Is using short patch leads without a cable manager sometimes the better option?

Yes, quite often. If a switch and patch panel sit together and correctly sized short leads make direct, tidy and serviceable connections, omitting the horizontal manager can be the better arrangement.

The manager is a means of controlling a cable route, not an obligatory item of rack furniture.

Sacrificing 1U and buying longer leads simply so they can take a procession through a cable manager would reverse the logic of the exercise.