Fantasy Football Sleepers 2013: Valuable QBs Who Should Be Available Late

Many fantasy leagues place an emphasis on grabbing running backs and skill-position players early on, and there are several quarterbacks to consider in the later rounds who present great value.

All three of these signal-callers are on different teams than they were in 2012—and one is even a rookie.

Former Florida State star E.J. Manuel was the only QB to be chosen in the first round of this year's draft.  Although he doesn't have the Buffalo Bills' starting job over Kevin Kolb yet, he's made a compelling case for himself thus far in the preseason.

Below is a closer look at Manuel and two other familiar faces in new places who should thrive in their new respective offensive systems.

Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

It's a completely new era in KC, with GM John Dorsey, head coach Andy Reid and Alex Smith headlining the future direction of the storied franchise.

After being concussed and ultimately benched for Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco last season, it's redemption time—again—for Smith as he enters 2013 as the unquestioned starter.

Even casting aside Smith's stellar outing against the hapless New Orleans Saints defense in the first preseason contest, he is set up to thrive. Fortunately for Smith, it appears that star running back Jamaal Charles' foot injury won't threaten his season.

Charles figures to be the driving force of the offense given his playmaking ability, but given Reid's penchant to pass, it may be Smith who benefits most from Reid's arrival due to a West Coast offensive scheme.

The crafty use of screen plays to running backs will allow Smith to feed Charles the ball and let the speedster take off with it, making his job easier.

A plethora of pass-catching options exist at tight end, including incumbent Tony Moeaki, free agent acquisition Anthony Fasano and rookie Travis Kelce.

Throwing deep is not Smith's strength, but that is precisely why he will fit well in the timing-based, shorter passing game that will define Kansas City's new-look offense.

Smith will thrive in the West Coast system that Reid fosters and will be playing with the most established and accomplished receiver he's ever thrown to, since solidifying himself as a true franchise QB, in Dwayne Bowe.

Even with spotty quarterback play and the league's worst passing offense, Bowe managed 59 catches for 801 yards in 2012.

Plus, if Dexter McCluster emerges as a legitimate slot threat and Jonathan Baldwin even touches on his massive potential, the Chiefs' offense could be suddenly potent. Don't sleep on Donnie Avery either, because he had a solid year with the Colts, nabbing 60 receptions for 781 yards and three touchdowns.

Look for Smith's completion percentage to be high, along with his fantasy numbers—courtesy of the scheme, Bowe's dependability, a heavy dose of Charles screens and several reliable tight ends as security blankets.

Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

A vertical-based passing attack is what head coach Bruce Arians brings with him from Indianapolis. After calling plays with success for Andrew Luck's Colts, he has another former No. 1 overall pick eager to revitalize his career in Palmer, who fits the scheme well.

In 10 games with Oakland in 2011, Palmer threw for a career-best 8.39 yards per attempt, frequently taking shots down the field with dubious targets and a scant running game supporting him.

Palmer has never had a receiver quite like Larry Fitzgerald at his disposal, and in his brief time with the Raiders, he threw to an intriguingly speedy but raw and inconsistent receiving corps.

That won't be the case in the desert.

Fitzgerald has suffered from horrendous quarterback play ever since Kurt Warner retired but has admirably stuck with the organization that drafted him. While many may not expect big things from Palmer, he is a massive upgrade from what Fitzgerald has been recently accustomed to.

Also in the fold are Michael Floyd, the underrated Andre Roberts and two tight ends in Jeff King and supremely athletic Rob Housler, who could be a sleeper in his own right this season.

The preseason opener wasn't a bad start for Palmer, either:

GM Steve Keim wisely selected Jonathan Cooper in the first round of this year's draft to give Palmer desperately needed protection up front against the ravenous defenses of the NFC West.

The fact that Palmer is in arguably the best division in football is a red flag, but don't say you weren't warned if he puts up a surprisingly good season.

E.J. Manuel, Buffalo Bills

As hinted at before, Manuel has yet to be named the opening-day starter.

But my goodness, did he ever make a strong first impression in the preseason opener, when he drove the Bills on a 10-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to close out the first half.

First-year head coach Doug Marrone is implementing an up-tempo offense that requires a composed quarterback to catalyze it, and Manuel is playing the part well thus far.

Adam Schein of NFL.com was certainly convinced after Manuel's display, which looked almost automatic as he completed all nine passes on the drive:

Not to mention, Manuel is a gifted athlete with long strides and deceptive speed. That was evident when he ripped off a 24-yard gain on the ground.

The zone-read option is becoming a hard-to-stop craze in the NFL, and there's no reason to think Manuel couldn't be effective in it, especially with backs like C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson by his side.

Manuel has a cannon for an arm and has shown exceptional accuracy. Reading NFL defenses and adjusting to the speed of the game at the professional level also doesn't seem too big for him.

The Bills decided to get Manuel some help in terms of playmakers in the draft by acquiring Robert Woods and world-class sprinter Marquise Goodwin. Couple them with star pass-catcher Stevie Johnson along with T.J. Graham and TE Scott Chandler, and this could be an exciting year for the rookie QB.