Cam Newton was all the craze around the fantasy football world heading into the 2012 season. "He was going to redefine how we drafted," some people said. Others indicated that he'd eventually be the best fantasy quarterback in the league, while ignoring the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. 

Newton struggled out of the gate, made headlines as an immature personality and failed to improve as a quarterback. Once Newton got his game going towards the middle part of the year, he showed us exactly why many thought he was among the most talented quarterbacks in the league. 

On the other hand, Robert Griffin III absolutely dominated from day one. He came in and took over a lackluster Washington Redskins offense and turned it into one of the most dynamic in the entire NFL. Equally as important, he led Washington to the postseason in his first season in the league. 

Time to compare and contrast these two players from a fantasy lens. 

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Newton finished No. 4 overall among fantasy quarterbacks in 2012. His overall performance by the time the season came to an end has to be considered surprising after the slow start he got off to. Newton represented less-than-average fantasy production in six of his first nine starts, averaging just 17.1 points per outing during that span. 

Picking up his play a great deal towards the second half of the season, Newton averaged 24.7 fantasy points per outing in his final seven starts. It must, however, be noted that Carolina went up against some of the worst defenses in the NFL during that span. 

These defenses didn't exactly light the world on fire last season. Even Philadelphia, who finished ninth in the league against the pass, yielded a 99.4 quarterback rating and gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. 

Can Newton perform at a high level against better defenses in 2013? That's going to be the big question. He'll be going up against seven of the top-15 pass defenses from a season ago, including the entire NFC West (three teams finished in the top 10 from that division). Honestly, Newton will have to pick his game up a great deal in order to even repeat his fantasy production from last season.  

Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

RGIII's success in terms of fantasy football will depend a great deal on his health this upcoming season. If he plays a full 16-game schedule, he is a lock to be a top-10 quarterback in 2013. If not, those who draft him early will be disappointed. 

The former No. 2 overall pick of the 'Skins put up the fifth-most fantasy points of any quarterback in the NFL last year. In fact, his 20.44 points per outing ranked him as the No. 7 overall fantasy player. One of the primary reasons RGIII stood out above other rookie quarterbacks in terms of fantasy production is that he threw a total of six interceptions all season long. That's ridiculous for such a young signal caller. 

In terms of consistency, RGIII put up below-average fantasy production only three times in his 15 starts. Again, that's simply insane for a young quarterback. He did all this going up against some of the better pass defenses in the entire NFL. 

It's pretty telling that RGIII averaged more points (23.0) against top-10 defenses than Newton averaged (22.0) against bottom-10 defenses last year. 

Bottom Line

In case you hadn't already figured, I'd recommend going RGIII over Newton and not even spending more than two minutes thinking about it. While there are injury concerns as it relates to the 'Skins quarterback, he is more consistent and possesses a higher upside than Newton. 

Both are solid QB1 options, but Newton just doesn't provide the consistent fantasy output from a player expected to go high in a draft. If you are a fan of the Panthers' quarterback, wait until later in the draft to pick him up and go with a running back instead.