Fantasy Football Week 5: Andy Dalton and 3 Improving QBs to Pick Up

Nobody knew what to make of Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton entering the 2011 season.

Sure he put up great numbers at TCU, but that was against mostly inferior competition.

Dalton has shown flashes of brilliance, but has also gone through prolonged slumps. Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer details the up-and-down nature of Dalton:

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In last week’s 13-8 loss against San Francisco and in the first half of Sunday’s game against Buffalo, Dalton was a combined 24-of-52 for 273 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. That equates to a passer rating of 30.4. In Dalton’s other four halves of play through the first four games he’s completed 51 of 72 passes for 595 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 114.1.

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That tells me Dalton is beginning to make better in-game adjustments. The 49ers quietly have one of the best defenses in the league, so playing poorly against them isn’t alarming.

His confidence and poise in the pocket is rising by the game and clearly he has what it takes to move the ball considering Dalton has had games with 332 and 298 yards.

This week he gets a Jaguars defense that is susceptible to giving up yards in chunks over the middle—something the young Dalton is more than capable of taking advantage of.

Here are two others with great Week 5 matchups, and solid outlooks for the rest of the season.

Matt Hasselbeck—Tennessee Titans

The Titans offense didn’t miss a beat without Kenny Britt and Hasselbeck is creeping into the “start every week” conversation. He already has eight touchdown passes and has done the vast majority of his work without the aid of a competent Chris Johnson.

Now that Johnson is back in the swing of things, this offense is suddenly quite dangerous.

Considering they still have five games against the dreadful AFC South on the slate, expect the top-notch production to continue. With a date with the Steelers this week, Hasselbeck will pick apart an aging and banged up Pittsburgh unit.

Jason Campbell—Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are a run first team, but they are beginning to let Campbell play a tad less conservatively.

Against the Patriots he showed his right arm is more than capable of launching the ball down the field. He has terrific accuracy and takes care of the ball and will rarely give you negative points.

He also is a capable runner that collects a handful of rushing touchdowns each season.

With a schedule chalk full of poor pass defenses, Campbell is certainly worth a spot start this week against the Houston Texans and throughout the season.