Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is one of the hottest at his position in Fantasy right now, with three straight weeks of 30-plus Fantasy points, spurred on by 11 passing touchdowns (against two interceptions) in his last three games.
But go back to the three games before his recent run, and Dalton was slumming it -- 30 total points from Week 3 to 5. He didn't throw a touchdown against the Browns (Week 4) or Patriots (Week 5), and was in the midst of a four game interception streak. His recent three-game run came against relatively easy competition -- the Bills, Jets, and Lions are among the 15 teams who have given up the most Fantasy points this year to opposing quarterbacks -- while the Dolphins (Dalton's Week 9 opponent) have given up the 10th-fewest. In fact, Miami has allowed 24 total points to quarterbacks over the last three games, and only one has passed for a touchdown.
The fact that Dalton has to play on Thursday, which has been very bad to offenses this season, doesn't help matters. There's a chance that he simply rides momentum into Week 9 and keeps up his excellent play, but Fantasy owners shouldn't go overboard with expectations.
Dalton is worth a start in a bye-heavy week, but his owners should recognize that he was in a major slump before a string of nice matchups popped up on the schedule.