Rapid Reaction: Cam Newton Signs with the New England Patriots
Well folks, the eagle has landed. Cam Newton has officially signed with the New England Patriots for the 2020 season. Apologies to all the Patriots fans that thought Trevor Lawrence was in your future. Disappointment and real life football aside, I’m here to give you a break down of what this means for the fantasy relevant players on the roster.
Cam Newton
Since he was drafted number one overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2011 his fantasy finishes in healthy seasons are as follows:
QB3, QB4, QB3, QB17, QB1, QB17, QB2, and QB13
His rushing upside remains to be seen after coming off a significant foot injury, but he has the fantasy pedigree to be an absolute elite option. He is also paired with the greatest Head Coach of all time and an excellent Offensive Coordinator in Josh McDaniels. McDaniels’s offenses with the Patriots have averaged a sixth place finish in total yards and a fourth place finish in points scored. If Cam has even 75% of his mobility left I expect him to be a boarder line QB1 option.
The Backfield
Embed from Getty ImagesSony Michel
Sony Michel is going to be the most affected by the arrival of Cam Newton. He has been the primary goal line back since arriving in New England in 2018. He will be vultured by Newton around the goal line. Newton has averaged 7.25 rushing TDs per year since arriving in the NFL. I am completely out on Michel after this signing. Without the majority of the goal line work he is a boom or bust RB4.
James White
Cam Newton did not show a propensity to target his primary RBs in Carolina until Christian McCaffrey arrived. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart averaged 26.8 targets/year and 25.6 targets/year respectively during their time with Newton under center. The ball game changed when McCaffrey arrived. He averaged 118.5 targets/year because he is an elite pass catcher out of the backfield. James White is not McCaffrey, but he may be the next best pass catcher in the league. Expect Newton to target him often when his primary WRs are covered. Speaking of THE primary receiver in New England.
Embed from Getty ImagesJulian Edelman
The route running and middle of the field extraordinaire will serve as Newton’s first read. He is getting up there in age, but he can still separate extremely quickly and provide an open target with reliable hands for Newton in crucial third down situations. No one is expecting a repeat of his WR7 PPR finish in 2019, but he could be a value in drafts. According to FantasyPros best ball ADP, he is being drafted as the WR35 right now. I expect that to creep up a little, but he could provide steady, volume driven WR2 value in 2020.
Embed from Getty ImagesN’Keal Harry
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Cam Newton enjoyed some of his greatest success throwing to big bodied, contest catch specialists like Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. Harry is cut from the same cloth. At 6’4″ and 225 lbs he is a monster of a man with a massive catch radius. The Patriots selected him with the sixteenth pick in the 2019 draft with an eye toward the future. According to Player Profiler, Harry has a 89th percentile college dominator rating and was in the 95th percentile in break out age. I expect him to be the primary weapon for Newton in the red zone. I can realistically see him catching 8-10 TDs.
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