Andy Dalton start or sit: Week 8 fantasy football advice

The New Orleans Saints will look to rebound from their Week 7 loss as they play host to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 8. If they hope to get a win on Sunday, they will do so with Andy Dalton once again commanding the offense under center. With the Raiders being one of the most favorable defenses to quarterbacks in fantasy football, does Dalton make the case as a confident starter this week?

Fantasy Football analysis: Saints QB Andy Dalton

Even amid a porous performance in the turnover column with three interceptions thrown, Dalton still managed to finish with 26.54 PPR fantasy points last week against the Cardinals. The veteran signal-caller will get another starting opportunity on Sunday against a Raiders defense that has proven to be particularly accommodating to quarterbacks. Heading into Week 8, Las Vegas is giving up the most fantasy points on average to the position, with 23.8 points surrendered per game.

Granted, Dalton is no QB1 by any means, but if a fantasy manager has their starting quarterback on bye then the Red Rifle could be a sneaky backup option, if only for this week. Last week against the Raiders, quarterback Davis Mills had his way with his first 300-yard passing performance of the season. If Las Vegas forces the Saints to play catch up as well, Dalton could stand to benefit tremendously from the Raiders’ leaky secondary.

Start or sit in Week 8?

The Red Rifle is not a plug-in starter on a weekly basis, but against the Raiders in Week 8 it’s hard to argue against the matchup. Dalton is a viable QB2 starting option in fantasy this week, and if managers are forced to adapt with their QB1 on bye then the veteran pocket passer is worth a look in this week’s contest.