Fantasy Football 2012: Choose Your QB—Andy Dalton vs. Josh Freeman

Today's installment of "Choose Your Quarterback" pits Cincinnati's Andy Dalton against Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman—the Nos. 18 and 19 passers in my early Top 25 Fantasy QB Rankings from a few weeks back.

Here's a week-by-week fantasy breakdown of Dalton vs. Freeman...on the off chance you'll land both between Rounds 6 through 9 of the August drafts:

Week 1—Freeman (vs. Carolina) over Dalton (@ Baltimore)
Week 2—Freeman (@ N.Y. Giants) over Dalton (vs. Cleveland)
Week 3—Dalton (@ Washington) over Freeman (@ Dallas)
Week 4—Freeman (vs. Washington) over Dalton (@ Jacksonville)
Week 5—Dalton (vs. Miami) over Freeman (BYE)
Week 6—Freeman (vs. Kansas City) over Dalton (@ Cleveland)
Week 7—Freeman (vs. New Orleans) over Dalton (vs. Pittsburgh)
Week 8—Freeman (@ Minnesota) over Dalton (BYE)
Week 9—Dalton (vs. Denver) over Freeman (@ Oakland)
Week 10—Freeman (vs. San Diego) over Dalton (vs. N.Y. Giants)
Week 11—Freeman (@ Carolina) over Dalton (@ Kansas City)
Week 12—Dalton (vs. Oakland) over Freeman (vs. Atlanta)
Week 13—Dalton (@ San Diego) over Freeman (@ Denver)
Week 14—Dalton (vs. Dallas) over Freeman (@ Philadelphia)
Week 15—Freeman (@ New Orleans) over Dalton (@ Philadelphia)
Week 16—Freeman (vs. St. Louis) over Dalton (@ Pittsburgh)
Week 17—Freeman (@ Atlanta) over Dalton (vs. Baltimore)

Final Tally

Freeman wins going away, 11-6

Breakdown

Freeman was the the victor in seven of the Bucs' eight home games, and the decision could have gone either way in Week 12. That's a strong indication of how much Tampa Bay's offense improved during the offseason (Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks)—and will improve further...if the club drafts Alabama RB Trent Richardson or Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon with the No. 5 overall pick in Round 1.

It's hard to find a gimme game on the Bengals' schedule. As a result, Dalton (3,398 yards passing, 21 total TDs) might have trouble eclipsing either of his rookie figures this season. And that's not to say he won't make strides in Year 2, but that progress could be obscured by a non-playoff berth come January.

Dalton's daunting slate notwithstanding, I am willing to guarantee 275 yards passing and/or three TDs against the Raiders in Week 12, aka Carson Palmer's Cincinnati homecoming.

Freeman and Dalton actually split for the fantasy-playoff period of Weeks 13 through 16, and as of April 25, neither has a decisive edge during that four-week window.

Based on his team's doable schedule and offensive reinforcements, I will prioritize Freeman as a QB2 in all drafts. In fact, there may be no reason to grab one of the top four quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady) in the first three rounds...knowing that Freeman (3,592 yards passing, 20 total TDs last year) should be a viable starting alternative for 10 to 12 weeks.

That's basically a free pass to load up on running backs and receivers in the first six picks—my preferred method for attacking snake drafts.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.