The fantasy football season has some surprises for 2014 at the quarterback position and some players at the QB spot could end up valuable as late round picks, including names like Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles, Josh McCown, Carson Palmer, Johnny Manziel, Brian Hoyer, Geno Smith and Joe Flacco, as they should be there past the big names like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Kaepernick has the chance to be a major fantasy player this year, as the Niners have some nice receivers with Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson as well as Vernon Davis. Colin also has Frank gore and Carlos Hyde in the backfield and his legs can be weapons as well and that is where he could be a top player for teams. Carson Palmer had a surprisingly good season last year and he had over 4000 yards passing and was high ranked and he should be there again with Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd coming back.
Palmer has stayed healthy over the last two seasons and he has had back to back 4000 yard seasons and his 4274 yards last season were the most in his career. Palmer had 24 touchdowns last season and while he had 22 interceptions, things should get easier this season if Andre Ellington can give him a rushing attack. Nick Foles is another quarterback to keep an eye on, as he has been going after the big names and he has the potential to be a top 5 or top 10 starter with the Eagles.
Foles was very good last season while passing for 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions and in the second year of the Chip Kelly offense the team could be even better than last season. Foles passed for 2891 yards in 13 games last season and he now has some new weapons with Darren Sproles, Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff coming in to join a strong group with Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. Even with the loss of DeSean Jackson, the offense should be strong with LeSean McCoy in the backfield
Josh McCown is another sleeper surprise player to take late in drafts as a backup or in deeper leagues, as he has the chance to turn around the Buccaneers after some strong play with the Bears. Last season McCown played in eight games for the bears and had over 1800 yards and he threw for 13 touchdowns and just one interception. McCown parlayed that into a new starting job and he has very good talent with Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans in the offense. Johnny Manziel is an option for deeper league teams, as he should get the chance to start or play at some point this season and could end up as a steal if he plays well.
Names like Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the top names at quarterback this season, but based on the way your league is scored, some of the names above could be just as valuable. Kaepernick is a huge threat as a runner, while players like Nick Foles and McCown can put up numbers without turning over the ball. Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin all have that dual threat ability and that makes them valuable.