When the Carolina Panthers selected Cam Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, there were plenty of doubters that wondered whether or not the former Heisman Trophy winner was ready for the big leagues. Now, Newton is considered one of the top quarterbacks to pick up for the fantasy football 2012 season–mainly because he’s just as much of a threat on the ground as he is through the air.

Newton made history last year after becoming the first player to throw for over 400 yards in each of his first career starts and finished the season with 4,051 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. On top of his impressive passing numbers, Newton’s most impressive feature from his rookie campaign was the moves he was able to make with his legs after rushing for 706 yards to go along with 14 touchdowns.

Thanks to Newton, Carolina is considered one of the top teams to keep an eye on heading into 2012 that could make a surprise run at the playoffs after finishing 6-10 last season–especially if Newton lives up to the hype in his sophomore season in the NFL. Now that he’s got one full season under his belt as a starter, expectations are high for Newton this year and he has the chance to emerge into one of the biggest threats from a fantasy perspective.

It’s one thing to put up impressive statistics in the passing game, but to make just as much of an impact on the ground–that’s a bonus for just about any fantasy owner.

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Fantasy Football Top 10 Quarterback Rankings:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Drew Brees
3. Tom Brady
4. Matthew Stafford
5. Cam Newton
6. Eli Manning
7. Michael Vick
8. Philip Rivers
9. Tony Romo
10. Ben Roethlisberger