Fantasy Football Preview 2013: Top Sleeper Quarterbacks

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3. Carson Palmer – Arizona Cardinals (Overall ADP 170)

Jun. 11, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) during mini camp at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

If Carson Palmer explodes in the Valley of the Sun, we’ll look back at his epically underrated 2012 and claim we should have seen it coming. Another year removed from debilitating elbow issues, Palmer threw for 4,018 yards and a 22-14 TD-INT ratio only to have critics dismiss it as garbage time production. Eli Manning would be hard pressed to move the ball in a 7-on-7 drill with Oakland’s cast of characters.

Palmer was the No. 3 fantasy quarterback in 2006. This is his best situation since those halcyon days before Chad Johnson became a number or a squiggle or a sign from god. Replace Denarius Moore with Larry Fitzgerald, DHB with Michael Floyd, and Rod Streater with super sleeper Andre Roberts and you start to see why Palmer is a sneaky QB1 candidate. Replace Greg Knapp with Bruce Arians and the picture gains clarity in a hurry. The Cardinals will need to chuck it at Matthew Stafford levels to be competitive in the brutal NFC West.

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