Cam Newton is a Fantasy Flop
and other revelations from week 3 of fantasy football
I’m not totally sure what QB Passer Rating means, but Cam’s is not good right now. Last season, the issue of Cam getting hit so much started to become a real issue, as his health seemed to stunt the upside that he has generated for himself with his running. He’s being sacked on 11% of his pass attempts, 2nd in the league. Newton’s 61.4% completion percentage and 83 pass attempts puts him in the company of players like Deshaun Watson and Brian Hoyer. This week, Kelvin Benjamin was added to the list of injured Carolina pass-catchers, making Newton even less attractive an option. Think seriously about dropping Newton this week, as his matchup against the Patriots on Sunday is not going to do you any favors.
Here are some other thoughts that I had while watching the NFL this weekend and hearing the fantasy pundits’ reactions…
Jaguars
Blake Bortles was helped out by a solid running game, and is a streaming QB consideration moving forward. Marcedes Lewis will not be a thing. I’d rather have Marquis Lee than Allen Hurns.
Ravens
NOBODY on this squad is fantasy relevant. Not. One. Their injuries to key O-linemen seems to have shot both Terrance West and Buck Allen’s fantasy values, and Joe Flacco just looks bad, perhaps even hurt. I might have to drop the Ravens D/ST this week.
Broncos
Jamaal Charles looked like a younger version of himself, but I don’t expect that he’d keep that up if given a larger role.
Bills
I’m looking to buy low on LeSean McCoy this week, as I think he’s got better value going forward than we’ve seen so far, and the only Bill worth owning.
Bears
The Bears offensive line is better than I realized, maybe by a lot. Jordan Howard is much better than Jeremy Langford, and Tarik Cohen isn’t going to be taking over as long as Howard is healthy.
Steelers
I’m afraid Martavus Bryant is too boom or bust to be consistently valuable, despite getting a lot of targets, but I’ll be tracking his CB matchups for DFS. Le’Veon Bell is good at football, go figure.
Panthers
See above. Devin Funchess is someone I’ll have on my DFS radar moving forward, and I’m thinking about making trade offers for Christian McCaffrey, who will be given some of the slack dropped by any injured pass-catchers on this squad.
Saints
Adrian Peterson is doing nothing but taking value away from Mark Ingram, but Alvin Kamara has the potential to be a solid RB2 in PPR. I feel really good about drafting Michael Thomas.
Buccaneers
As long as this defense is so plagued with injuries to key players, I will be assessing their matchups differently than I have. Jaquizz Rodgers has not been so impressive as to take too many touches away from Doug Martin once he comes back.
Vikings
I’m excited about Stefon Diggs, he’s a WR1 moving forward, though I’m interested in seeing if Case Keenum was feeding him passes out of unfamiliarity with the rest of the offense. Dalvin Cook is very good at football, and the Vikings are not interested in giving anyone else carries out of the backfield.
Browns
I’m not overly excited about DeShone Kizer, other than really deep leagues, and maybe DFS. It was disappointing to see Rashard Higgins only haul in 2/6 targets, but I still think he’ll be of some value. Isaiah Crowell has me very concerned, and I’m happy I don’t own him in any leagues.
Colts
Jacoby Brissett is not relevant, save for the fact that he will keep T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle alive until Andrew Luck returns. I’m trying to sell high on Frank Gore before Marlon Mack returns from injury and begins to take touches away later in the season.
Jets
If Matt Forte’s toe injury keeps him out for any period of time, Bilal Powell becomes interesting, but aside from that I don’t know if I’ll feel comfortable starting either. I didn’t realize Robby Anderson is dangerous deep, but I’m keeping him in mind for DFS, depending on CB matchups. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins has entered my list of streaming TE candidates.
Dolphins
Jay Ajayi owners should be concerned about this O-line getting him hurt, and should consider picking up his backup (Damien Williams), or trading him. The Dolphins receivers are in jeopardy of being boom or bust depending on whether Cutler and the offensive line feel like playing well on a given weekend.
Texans
DeShaun Watson might just be usable in fantasy this year, on account of his rushing. The Texans do not think enough of Lamar Miller’s talent to not give D’Onta Foreman a significant share of carries moving forward.
Patriots
I did not expect Chris Hogan to get more receptions than Danny Amendola. It’s going to be hard to figure out which one will be good on a given week. Tom Brady will never die. You will not know when Mike Gillislee will score touchdowns.
Falcons
Both Mohammed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel have the potential to be valuable season-long, but I’m not so excited as to pick them up just yet. I’m looking to buy Matt Ryan, he looks much better than his numbers suggest.
Lions
This team is better than I thought, and I want Matthew Stafford on my team. None of the receivers, though, are must-starts week-to-week, and Eric Ebron is no longer on my short list of TE streamers.
Giants
Brandon Marshall is a nothing-burger, but Sterling Shepard is not, provided that Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy. Those 2 are the only fantasy relevant players on the roster, save for maybe Evan Engram in a good matchup.
Eagles
There are not likely to be enough targets to go around for Alshon Jefferey to be worth the 2nd round draft pick that most people paid for him. Wendell Smallwood will be a PPR RB2 if Darren Sproles misses time with his wrist injury. LeGarrette Blount will win you a couple of weeks, but you won’t know which weeks those are.
Seahawks
Chris Carson deserves to have the lead job here moving forward. Russell Wilson is very good at football, but the Seahawks offensive line is going to cap his ceiling.
Titans
Derrick Henry is going to be taking away from the value of DeMarco Murray more than he did last year, and his role will grow more as the season goes on. Murray’s long TD saved him from a bad fantasy day.
Chiefs
Kareem Hunt was having a good fantasy day until he broke his long TD run. His value will never be higher. Travis Kelce has better days ahead.
Chargers
Phillip Rivers has not been as consistent this season as he has in years past. Hunter Henry must have done something to piss off the coaches in LA, and will not be on any of my rosters for the foreseeable future.
Bengals
Andy Dalton isn’t as bad as we thought. I was right to not be worried about AJ Green. Joe Mixon probably has the starting job here moving forward.
Packers
Yep, Jordy Nelson is still Jordy Nelson. Martellus Bennett doesn’t have enough upside to really be considered startable. Who the heck is Geronimo Allison?!
Raiders
All of you guys who thought Michael Crabtree was worth the 7-something thousand dollars he was going for on Draft Kings deserved this performance. Everyone stunk, and I don’t exactly consider Washington a stifling defense. This is concerning.
Washington
Samaje Perine’s production wasn’t impressive, and I expect Rob Kelley to get his job back when he gets back from injury. I don’t think Chris Thompson can maintain anything close to this sort of production long term. Josh Doctson is probably droppable, and Jordan Reed owners should consider Vernon Davis a handcuff.
Thanks for reading! I’m Jack Moore. If you liked this, give this story a clap, or follow me!
If you’d like to see more fantasy football advice, you can check out my blog — Of All Trades.
