Cam Newton went deep often, but it wasn't enough to take down Green Bay.
Cam Newton has surprised a lot of people in his first two games as a pro, throwing for over 400 yards in each of his first two appearances. Fantasy owners would be wise to pay attention to Newton, but to be wary. The Green Bay Packers have shown problems in coverage so far this year and the Arizona Cardinals are not known for defense. So is Newton a fluke or a future star? The answer could strangely, be both. Newton had success against the Packers when he had time to sit in the pocket(which was often, against a Packer defense that rarely blitzed) and when receivers were blindingly open(which for the Packers this season, has been far too frequent). This shouldn’t be taken as denigration; Newton exhibited strong pocket presence and incredible downfield accuracy. It should be taken, by fantasy owners, as a mitigating factor when looking at his potential over the rest of the year. He will often face defenses that do not leave receivers uncovered in the middle of the field, and do not sleep through the first quarter, as the Packers appeared to on Sunday. Newton doesn’t yet have the touch to complete touchdowns in the red zone, notably missing a wide open Legadu Nanee in the end zone before settling for a field goal.
The other factor that will limit Newton’s numbers is the fact that he is getting no help from his running game. Deangelo Williams ran the ball 5 times for 13 yards, Jonathan Stewart an insulting 6 for 7. The Panthers cannot run the ball. But, you were warned about drafting the Carolina running backs. The only Panther you actually want on your team is wide receiver Steve Smith(156 yards), whose career should be resurrected by Newton. The veteran wideout specializes in exactly the type of deep, over-the-top routes that Newton throws best.
For the Packers there were encouraging signs from the defense in the second half who may have finally woken up for their Super Bowl stupor. This was a good defense last year and it could be again this year. For now, they are still a matchup I don’t mind putting my receivers against.
Aaron Rodgers looked sharp as always, supplying his owners with 300 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. But if you have Rodgers, you’re starting him. If you don’t, good luck prying him out of the clenched fist of whoever does. The more interesting part of the Packers offense is figuring out who will be on the other end of Rodgers’s missiles. Jermichael Finley is looking more and more like the go-to guy. He was a tough drop and an unfortunate pass interference away from a monster game(5 for 68 could have been 7 for about 100 with a pair of scores), and Rodgers often looked to him first on Sunday. Greg Jennings didn’t see much of the ball, only catching 2 balls for 55 yards. And he was rarely seen this week. I wouldn’t make much of that, just as much as I wouldn’t make much of Jordy Nelson’, long touchdown catch.
Drop’em: Jonathan Stewart no longer has trade value. Everyone can see that he is the second option on a bad running team. Since you would never start him, he is only a handcuff to Williams, who isn’t a starter himself.
Acquire: James Starks looks awesome. He shredded the Panthers for 85 yards on 9 carries. He should consistently get more carries than Ryan Grant, and more importantly, he using them a lot more effectively.
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Tags: 2011 fantasy football, aaron rodgers, cam newton, Carolina Panthers, DeAngelo Williams, Green Bay Packers, james starks, Jermichael Finley, jordy nelson, Steve Smith
[...] Cam Newton came out firing at the beginning of the season. Superlatives and hyperbole was flying out every mouth you could find. I watched every play of his first few games and cautioned that he wasn’t the whole package yet. This game exemplified that: He threw two touchdowns in the first half, leading his team to a 23-7 half-time lead but gave the ball back to Atlanta twice in the second half, helping them to come back and win. Newton throws some really nice balls, but he makes baffling decisions sometimes, as was the case with his first interception. He has the tools, but he is not there yet. (A second receiver would help him greatly though.) [...]