FanDuel Salary Changes: Week 12

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Price: $7,800
Salary Change: Down $700

After a miserable performance in Week 11 where he completed just 14 of 33 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, Cam Newton is now cheaper than he’s been at any point this season. When you think of the Saints’ game last week, you think it’s a cake matchup and that Cam's performance was wildly disappointing. But the Saints are actually middle of the pack in defending quarterbacks, allowing the 15th-most FanDuel points in 2016.

The other issue was that the game was on Thursday night -- over the last three years, quarterbacks have scored 1.4 fewer FanDuel points per game on Thursdays. But now, Newton gets 10 days rest as the Panthers will travel to Oakland for Sunday’s matchup.

This game sets up well for Newton, as the Panthers are 3.5-point underdogs and the game features a 49.5-point total, the third-highest total of the weekend. Oakland has an average defense against the pass, but they’ve been carved up by star quarterbacks this season -- Drew Brees (31.42 FanDuel points), Matt Ryan (28.84), and Philip Rivers (28.36) have all reached tournament value versus the Raiders in 2016.

With his lowered salary, Newton will need 23.4 FanDuel points to reach tournament value, a number he’s hit on three separate occasions this season. He has a massive ceiling in Week 12 and should be considered a top-tier tournament play.