Cam Newton was bad in Super Bowl 50. There's no way around that after Denver's 24-10 victory over Carolina on Sunday. Credit the Broncos' defensive performance for making the MVP of the regular season look average, and Newton made himself look worse with his postgame press conference.
But when you get over looking at this game and worrying about Newton's behavior with the media you will realize he still remains the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback heading into 2016 -- if there was any doubt. He was amazing in 2015 and should be just as dominant next season.
Newton faced the best defense in the NFL in the Broncos and came up with just 18-of-41 passing for 265 yards and one interception, and he ran for 45 yards on six carries with two lost fumbles. It was a disaster, but he will rebound in a big way.
For starters, he will get a healthy Kelvin Benjamin back; the big wideout missed the season with a torn ACL. That immediately gives Newton a quality No. 1 receiver to go with tight end Greg Olsen and complementary parts in Ted Ginn, Corey Brown and Devin Funchess.
And it's not like Newton was bad without Benjamin, but another weapon of his caliber should make Newton that much more dangerous. In his past 22 games prior to the Super Bowl, Newton averaged 26.3 Fantasy points per game. To put that in perspective, Andrew Luck was the No. 1 quarterback in 2014 and averaged 24 Fantasy points over 19 games, including the playoffs.
What Newton will have to overcome in 2016 is a potential Super Bowl hangover, which should be of little concern. He'll also have to overcome some history as well.
The last time a quarterback finished first in Fantasy points in consecutive seasons was Peyton Manning in 2003-04. And the last time the first quarterback drafted in most leagues finished No. 1 at the position was Aaron Rodgers in 2011.
Rodgers with a healthy Jordy Nelson (torn ACL) and Luck back at full strength will pose a threat to Newton in 2016, but if he remains committed to running the ball (he had 10 games with at least eight Fantasy points in a standard league in 2015 thanks to his legs) and his ability to pass at a high level, he should be unstoppable in the NFC South.
I'm not an advocate of drafting a quarterback early in most Fantasy leagues, but Newton should definitely be the first quarterback off the board. He is worth drafting in Round 2 in most formats, and we expect him to bounce back from his poor performance in Super Bowl 50.
He had a bad game against the Broncos, but he's been a Top 7 Fantasy quarterback in standard leagues four times now in the past five years, with his best showing in 2015. He should continue to improve, and we expect him to again come out on top as the No. 1 quarterback in 2016.