Outlook: With Matt Cassel having proven he wasn't the quarterback to take the Chiefs deep into the playoffs, Kansas City traded for former San Francisco starter Alex Smith in the offseason. Smith is coming off his most impressive run as a starter, having taken the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2011 and leading them to a 6-3 record last season before suffering a concussion and losing his job to Colin Kaepernick. Smith represents a big upgrade over Cassel, but he has enjoyed his greatest success when asked not to do too much. While the “game manager” label isn't the death knell for an NFL quarterback, it just might be for a quarterback's fantasy prospects, and that has been the case with Smith. Eight years into his career, he has topped 3,000 passing yards just once and has never thrown 20 touchdown passes. In Kansas City, he will be united with head coach Andy Reid's heavily passing based offense, but the Chiefs lack proven playmakers outside of running back Jamaal Charles and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Add it all up and there isn't much that suggests Smith will achieve fantasy glory in 2013. He rates as a lower-tier QB2 with little upside. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: After a middling rookie season in which he threw for 3,385 yards with 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, Weeden will enter training camp in a fight to keep his starting job. New head coach Rob Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner will run a vertical passing attack, which should play to Weeden's strengths. However, he will need to display better decision-making skills if he is to beat out veteran free agent acquisition Jason Campbell. In fairness to Weeden, the Browns lacked consistent playmakers at the skill positions last season and Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense wasn't suited to his skill set. In 2013, the Browns will feature better weapons on offense as a result of the addition of Davone Bess and the continued development of players such as Josh Gordon, Greg Little and Jordan Cameron. Weeden shapes up as a QB3 on draft day. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: Upgraded weapons will help, but Weeden enters 2013 as a low-end QB2. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Being a first-round pick means that a quarterback has the talent to play the position. Unfortunately, for close to 15 years, being a Buffalo Bills quarterback has meant not being a productive quarterback. With new coach Doug Marrone, perhaps that will change and Florida State rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel will become the team's most productive starting quarterback since, well, Doug Flutie. Manuel has the size, arm strength, accuracy and running ability to be a solid starter, but he was a surprise first-round pick who didn't run a full-scale, pro-style offense at Florida State. The Bills have solid weapons at running back and a wide receiver depth chart loaded with potential, but Manuel is more of a dynasty prospect than a player you will want to own in your redraft league. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: Manuel (knee) may be ready Week 1. If not Jeff Tuel will start. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Comment: Raiders haven't named a starting QB yet, but Pryor is the favorite. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: The Titans’ 2011 first-round pick has pretty much everything a team wants in its starting quarterback: size, mobility, speed, and a big arm. Missing is accuracy and the ability to read NFL defenses. Locker struggled with his mechanics and completion percentage in college at Washington and that has continued in Tennessee, where he has completed just 55.5 percent of his passes. A shoulder injury caused him to miss five games in 2012 as he threw for 2,176 yards with ten touchdowns and 11 interceptions. This past offseason the Titans added wide receivers Justin Hunter and Kevin Walter but lost Jared Cook in free agency, so Locker's weapons have not improved significantly. Perhaps more importantly, the team addressed its deficiencies along the offensive line, and that should provide Locker with more time to throw as well as additional opportunities on play action. With head coach Mike Munchak in a must-win situation, he won't wait long to pull Locker in favor of offseason addition Ryan Fitzpatrick. Consider Locker waiver-wire material in redraft leagues and a marginal prospect in dynasty formats. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Hoping to provide competition for incumbent starter Mark Sanchez, the Jets used a second-round pick to acquire West Virginia's Geno Smith. While Smith has plenty of natural ability, offseason reviews of his work during OTA's were mixed, with the Jets acknowledging prior to training camp that he would need a strong preseason to unseat Sanchez in the starting lineup. With a mixed bag of talent at the skill positions and leading wide receiver Santonio Holmes doubtful to be fully healthy on opening day, it might be in Smith's best interest to open the season on the pine. Smith has little to no fantasy value in his rookie season but is a decent prospect in dynasty leagues. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: The fantasy QB situation with the Jets is one to avoid this season. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Cassel's four-year run as a starter in Kansas City ended this offseason, leaving him to sign on in Minnesota to ostensibly back up Christian Ponder. The eight-year veteran suffered through his final two years with the Chiefs, completing less than 60 percent of his passes (he failed to top that mark in any of his four years there), missing 14 games due to injury, and compiling a combined 16–21 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His reward? Perhaps the best backup job in the league, with Ponder having shown a clear inability to connect on deep passes. It won't be a surprise if Cassel ends up starting at some point in 2013, but even if that happens, he’ll rate as one of the leagues' worst fantasy QBs. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: In the “life isn't always fair” category, we present Chad Henne. Entering his third year in the league in 2011, Henne was attempting to solidify his hold on the Dolphins’ starting quarterback position, only to suffer a season ending shoulder injury after three solid outings. After joining the Jaguars in 2012 as Blaine Gabbert's backup, Henne took over under center in Week 11 and directed the offense much better than Gabbert had, despite the absence of running back Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville's top offensive player. Henne's reward? A likely spot on the bench behind Gabbert once again in 2013, at least to open the season. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: QB competition alert: Henne is the loser. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Entering his third year in the league after being taken in the first round of the 2011 draft, there are serious doubts as to whether Gabbert will ever emerge as a bona fide starting quarterback in Jacksonville. While the former Missouri signal caller has the athleticism required to succeed in the league, he lacks pocket presence, has displayed poor accuracy, doesn't step into all of his throws and often makes poor reads. Perhaps new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch's offense will benefit Gabbert, with Fisch expected to rely on a heavy amount of runs to set play action. The truth of the matter, however, is that the Jaguars offense ran much more smoothly with Chad Henne under center after Gabbert was lost for the season with a shoulder injury in Week 11. At that point in the season, he had thrown just nine touchdowns, and that pretty much tells you all you need to know about his fantasy prospects for 2013. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: QB competition alert: Gabbert will start Week 1 but has a hairline fracture in his thumb. ~ Mike Krueger

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: When RGIII is the man in front of you, you need to keep your helmet by your side. Cousins, a fourth-round pick in last year's draft, got into four games last season and was impressive, completing 33 of 48 passes for 466 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. If you need a bye-week fill-in and Cousins is on the wire with a decent matchup, he just might help win you a game. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Having been cut by the Bills in the offseason, Fitzpatrick joins the Titans in 2013 in a clear backup role behind Jake Locker. While Fitzpatrick played well at times during his stay in Buffalo, he suffered with his decision-making at key moments. Locker hasn't played well enough to be entrenched as the team's starter, so there is a chance Fitzpatrick will see the field at some point in 2013. If he does, he would be nothing more than a stopgap starter on your fantasy squad. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Two middling seasons after being taken with the 12th pick in the 2011 draft, Ponder faces a make-or-break season in 2013 with the Vikings. Entering training camp, reports indicated that the Vikings weren't going to allow Ponder to play through the growing pains he experienced during his first two years in the league, making him a candidate to be replaced at some point during the season. While he threw for a respectable 2,935 yards with 18 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions, Ponder offered little in the way of big-play ability and had several poor performances, throwing for fewer than 150 yards five times and topping 250 yards just four times. Although the Vikings added Greg Jennings in the offseason, the team still possesses one of the worst wide receiver depth charts in the league, and that will hinder Ponder's ability to keep free agent signee Matt Cassel nailed to the bench. ~ Dave Stringer

Player Page | Track this player