Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Top 5 Quarterback Sleepers Going After Round 12

I'm going to start off by saying that this is not at all a strategy that I recommend. The 12th round is no place to be picking up your starting quarterback. But if you are looking for a solid backup, or you aren't sold on the quarterback you picked up in, say, Round 7 or 8, pay close attention.

We all know the elite quarterbacks in this league. You have Michael Vick and Aaron Rodgers up front, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Matt Schaub and Tony Romo coming in behind them. You can even get a legitimate starter by staying later with Josh Freeman, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger or Matt Stafford. But what about the other guys, the backups.

I'm here to show you that you can get a fantastic sleeper quarterback for very cheap in your 2011 Fantasy Football Draft.

(All ADP statistics are taken from www.fantasyfootballcalculator.com and based on a 10-team, 15-round standard draft.)

5. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills (ADP- 149, Round 13, Pick 10)

It's looking right now like Fitzpatrick is not much more than a bye-week replacement, but he still has some sleeper potential. He started off strong last year and surprised a lot of people, passing for 11 scores in his first four games as a starter for the Bills in 2010.

A stat even more revealing than that, is that in just 13 weeks, Ryan Fitzpatrick managed 3,000 passing yards and a borderline shocking 23 touchdown passes. That is more than Michael Vick, Kyle Orton, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Ben Roethlisberger. True story.

Fitzpatrick did lose Lee Evans in the offseason, but Steve Johnson is still his No. 1 and Roscoe Parrish is capable of stepping nicely into the WR2 position. While he is no fantasy starter yet, I have no problems saying that Fitzpatrick could well end up in the top half of quarterbacks this season.

4. Colt McCoy, Cleveland Browns (ADP- 160, Round 14, Pick 4)

I'd be remiss if I didn't first mention that McCoy just threw for three touchdowns in the small amount of time he played in his preseason game against the Detroit Lions. So, with that little stat out of the way, let's talk about why else McCoy makes the list.

McCoy started eight games last year and managed to put up over 1,500 yards. This was with a struggling team with little offensive talent outside of running back, Peyton Hillis. His six touchdowns and nine interceptions left a little something to be desired. But if preseason and his practices have shown us anything, it's that this second-year player has done some serious growing up. He was 9-of-10 in the first preseason game with 135 yards and a score against the defense of the reigning world champion, Green Bay Packers. In Week 2, he had three touchdown throws against the Lions.

In addition, the Browns made some favorable offseason moves, adding head coach Pat Shurmur who could be the catalyst in a surprising year from the Browns. He had success as a coach with the Eagles, and helped turn around a depressing St. Louis Rams offense in the last two years. While they are still lacking at receiver, they do have some young talent who could turn some heads in tight end Benjamin Watson and rookie wide receiver, Greg Little.

3. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos (ADP- 139, Round 13, Pick 6)

I don't know what the Broncos really want from this guy. He came out of nowhere, managed to produce the wide receiver with the highest total yardage in 2010, and they were more than ready to either trade him or replace him with the biggest NFL draft stretch in years.

I have little doubt that the quarterback competition in Denver is finished, Orton looks miles ahead of Tebow. But how long this will last is unknown. The second Orton makes an error, the Broncos staff and likely fans will turn on him. You have to look at his stats from last year and be a little impressed though. He played 13 games before he was pulled and got an enormous 3,653 yards out of it.

Despite last season's impressive numbers, the coaching changes in Denver are keeping him out of the elite. I still really like him as a No. 2 on your fantasy football depth chart, and maybe even someone to play if your starter has a tough week ahead of him.

2. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (ADP- 122, Round 12, Pick 6)

I feel bad for the guy. I won't lie to you. This guy is so unappreciated that he can't even make it onto the top 10 most unappreciated NFL players list. I'll give it to naysayers, he isn't living up to his full potential, but look at the talent around him. Managing over 3,200 yards last year with that receiving corps and that offensive line was nothing short of a miracle.

Cutler's big strides this year come from an addition to the Chicago Bears. He now has someone who can legitimately step up as a No. 1 receiver, Roy Williams. Williams will also open up the field a bit, allowing receivers like Johnny Knox and Earl Bennett to fall into the WR2 and WR3 spots where they are far more suited and will likely thrive. Any surge in the passing game will open up the run with a great PPR option, Forte and possibly resurging Marion Barber.

And for all of you muttering about the offensive line, don't be so quick to dismiss them this year. It's going to be incredibly hard to outsuck the 56 sacks from last season, and the Bears drafted offensive tackle Gabe Carimi in the first round of the NFL draft and he is having a very nice preseason thus far. Cutler could sneak back into a starting role in deeper leagues this season.

1. Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP- 130, Round 12, Pick 10)

Matt Cassel's greatest stride in the offseason wasn't a rookie acquisition and it wasn't any offensive lineman. It was the loss of last year's offensive coordinator. Now, a few things must fall into place, but if the Chief's offense is run by head coach Todd Haley, there could be a great season in store for Matt Cassel.

The offense last season was massively pass-heavy, leaving Matt Cassel with a measly 207 yards per game. For those of you keeping score at home, that is worse than Alex Smith. But the last time Coach Haley had an offense to control, the Arizona Cardinals had 292 passing yards per game.

I'm not saying that Cassel will pull off those numbers, but you can expect a big surge from last year. Beyond the coaching change, the Chiefs reeled in Steve Breaston from the Cardinals and rookie Jonathan Baldwin to lend much needed support to Dwayne Bowe. The pass game will also be aided by Jamaal Charles out of the backfield, and surprise tight end from 2010 Tony Moeaki.

Cassel may very well start the year on your bench, but if you have a man go down, or woefully underperform, you will be happy you had the Matt Cassel as your back up plan.

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