X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

The Forthcoming Resurrection of Cam Newton

Eric Samulski explains why Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is still a difference-maker in fantasy and why fantasy owners should be targeting Newton in all leagues.

After Kyle Allen’s 4-0 start as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, many fans and analysts were clamoring for his permanent placement atop the depth chart. They believed Cam Newton was essentially finished and less efficient than Allen when he was actually on the field.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Then Allen imploded against a tough San Francisco defense and the question emerged again: When will Cam Newton return and what type of quarterback will he be when he does?

The quick answer: A quarterback you want on your roster.

 

Former Fantasy Glory

In the back of our heads, we all think of Cam Newton as the imposing rushing quarterback who took fantasy teams to championships. In 2012 and 2013 he finished as the fourth and third-ranked quarterback in fantasy, respectively. He suffered through injuries in 2014, but was the top-ranked quarterback in fantasy in 2015, and, in 2017, after another injury-shortened season, he returned as the second-ranked quarterback in fantasy.

Last year, before getting hurt yet again, Newton was the fourth-ranked quarterback through the first half of the season. Despite playing injured and missing two games, he still finished as the 12th-ranked quarterback, so a QB1 in 12-team leagues.

All of which is to say that Newton has always been a quarterback with elite upside. Much of that has been tied to his rushing, as he’s never run for fewer than 360 yards or four touchdowns since he came into the league. However, he has also never thrown for under 3,300 yards when playing a full season, so he has been an asset through the air.

The question is whether or not that can continue now that he is 30 years old and almost a decade into his NFL career.

 

Injury History 

The biggest hindrance to Cam’s fantasy value has been injuries. Since entering the league, he’s suffered a variety of debilitating injuries. In 2014 he tore ligaments in his ankle, then fractured a rib in a preseason game the following year before suffering a lower back fracture in a car accident that same season.

In 2016, he suffered a concussion and then tore his rotator cuff in December of that year but played through it before getting surgery in the offseason.

As mentioned earlier, he suffered a shoulder injury in 2018 but played through it before being shut down for the final two games. He had surgery this past offseason before coming back and injuring his foot in the preseason.

It’s a pretty extensive list of injuries. And he played through almost all of them. Demonstrating his toughness and skewing the analytics of his performance at the same time.

A lot of these past injuries can obviously be attributed to Newton’s rushing ability. It has led to concerns that he will run less; however, the results haven’t really indicated that is likely.

 

Diminishing Rushing Concerns

After Newton suffered rib and back fractures in 2014, he rushed for 636 yards and ten touchdowns in 2015. After he tore his rotator cuff and suffered a concussion in 2016, he ran for 754 yards and six touchdowns in 2017.

Despite playing through a shoulder injury last year, he carried the ball 101 times in 14 games. It’s not far-fetched to assume that a healthy Newton would have rushed 115-120 times last season had he played in all 16 games. Even his 101 carries were second in the NFL to Lamar Jackson. Deshaun Watson was right behind Newton at 99 and then Josh Allen followed with 89.

Watson and Allen are viewed as two of fantasy’s top rushing quarterbacks and they both had fewer carries than an injured Cam Newton. Watson’s rushing attempts were also lower while he played a full 16 game season.

Last year, Newton also had four rushing touchdowns, which was tied for fourth-most among quarterbacks.

All of which suggests that, even when playing hurt or recovering from injury, Newton is still going to run. As the injuries continue to pile up, he may never get to the 130 carry, 10-touchdown years from before, but he will still be among the top rushing quarterbacks in the league, offering him a higher floor than most quarterbacks.

  

Playing Under Norv Turner

As noted above, before getting hurt, Newton was thriving in his first year in Norv Turner’s offense. Turner’s offense brings a lot of misdirection and run-pass options (RPOs), which allows Newton to use his natural creativity.

What's more, Newton now actually has dynamic weapons to throw the ball to. D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Christian McCaffrey are considerably more exciting than Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess (Go Blue). With these new speedy wide receivers in the fold, Norv Turner's offensive scheme freed them up to get open in space, creating easier throws for Newton that would allow his receivers to do a lot of work after the catch.

As was explained in a Sports Illustrated piece last year: “Those seam-area passes come naturally in Turner’s system, which does a great job at creating high-low route combinations to exploit zone coverage. Newton is getting increasingly comfortable with these quarterback-friendly designs. It helps that the low part of the high-low often features Christian McCaffrey, whom the Panthers have realized is at his best catching passes out of the backfield."

This is why, despite playing through a shoulder injury, Newton completed a career-high 67.9% of his passes last season. Pro Football Focus’ adjusted completion percentage (doesn’t include drops or throwaways) had Newton completing 78% of his passes last year, good for ninth-best in the NFL.

Look at some of the names that were less accurate than him last year: Watson, Russell Wilson, and Tom Brady.

However, people seemed to forget about Newton’s production and scheme fit after his recent string of injuries.

