Justin Fields was starting to look like he was coming to life in Weeks 4 and 5, but that came to a sudden stop when he left the Bears’ game in Week 6 with a thumb injury. Fantasy managers who rostered Fields will be looking for an alternate starting quarterback in Week 7, as he is doubtful for the Bears as they face the Raiders.
The backup to Fields is rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent. He gets a tough matchup against the Raiders defense that ranks in the top 10 against quarterbacks. He may not be a great choice, but with so many questionable quarterback statuses going into Week 7, he may be a viable option.
Who is Tyson Bagent? Bagent was the quarterback for his high school team at Martinsburg High School, where he finished his high school career with 7,800 passing yards and 112 touchdown passes. He was recruited by Division I Football Championship Subdivision schools Robert Morris and Albany, but committed to play college football at Division II school Shepherd University. Bagent became the starting quarterback for the Shepherd Rams as a freshman and was named first-team All-Mountain East Conference after completing 253 of 387 pass attempts for 3,029 yards and 29 touchdowns. Through the next two seasons at Shepherd, Bagent threw for 9,349 yards and 89 touchdowns. On December 3, 2022, Bagent broke the record for touchdown passes across all NCAA divisions with 159 in the Rams’ 48-13 win over IUP during their quarterfinal game.
Bagent came in to replace Fields after his injury and looked nervous and shaky at first, but he eventually calmed down and looked focused. He led a nine-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, in which he went for four for four for 55 yards and a touchdown. He was making quick decisions, threw the ball accurately, and getting the ball to D.J. Moore. He was quick on his feet and didn’t hold the ball too long, which we saw Fields doing a lot in that game. I think Bagent may be a viable option for fantasy mangers looking for a hidden gem in Week 7.