Victor Cruz and the 5 Most Surprising Fantasy Studs in 2011

Every NFL season brings its fair share of surprises for fantasy football owners.

Sometimes these surprises resemble finding a dead rat under your couch.

But we're going to keep this list positive for you all here at Bleacher Report and focus on the five most surprising fantasy studs of 2011.

If you have one of these guys, you probably got him off the waiver wire, and now you have a leg up on the rest of the competition with an added bonus on your roster.

New York Giants' receiver Victor Cruz has been one of the diamonds in the rough this season, coming off an eight-catch, 161-yard, one touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.

Here are the most pleasant surprises of the 2011 fantasy football season so far.

5. Beanie Wells, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Beanie Wells has had some success in the NFL before, racking up 797 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his rookie season, but he was ultimately overtaken by Tim Hightower on the Cardinals' depth chart before Hightower left for the Washington Redskins. The Cardinals drafted rookie running back Ryan Williams this season in hopes of eventually filling in the starting running back position. .

Well, Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason and Wells got a second chance.

It's safe to say he's made the most of it.

Heading into Week 5, Wells had the seventh-most fantasy points among running backs in Yahoo! Sports leagues and he scored over 30 points against the New York Giants in Week 4.

On Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, he once again made fantasy owners happy, rushing for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Wells has definitely seized his opportunity.

4. Darren Sproles, RB, New Orleans Saints

Darren Sproles has always made the most of his opportunities.

The problem is, he's never been given enough touches to consistently reward fantasy owners. When he left for the New Orleans Saints this offseason, that meant he would be splitting carries with rookie Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas. That made it even more likely that he wouldn't get many touches.

Well, apparently it doesn't matter in the Saints' high-octane attack. Sproles is delivering consistently, whether it be on the ground or through the air, and he was 10th among running backs in fantasy points headed into Week 5.

He continued to produce on Sunday, rushing for 51 yards and catching five balls for 40 yards. Especially in PPR leagues, Sproles has been golden.

3. Eric Decker, WR, Denver Broncos

Who's Eric Decker?

Why, he's that 2010 third-round pick who had scored the sixth-most fantasy points among wide receivers headed into Week 5.

Decker had an ugly game against the San Diego Chargers in Week 5, but racking up 55 fantasy points so far ain't too shabby.

And how is he doing this on the Broncos of all teams?

2. Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz had 34 fantasy points headed into Week 5, but he really only started getting opportunities in Week 3.

In Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, he caught eight balls for 161 yards and a touchdown.

This is after he scored 23 fantasy points in one game in Week 3 against Nnamdi Asomugha and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not bad for an undrafted rookie out of Massachusetts.

1. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Sure, Cam Newton was the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, but the fact of the matter is he was a rookie QB on a team that finished 2-14 last season and there were plenty of questions about his accuracy and whether his legs would be contained in the fast and furious National Football League.

But Newton has gone far and beyond what football and fantasy football could have ever imagined.

Headed into Week 5, Newton has racked up the third-most points in all of fantasy football, only behind Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. He was averaging over 346 passing yards per game, had rushed for 133 yards and had nine total touchdowns. He hadn't even lost a fumble.

In Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, Newton wasn't as spectacular, but he still put up some pretty good fantasy numbers. Newton passed for 224 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and ran for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Three-touchdown performances are becoming a letdown for Newton.