Cam Newton is in question to start for Week 1 and fantasy football owners could be left scrambling if he is out with a rib injury, as he has been considered a very good fantasy pick this year and now names like DeAngelo Williams, Kelvin Benjamin, Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olsen and Jericho Cotchery all could take hits this week if he can't go.
Cam Newton has never missed a start in his career and that includes the NFL and when he was in college and that makes it even more important for fantasy owners. The rib injury came late in the summer and now according to ESPN.com, Newton will be a game time decision for the matchup on Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he can't go, Derek Anderson likely will step in and he is the backup and could see some more playing time if the injury becomes more serious.
Newton is expected to be a top fantasy quarterback this season and he has continued to improve each year in his career, increasing his passing touchdowns, completion percentage and completions from last season. Newton is a threat on the ground and that makes him very dangerous, as he has averaged five yards per carry in each of his three seasons in the league. Newton is expected to play, but there is a risk in starting him for fantasy owners and for those with other QBs, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Anderson is obviously not the play Cam is, but he could end up having a decent day against the Bucs, as they have a weak secondary and for Newton owners, a spot start could be all they need. Newton likely will play the next week if he missed this game, but right now Ron Rivera said that he is on track to play, but things should get clearer in the next day or so. Newton had a great rookie season with over 4000 yards passing and while he went down to 3869 yards the following season, he also decreased his interceptions.
Cam Newton led the Panthers to the playoffs last season and this year he has a tough task, as the team ended up losing their top receivers. The team drafted Kelvin Benjamin and added Jericho Cotchery, but losing Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell is tough. DeAngelo Williams will need to step up and he has been able to stay healthy recently and if Newton is out, Williams likely will get a number of touches on Sunday.
Benjamin had over 1000 yards last season with Florida State and he is a huge target and should be a threat in the red zone catching touchdowns. The team also has Stephen Hill and he could make it off the practice squad in coming weeks and he could be a sleeper option in deeper leagues. Williams is a player to watch if Cam is out and keep it locked to see if Newton will be in the lineup this Sunday. Fantasy football owners and the Panthers sure hope he will.