 

Explaining His Recent Production Decline

However, whenever anybody talks about Newton's recent performance, they want to harp on his last eight games.

It's a convenient narrative, considering that Newton was playing through shoulder and foot injuries during those last eight games. In just the last five games before getting hurt last year, Newton threw for 1,247 yards and 10 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He also rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown.

Across a 16 game pace, that comes out to 3,990 yards, 32 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 512 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns. Based on most quarterback scoring metrics, that would have amounted to 338.6 fantasy points on the season and would have made Newton the fourth-ranked quarterback, just behind Ben Roethlisberger's 341 and Matt Ryan's 354.

The final eight games stats are cherry-picked to highlight Newton’s fantasy upside being capped by his shoulder injury. In particular, his biggest issue was completing deep passes:

With Newton’s accuracy suffering on the deeper passes, he stopped throwing them altogether. Newton’s aDOT (average depth of target) last year was the lowest it has been his entire career. He also attempted the fewest deep balls of his career and had the lowest deep ball percentage of his career.

This clearly demonstrates that playing through the injury was impacting Newton’s ability to drive the ball downfield and hit on big plays. It limited his fantasy ceiling, but it also allowed defenses to play him closer to the line of scrimmage, take away the shorter passes, and meet Newton closer to the line of scrimmage when he ran, which happened less often given the injury.

Although Newton had surgery to clean up the shoulder injury in the offseason, his foot injury impacted any return to his usual success. In an enlightening video, Newton explains in his own words that he couldn’t run early in the year.

Not only did this limit his rushing upside, but it impacted his escapability and his mechanics on throws when he was able to stay in the pocket. Anybody who watched him play knows that it wasn’t the same Newton. He was jittery and off-balance constantly. He missed easy throws and didn’t take advantage of any running lanes.

As Newton said in the video above, he plans to return when he can be the same quarterback he has always been. It's looking like that day is close.

 

Final Verdict

This should all tell you that the calls for Newton’s job are reactionary and short-sighted. Newton is still a difference-maker at quarterback and needs to be added in all leagues where he’s on the wire. He should also be a top target for teams looking to buy low in dynasty leagues.

He is likely no longer a contender for the top overall quarterback spot. He’s simply suffered too many injuries and can’t match the rushing upside of Lamar Jackson or the passing acumen of Patrick Mahomes. However, Newton shouldn’t be forgotten.

He has proven that he will still be a top-five rushing quarterback and was making clear and statistically-validated progress as a passer in a new offense before getting injured. The consistent rushing – even though it’s not at his past heights – will give him the floor of a top-10 quarterback, but the improved passing will allow him to push towards the top-five discussion if early returns continue to bear out.

With the state of the quarterback position murky at best, landing a consistent top-10 option is a boon that no fantasy manager should turn down.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaylen Waddle

Good to Go For Thursday Night Football
Tucker Kraft

Suffers "Little Knee Tweak," Checks Out OK
Jaylen Waddle

Expected to Play and be a "Big Factor" on Thursday Night
Tucker Kraft

Suffers Knee Injury During Thursday's Practice
Clayton Kershaw

Will Retire at the End of the Season
Malcolm Brogdon

Landry Shamet and Malcolm Brogdon Both Staying with the Knicks?
Detroit Pistons

Charles Bediako Agrees to a Training Camp Deal with Detroit
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery, Uncertain for Training Camp
Charlotte Hornets

DaQuan Jeffries Waived by the Hornets
CFB

Eric Singleton Jr. Questionable For Saturday
Braden Schneider

Limited in Training Camp
Lars Eller

Recovering From Abdominal Procedure
Nick Jensen

in Danger of Missing Start of Season
Brandon Montour

to Miss Two Weeks After Ankle Surgery
Gabriel Landeskog

a "Full Go" for the Season
Samuel Girard

Avalanche Hope to Have Samuel Girard Available for Start of Season
Mackenzie Blackwood

Out Week-to-Week
Alex Tuch

Day-to-Day With Undisclosed Injury
Jordan Greenway

to Sit Out Training Camp
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Considered Day-to-Day
Simon Edvinsson

to Miss a Couple of Weeks
Mikael Backlund

Signs Two-Year Extension
Connor Ingram

to Be Waived by Mammoth
Zach Hyman

Misses Start of Training Camp
Nick Paul

Out Until November
Kris Letang

Cleared for Training Camp
David Pastrnak

Out for Start of Training Camp
Matthew Tkachuk

Expected to Be Out Until December
NBA

Trevelin Queen Joins Chinese Team
Damian Lillard

Not Rushing His Return
Brooklyn Nets

Keon Johnson Waived by Nets
Justin Verlander

Plans to Pitch in 2026
Junior Caminero

Day-to-Day With Back Tightness
Will Smith

Won't Return When First Eligible
Tyler Soderstrom

Returns to A's Lineup
Tyler Warren

Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP