Tony Cutillo
Welcome to the very first edition of The Fantasy Factor. The Fantasy Factor will be your go-to guide on Friday afternoons that will recap all the intricate details of Thursday night’s game. Historically, the Thursday night game has not been very fan-friendly towards the fantasy world, but it still offers us a decent gauge of what to look for in future weeks. In this weekly segment, I hope to enlighten you on some interesting facts, as well as some hard thought out analogies to give you a smile going into the weekend. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Last night was the meal that every football fan was hungry for and the drink that has been sitting on the shelf waiting to be poured. It was the beginning of Week 1 in the 2016 NFL season and we were treated with a Super Bowl rematch that was filled with an abundant amount of storylines.
One of the very last visions we were left with was Cam Newton walking off the podium acting like a spoiled 8 year old who didn’t get the scooter he wanted for Christmas. After a pretty silent offseason, it was now time to show if he grew up on the prime time.
The following highlights are what I think were the most important fantasy factors to take away from last night’s game.
I. Cam Newton will still be a fantasy monster at the QB position in 2016.
After leading his Panthers to a 15-1 record and trip to the Super Bowl, Cam Newton won a lot of fantasy championships in 2015. His combination of effortless passes and truck like running style had fantasy scoreboards lighting up like Atlantic City. Last night seemed to be no different. Newton had a stat line of 194/ 1 TD/1 INT along with 54 yards rushing and a touchdown. Sure, this isn’t a 300-yard game with multiple passing and running TDs, but the first half suggested that this offense will continue to roll on. Kudos also to the NFL’s version of Superman as he broke the record for career rushing touchdowns with 44 in only his 79th game as a NFL player. Wow! Cam will undoubtedly finish as a Top 5 QB once again.
II. Carolina’s running game will be more of a necessity for the Panthers than a helpful tool for fantasy players.
Hopefully you didn’t draft Jonathan Stewart as a bell cow back or one that will consistently score you double-digit fantasy points this year. While his running style seemed to bode well at times, the constant mix of Tolbert and Whitaker, along with the designed rushes by Cam, would make me feel very uncomfortable starting him on a weekly basis. He did average 4.3 YPC, but 64 yards is not what I want from my starting running back. This offense is a Triple Threat of Newton, Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen, with Stewart there to pick up the scraps.
III. Kelvin Benjamin is back at the top of the depth chart.
Like I’ve said before, preseason reports and games are worthless. How many times did we hear Kelvin Benjamin was out of shape and may not even be ready to play in Week 1? I hope all those reporters were watching the same game I was last night. Kelvin seemed to pick up right where he left off in his rookie season, cementing himself as the go-to guy for Newton. He was targeted 12 times and hauled in six passes for 91 yards and a score. He posed a mismatch all night when he wasn’t paired with Talib and showed what we all expected before his ACL injury.
Speaking of his ACL injury, all his owners sure had a scare when he was the recipient of an awkward tackle in the second quarter that forced him off the field for a few plays. Luckily, it was nothing more than a minor shakeup. His strength and ability will continue to help him exceed expectations towards finishing as a Top 12 receiver. If you read my WR breakout article, you now know why Benjamin was on my list. Devon Funchess who?
IV. Trevor Siemian will be the reason for the decline of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler are gone and Trevor is your man. Unfortunately, the former 7th round pick looks like he will serve as no more than a signal caller who throws more dump offs than Alex Smith. Will he give you the occasional 10-yard out? Sure. However, the days of skinny posts and down the field go routes will be buried deeper than Jimmy Hoffa. Not only will Trevor not be a fantasy starter, he may eventual turn Thomas and Sanders into spot starters instead of reliable point generators.
V. CJ Anderson is a three-down back.
In the days where the three-down running back seems to be dwindling down quicker than the list of bearable football announcers, CJ Anderson is laying his claim as one of the few that will exist in 2016. In an offseason that saw him try to leave for Miami, but ultimately stay in Denver, owners weren’t sure what kind of ROI they would get from him. Using last night as an indication, the return has just broke the bank.
Coming into a game against one of the top defenses in the league, Anderson was determined to show what he could do. He rumbled all over the field for 139 yards and even added in four receptions. He looked like a fantasy stud out there and could very well be for the rest of the year. In an offense that will need to keep the pressure off their young quarterback, Anderson will be leaned on heavily each week. The Denver backfield was owned by Anderson towards the end of 2015 and 2016 looks to be a repeat performance.
As you can see, there were plenty of things to take away from last night’s performance. We knew it would be a good game on both sides of the ball. The Thursday night game will be a sore spot for many fantasy owners as the short week leaves us with a vanilla game plan and an exhausted roster. Last night was a little different as it was the first game of the season. I honestly don’t think we will see high statistical outputs like Anderson had on a weekly basis.
As always, you can stop by my Facebook page (Fantasy Sports Addiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WENG RADIO every Monday at 4:00 P.M. ET for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
For fantasy purposes, all my articles are predicated upon a PPR-based system.