With the season ready to begin (FINALLY!), the Huddle contest scene is about to be in full swing. Although we dont have confirmation yet of GO Boosts or contest mechanics, I will assume everything will be the same until it isnt. Come Thursday, there will be a lot of interesting things going down, and if you are unprepared for the contest, you will not get the goods. Here are my players to watch.

Cam Newton

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to acquire: Hard

As I was mentioning before, Huddle has a misguided obsession with QBs, because the point totals on the back of the card are the highest of any position. Its misleading because QBs score on more plays, but their receivers are still better for your contest collection based on the way scoring is set up. Based on the popularity of Cam as a player, this is doubly so, as you want to pick up others before trying to get your share of the dab master. He will be ONE of the most playable QBs in the game, as his rushing yardage and scoring is higher than just about everyone. Other than that, pick up the rest of the team first.

Jonathan Stewart

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to acquire: Medium

Stewart had a good year last year, and should be back at it this year too. Basically, the Panthers are a well balanced offense, and with Stewart getting most of the carries, this is a good card to pick up. Tolbert still should get goal line carries too, but it wasnt as sure a thing as I thought it would be last year. He is good for at least having in case he can break a few longer runs. The Broncos are stout on defensive line and LB, so he could get shut down too.

Greg Olsen

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Medium

This is the guy I would have stacked. Olsen is a touchdown catching machine from inside the 30, and with how good the Broncos defense is, there may not be much for the rest of the Panthers’ team to get in terms of points. I would expect that Newton will use him a lot, as Kelvin Benjamin is coming off a year without playing, and Ted Ginn is hit or miss.

Kelvin Benjamin

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Low

Here is the thing with Benjamin. No one knows how he will adjust to game action after being out for the year last year. He could light it up, he could be a ghost as he gets his feet back under him. Have some of his cards in reserve in case he gets back on the highlight reel.

CJ Anderson

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Low

Another good card to pick up – especially with Ronnie Hillman gone. Devontae Booker is new to the show, and looks pretty good, so that might play into the setup as well if you have his cards from the premiere. I think if I am going to pick one or the other, Anderson gets the nod. He isnt tough to pick up in any way, and should be a great target if you dont have much to give up.

Demaryius Thomas

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Hard

Without Josh Norman roaming the secondary, the Broncos receivers might have a bit more ease catching passes. The problem is that they lost their method of getting the ball to their hands, and Trevor Siemian isnt exactly close to a top flight guy. Thomas is still a very popular player, and isnt easy to pick up. At least I have had some trouble.

Von Miller

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Medium

I dont like chasing defense, but in a game like this, its not that hard to see where they would be valuable. Miller had a banner run at the playoffs last year, and I would expect him to try to do similar things this time around. The Panthers didnt make any huge acquisitions to the line over the offseason, so its going to be interesting to see how Michael Oher (LT) handles the rush from Miller and Ware.

Emmanuel Sanders

Top Card: Gold 2x
Playability: 
Ease to Acquire: Low

Like Thomas, Sanders depends on a QB that can function, and that’s a stretch with what the Broncos have right now. I would expect more catches from Sanders as a better option for down to down throws, but you never know. He has been known to set it off in games, but that was when Manning was getting him the ball. Osweiler to an extent as well.

As soon as the contests are posted and GO boosts potentially released, start trying to piece together a winning strategy. Also – have your best fantasy lineup in place in case the traffic overloads the servers and you arent able to switch for a while.

If you have any questions – shoot me a tweet or a message in game @SCUncensored.

Good luck to everyone and have a great season!