Some hope for Cam Newton. But how much can we expect?
After a shocking performance from Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, the Week 2 waiver wire is busy with pickups of the former Auburn product. Newton torched the Cards for 422 yards and two touchdowns, and he also added one rushing score.
Nobody was expecting this. I can guarantee that. Not even Steve Smith, who benefited from the breakout performance with eight grabs for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Don't go falling in love with Newton just yet. These things take time.
The good news: He attempted 37 passes in his NFL debut, which is the most any quarterback has attempted in their first contest. The new regime under Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski should help Newton's fantasy value, which could be a backup QB in deep enough leagues. It looks like Carolina won't be as conservative with the passing game.
Cam a fantasy scam?
Smith owners are happy. Actually, I take that back, since most of us benched the wideout/brawler in Week 1. At least we already know that Smith can provide big weeks when the matchups dictate it.
Many critics disliked Newton's chances to become a capable pocket passer, and there were valid concerns that his accuracy would ultimately doom him in the NFL. In the preseason, he threw for just 300 yards and had a completion percentage of 42.1.
Nobody comes into the NFL and dominates consistently right away. Newton won't be the first. However, he did impress me with great pocket presence, excellent touch on his passes and great poise with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. There is definite hope for spotty fantasy contributions in even his first season, you'll just have to pick your matchups wisely.
Newton couldn't have picked a better Week 1 matchup than against the Arizona Cardinals and their porous pass D. They were atrocious in coverage (as you all witnessed) due in large part to various injuries and key offseason losses.
The Panthers face formidable secondaries in two of the next three weeks: The Green Bay Packers in Week 2 and Chicago Bears in Week 4. The rest of the season won't be as easily as last week. You can count on that. Newton will come crashing back down to earth. If you added him this week, be prepared to stash him.
He's definitely worth rostering in leagues where you start two quarterbacks and is worth a flier in other deep formats. But don't let Newton's impressive Week 1 showing keep you from looking at several other fantasy backups that will likely be safer options. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Rex Grossman put up big weeks as well, and the latter is probably widely available on the wire. Peyton Manning owners take heed!
If you want to ride the Newton hype after just one week, be my guest. It will surely come at a price, though.
