Dalton should be considered no more than a serviceable back-up; if he ends up as your starter, something went terribly wrong. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was christened “The Red Rifle” soon after entering the league. Dalton was a pleasant surprise his rookie season, as the former second-round pick threw for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns while taking his team – 4-12 the year before – to a wild-card playoff berth.

The nickname was cute then. Now, after Dalton threw for an identical 3,398 yards last season, and again failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs, it is a misnomer. Former ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd has derided Dalton as the “Beige Water Pistol”, and while Andy is a passable real-life quarterback, he is not the man you want leading your fantasy squad.

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In today’s NFL – in which 11 quarterbacks surpassed 4,000 passing yards last season – Dalton’s level of output just will not cut it if you’re seeking fantasy glory.

Only three times did Dalton throw for more than 300 yards in a game last season. He maxed out at 323 in an overtime game against the Panthers which ended in a tie, meaning it took five full periods for him to amass that total.

Dalton benefactors will point to his 2013 season – 4,293 yards and 33 touchdowns – as evidence that he can put it all together and be a viable fantasy starting option at quarterback. A closer look at his game-by-game output that season, however, shows that his numbers were inflated by a four-week stretch in October, over which he averaged 343 passing yards and threw for 11 total touchdowns, including five in one game. The last of those games (a Halloween tilt versus Miami) saw Dalton come crashing back to Earth, as he threw three interceptions versus zero touchdowns in an overtime loss.

He threw for more than 300 yards only once the rest of the season.

I am not saying that Dalton is terrible; rather, he simply is not a starting-level option in one-quarterback leagues. He will benefit from a presumably fully healthy A.J. Green, who was hampered by a toe injury for much of last season.

Still, at this point, Dalton probably is what he is: a slightly above-average quarterback in reality, a mid-to-low level back-up in fantasy. Take him before rookies Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, but eschew the redhead if players like Colin Kaepernick, Carson Palmer, Teddy Bridgewater, and Joe Flacco are available to back up your stud.

In Weeks 14 through 16 last season – standard fantasy playoff weeks – Dalton attempted 29, 24, and 25 passes respectively. By comparison, Flacco averaged 37.6 pass attempts over that span, and Bridgewater hocked the rock 31.6 times per game on average.

If you manage to skirt an injury to your starting quarterback, and your team is still in contention come December, you need a backup who is leading a high-volume passing offense. Do not waste your time praying for the Bengals to let Dalton loose. With Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard in the fold, figure on Cincy erring toward the run in a balanced offense.

Sorry, but this Rifle will leave you shooting fantasy blanks.

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