Kelvin Benjamin Is Must-Own Fantasy Wideout After Stellar Week 1 Debut

Kelvin Benjamin slipped through the radar on draft day, and now he's going to make everyone pay. If he remains available, fantasy football managers should amend that mistake and scoop him off the waiver wire now.

Despite getting saddled with veteran Derek Anderson for his NFL debut, Benjamin still stole the show during the Carolina Panthers' Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught six passes for 92 yards and an incredible touchdown catch where he grabbed the ball over Mike Jenkins' head.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Though the neophyte treated the big play as just another routine reception.

“I mean it was OK,” Benjamin told the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones. “I’m pretty sure I’ll make greater catches than that down the line. I’m just real big on moving on from the past.”

Yahoo's Scott Pianowski was more impressed with his debut:

Those who had the gall to start a rookie in Week 1 without his starting quarterback were handsomely rewarded. Everyone else was left to snatch him off free agency or lament a missed opportunity.

In ESPN leagues, Benjamin's ownership rate has soared from 45.2 to 54.7 percent as of Thursday evening. One more big outing will balloon that number much closer to 100 percent, taking the positive outlook that no leagues are dead this early in the season.

ESPN's Christopher Harris campaigned for that number to catapult further, citing a returning Cam Newton as prime ammunition for a breakout.

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I'm surprised how few folks drafted Benjamin this summer. I was skeptical about his hands and mental mistakes at Florida State, and wondered if he'd be ready to be an NFL contributor right away, but I still ranked him inside my top 50 WRs. If Week 1 is any indication, even that was too low. Benjamin saw eight targets and caught six of them, including a 26-yard TD where he simply outmuscled a defensive back on a jump ball in the end zone. The fact that Benjamin did this in his first NFL contest with Derek Anderson throwing him passes only adds to the feat. Cam Newton will return in Week 2, and Benjamin needs to be owned in every fantasy league on the planet.

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Rookie wide receivers are often poor fantasy targets. Even Calvin Johnson only managed 756 receiving yards and four touchdowns during his inaugural season.

Yet exceptions exist for every rule. Last season, Keenan Allen disproved the perception that first-year receivers can't contribute immediately. He finished with 1,046 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, making him a mainstay in starting lineups across the globe.

The one critical element Benjamin shares with Allen is opportunity. After losing Vincent Jackson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, the San Diego Chargers needed someone to emerge as Philip Rivers' premier wideout target. Allen answered the call.

Out in Carolina, Cam Newton also has nobody else to throw to except his tight end and rookie receiver. Steve Smith bolted to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Panthers did little to address his loss in free agency. Instead, veteran placeholders Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant joined the squad, but neither can challenge Benjamin's big-play ability.

Sammy Watkins has a poor quarterback in E.J. Manuel on the run-first Buffalo Bills. Mike Evans will joust for targets with established downfield target Jackson. Odell Beckham Jr. is battling a hamstring injury to make his arrival on the stumbling New York Giants.

Benjamin will compete with the New Orleans Saints' Brandin Cooks for the honor of this year's premier first-year fantasy wideout. Cooks' ownership rate is also much higher on ESPN, where he's accounted for in three-quarters of leagues.

This isn't to say there won't be any bumps in Benjamin's road. All receivers, left to the mercy of the quarterback, are prone to off days on the gridiron. If he quickly makes a name for himself, he'll also receive all the defense's attention with no other threatening receivers worth worrying about.

The upside, however, is immense. His freakish side (6'5", 240 lbs) and status as Carolina's No. 1 wide receiver are too much to ignore for a guy not universally available. Even if owners just play the matchups until receiving a larger sample size, there's no reason Benjamin should sit on any waiver wire.

Although the Giants made the Lions look like the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, they ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed last season. As long as Newton suits up, Benjamin is worth starting as a No. 3 receiver or flex player in Week 2.