Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Start Andy Dalton vs Jacksonville Jaguars

The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the weakest schedules in the NFL.

Sure, they play the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens twice a year, but those are the only tough games for the Bengals this year.

They still get to play the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Indianapolis Colts and, this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bengals couldn't ask for an easier schedule to help ease rookie quarterback Andy Dalton into the league.

Dalton can learn the ropes this year and develop for the future.

But, that doesn't mean he won't have fantasy value this season. He's only owned in 10 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues, so if you need a quarterback, go get him.

Here are a couple reasons why he should be an option if your starting quarterback has a bye week.

Schedule

This week, the Bengals play the Jaguars, who allow 228.8 yards per game through the air.

That number would definitely be higher if the Jags didn't play the Panthers in a torrential downpour last weekend.

So, look for Dalton to take advantage of Jacksonville's suspect secondary and put up some points early.

The Jags also don't put much pressure on opposing QBs, so Dalton should stay relatively clean in the pocket on Sunday as well.

Then, after this week, the Bengals take on the dismal Colts, who allow more than 250 passing yards per game. After that, the Bengals have a bye week before heading out to Seattle to take on a Seahawks defense that allows 237 yards per game through the air.

It should be a good four-week stretch for Dalton.

Offensive Talent

Dalton didn't come into a bad situation in Cincinnati offensively.

A.J. Green has been having a great rookie season at the wide receiver position and Jerome Simpson is a decent No. 2 guy.

At tight end, Dalton has the super-athletic Jermaine Gresham at his disposal. Gresham is a good, young tight end and creates a lot of matchup problems for opposing defenses.

The Bengals running game is also in good shape with Cedric Benson.

Having a good running game keeps defenses honest and opens up plenty of passing lanes for Dalton.

He still has a lot to learn, but don't be surprised if Dalton has a decent fantasy football season in 2011.

He won't be great, but he's a good play in favorable matchups. Pick him up for that week when your starter has a bye week and chances are you won't regret it.