Conventional wisdom advised against starting Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in Week 6. Newton had been inconsistent throughout the campaign, and the belief was that he was not fully recovered from ankle and rib injuries that he had suffered before the start of the regular season. Add in that Newton and the Panthers were set to be away to a Cincinnati Bengals team that hasn’t lost at home since 2012 and that has a great defense, and sitting Newton was close to a no-brainer in weekly fantasy football competitions.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Studs and Duds
Stud: QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
It seems that Newton is feeling just fine, thank you very much. Newton finished Sunday as the leading fantasy football quarterback, going for 34.06 points in standard leagues. He found the end zone on three occasions -- twice throwing and once rushing -- and Newton threw for 284 yards. He also had an interception.
Newton and the Panthers will be at the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. Green Bay has had a leaky pass defense as it pertains to fantasy football, and Newton could be in for another big afternoon.
Dud: QB Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions
Get well soon, Megatron.
Stafford put up little of note with Calvin Johnson nursing an ankle injury. The Detroit starting quarterback had a touchdown and 185 yards of passing. He gave fantasy football owners only 11.68 points.
Yuck.
Stafford without Megatron is bad times, but the pass defense of the New Orleans Saints could be worse. The Lions will host the Saints next weekend.
Stud: RB Ben Tate, Cleveland Browns
Tate is showing that he is not yet ready to relinquish the starting job over to Cleveland’s duo of rookie running backs. While the veteran went for only 78 rushing yards, he twice found the end zone. Tate was fifth in fantasy football points among running backs with 19.80.
Tate is the first-choice running back of the Browns for the near future, but there is a reason for worry moving forward. All-Pro center Alex Mack was lost for the season on Sunday after he suffered a broken leg.
Dud: RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay tried to get its rushing attack going at the Miami Dolphins, but it never happened. Lacy was held to 40 rushing yards on 14 carries, and he finished the game with a total of 4 fantasy football points.
Take away his performance against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, and Lacy has been a fantasy football disappointment this season.
Stud: WR Andre Holmes, Oakland Raiders
Holmes is a candidate for this week’s “That helps no one” award. The fantasy football sleeper had 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers. He finished the game with 24.10 fantasy football points.
Don’t look now, but Holmes has three touchdowns in Oakland’s last two games. He could be an interesting waiver wire find for fantasy football owners, especially if rookie quarterback Derek Carr is finding his form.
Dud: WR Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
While the Cowboys got a big win at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the No. 1 Dallas wide receiver was held in check by the Legion of Boom. Bryant produced 6.3 fantasy football points against Seattle.
There is obviously no reason to panic about Bryant. He won’t be facing the Seahawks in Seattle every weekend, and he is a must-start each time he takes the field.
Stud: TE Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns
HE LIVES! The Cleveland tight end who has been dealing with a shoulder problem since the summer months had his breakout afternoon against the Steelers, reeling in two long passes and finding the end zone once. Cameron was second among tight ends in fantasy football points with 16.20.
Reports out of Cleveland were that Cameron may not be 100 percent until the offseason. He won’t have to be fully healthy in games if he is as ignored as he was by the Pittsburgh defense.
Dud: TE Owen Daniels, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco lit it up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing five touchdowns in the first half of that blowout. Daniels didn’t benefit from Flacco’s performance, however, finishing the game with 34 receiving yards and a total of 3.4 fantasy football points.
Flacco didn’t look for Daniels on Sunday, largely because he didn’t have to against the Bucs. Daniels saw three targets, two of which resulted in receptions. For what it’s worth, Daniels hasn’t had a touchdown in a month.
Uh oh.
Stud: Detroit Lions defense
Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had a nightmare afternoon against the Detroit defense. The Lions had 8 -- count ‘em -- 8 sacks, and they had 3 interceptions. Minnesota managed only a field goal in the 17-3 home loss to Detroit.
Detroit hosts New Orleans next week after Drew Brees and company were on the Bye. You may want to exchange the defense of the Lions for a unit with a better match-up.
Dud: San Diego Chargers defense
Riding the San Diego defense for a second straight week made all kinds of sense heading into Sunday. It put in a dream fantasy football performance against the New York Jets a week ago, and it was set to face off with an Oakland Raiders offense starting a rookie quarterback who was averaging an interception per game.
That “Any given Sunday” thing is real.
The Raiders gave the Super Chargers a real scare, and the San Diego defense registered a single fantasy football point. It’s understandable if you drop the unit before the Chargers host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.
