Cam Newton: Fantasy Owners Shouldn't Bench Struggling Carolina Panthers QB

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers have lost four straight games, but fantasy football owners shouldn't bench the young quarterback just yet.

Newton is still a productive quarterback for fantasy owners in all types of leagues because of his ability to rack up passing and rushing yards.

The Panthers star has rushed for 60 or more yards three times, and has 273 total yards on the ground this season. He also has three rushing touchdowns.

While he hasn't been very accurate this season (58.4 completion percentage), Newton does have 1,387 passing yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions through seven games.

Newton also has several favorable matchups remaining this season against defenses who are terrible at defending the pass.

Just three of the Panthers' final nine opponents this year are ranked better than 15th in the NFL in pass defense.

Carolina also plays the three worst pass defense in football later this year with matchups against the Washington Redskins (32nd vs. pass) in Week 9, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31st vs. pass) in Week 11 and the New Orleans Saints (30th vs. pass) in Week 17.

Newton has not lived up to expectations this season, but with a good running game and some quality receivers, there's no reason to think his struggles will last too much longer.

It's too early for fantasy owners to give up on Newton, especially since the season isn't even half over yet. Keep starting Newton on your fantasy team, especially in leagues where two quarterbacks are started each week. If you play in a keeper league, trading Newton would be a mistake.

Newton is a very talented quarterback and will only improve as the year progresses.