Daily Fantasy Football 2015: DFS Sleeper QBs to Target Early This Season

Training camps are in full swing across the NFL, which is as good of a reason as any to begin preparing early for the wild 2015 daily fantasy season ahead that's sure to be much bigger than any other.

Hotly contested battles across many positions will certainly define fantasy value for the year to come, but things are relatively locked down at various quarterback spots across the league. The only battles not set in stone—such as the Cleveland Browns' or New York Jets'—have a pretty distinct feel as to who will be under center for Week 1.

We omitted quarterbacks from ESPN's top 10 for simplicity and also steered away from any first-rate options, but any other gunslinger is fair game. A big-time performer can be found deep in the rankings most weeks, and saving the salary will allow you to beef up other areas of your lineup.

While it's far too early to dissect any Week 1 prices, let's take an early glance at five quarterbacks worth looking into for the early weeks of daily fantasy action.

Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Sam Bradford has yet to officially win the quarterback battle in Philadelphia, but let's get this much clear—Chip Kelly didn't trade previous starter Nick Foles for Bradford's $12.985 million salary just to bench him for Mark Sanchez.

Should Bradford be healthy for Week 1 and beyond, he'll serve as one of the best sleeper options before his salary spikes from strong play. The Eagles offensive system is built for a quick arm like Bradford's and should yield inevitable success just as it did for Foles. The presence of DeMarco Murray is only going to amplify that.

Bradford is already taking first-team reps early in Eagles training camp, while Sanchez is taking second-team ones, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, indicating the former Heisman Trophy winner is in the driver's seat to take the job. 

In 16-game seasons Bradford has completed, he's thrown for at least 3,500 yards in each and surpassed 21 touchdowns in his last full season in 2012. With an offseason to rehab another torn ACL, Bradford should be ready to come hot out of the gates.

Eli Manning, New York Giants

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

A much-improved offensive line. Odell Beckham Jr. There isn't much not to like about what's surrounding Eli Manning entering a shot at turning around the New York Giants' fortunes in 2015.

For all of their struggles last season, however, Manning's numbers were undeniably impressive. He threw for 30 touchdowns with 14 interceptions, going for three scores in two of his final three games and proving consistent as ever with Beckham's midseason explosion.

The Giants' 2015 schedule also sets up favorably for early success through the air for Manning, as they face the Cowboys, Falcons and Redskins in their opening three games. All three of those teams ranked in the bottom 10 for pass defense in 2014, with the Falcons—Manning's Week 2 opponent—finishing last in the league.

Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

For better or worse, Jay Cutler is still the Chicago Bears' answer at quarterback. And as long as that's the case and he's surrounded with a plethora of options, he's impossible to ignore from a fantasy perspective.

The Bears may have lost Brandon Marshall over the offseason, but there's no lack of explosion around Cutler. He has Alshon Jeffery set to explode as the team's No. 1 receiver, along with promising rookie Kevin White, tight end Martellus Bennett and the league's best pass-catching back in Matt Forte.

Change will be good for Cutler in a new offensive system that should re-energize him, leading to a hot start just as he had in 2014. He began last season with multiple touchdowns in his first five games and six total touchdown passes in his first two outings.

You may want to steer clear from Cutler in tough early matchups, like Arizona in Week 2 and Seattle in Week 3, but the schedule softens up with a home contest versus Oakland in Week 4—a prime opportunity to look Cutler's way.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Joe Flacco didn't deliver a Super Bowl repeat to the Baltimore Ravens in a 2015 season troubled from the start, but that didn't prevent him from putting up career-best numbers in some instances.

His yardage (3,986) and touchdowns (27) both marked career highs for the Ravens quarterback, success that should continue with Baltimore replenishing his weapons early in the draft. The Ravens selected Breshad Perriman out of UCF in the first round and tight end Maxx Williams in Round 2, proving their commitment to keeping dangerous options around Flacco.

Don't be surprised if Flacco plays surprisingly well in Week 1 against a Denver Broncos defense piecing things together, and more of the same should be on the horizon with a Week 2 visit to Oakland.

Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The 22-year-old quarterback out of Louisville is ready to take the next step in 2015 after a breakout rookie season, and it won't exactly hurt Teddy Bridgewater to have Adrian Peterson back to hand the ball off to in pressure moments.

Bridgewater had one of the best seasons as a quarterback in Vikings history despite being a rookie, as his 64.4 percent accuracy ranked third best in the franchise's history, per Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. He threw for a touchdown in all 13 games that he started in 2014, going for over 300 yards in two of his final four starts.

Swapping Greg Jennings for Mike Wallace will pay dividends for the young quarterback as he adds dependable explosion. Young receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has reportedly been "[turning] a corner," per Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press, which should give Bridgewater the weapons he didn't have in stretches of last season.

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