Andy Dalton is a divisive figure around the fantasy football community. He did put up over 7,000 passing yards and 47 touchdowns in his first two seasons combined. 

That being said, consistency was somewhat of an issue for Dalton last season. He threw one touchdown or less nine different times, including in each of his final five regular season starts. The third-year quarterback also compiled a pedestrian rating of 71.3 during those final five games. 

Let's see what he has to offer in terms of fantasy value this upcoming season. 

2013 Outlook

The excuses are pretty much over for Dalton as it relates to fantasy football. He hasn't been more more than a bottom-tier QB1 or a decent backup option in either of his first two seasons. While that has translated to postseason appearances for Cincinnati each year, it hasn't meant a great deal of production for those who expected Dalton to pick his game up from his freshman to his sophomore campaign. 

His increase in production from one season to the next just wasn't there. 

Now some of that had to do with watered-down play-calling from offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who seemed to keep Dalton on a much shorter leash. In addition, Dalton himself relied too much on A.J. Green, which caused issues as it relates to late-game production. 

This needs to be fixed in order for Dalton to provide an increase in terms of fantasy production. The good news here is that Cincinnati added a red-zone threat in tight end Tyler Eifert and a solid running back in the form of Giovani Bernard in the draft. 

Expect Dalton to increase said production with a revamped offensive scheme and better skill-position players in the passing game. In fact, he could be a mid-round steal for those of you who are against going quarterback early. 

Dynasty Outlook

Dalton's value sits more in dynasty than in redraft. He has the talent in the offensive line, at wide receiver, at tight end and along the receiving core to provide consistent fantasy seasons throughout the remainder of his rookie contract in Cincinnati. 

Andre Smith and Kevin Zeitler anchor an offensive line that projects to be among the best in the entire NFL a couple years from now. 

As mentioned before, Giovani Bernard is going to be a stud in the backfield. Not only will he create balance on the ground, Bernard will give Dalton that safety valve on screen passes. He's a major long-term upgrade from BenJarvus Green-Ellis. 

All that said, Dalton's primary weapon both on the field and as it relates to fantasy football is going to be Green. As long as the two stay healthy, they could represent the next great quarterback-wide receiver tandem. 

2013 Stat Projections: 3,800 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions