good enough to put up low end QB1 numbers, so this week I feel a bit more confident in Taylor’s ability.
Another thing I feel good about is that he is playing the Oakland Raiders. This season, the Raider’s have given up the 13th most fantasy points to quarterbacks in standard scoring leagues. While that might not seem that impressive, I think the only reason that number isn’t higher is because the Raider’s have not faced many high end quarterbacks. The best quarterbacks they have played this season are Alex Smith and Kirk Cousins, both of whom threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns against them.
And when you add to the fact that the Oakland Raiders will be traveling across the country for the game, it is hard not to like this match-up. I have mentioned this before, but I enjoy mentioning it whenever I can – teams traveling cross-country tend to face a dip in production. So it seems more likely that the defense will give up more points to TyGod this week.
I definitely see the appeal in starting Andy Dalton at quarterback. He is safe, reliable and has a good match-up. But I think you can get the same effect if you start Tyrod Taylor, but with a greater expectation of hitting a home run.
