Battle of the Backup Quarterbacks? Fantasy Football Outlook for Bears' D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, Raiders' Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams and More
The Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders will face off in in a week 7 matchup in Chicago.
Each team will likely be starting a backup quarterback. How does that affect each team’s other relevant fantasy players? Let’s discuss.
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Bears’ Quarterback Situation
Justin Fields’ thumb injury that he sustained last week is an injury that leaves him doubtful for the game against the Raiders. Tyson Bagent will get the start instead of Fields.
Bagent played in his first career game last week, and looked decent. He completed 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards, but was intercepted once while not throwing a touchdown.
Bagent was sacked one time across the 31 snaps he played. He attempted two runs for 4 yards and a touchdown.
Bears’ Fantasy Outlooks Behind Bagent
Whether Fields plays with a messed-up thumb or Bagent starts in his place, the Bears’ offense probably isn’t going to be a great one this weekend. The quarterback will be facing a Raiders’ defense that is above average against the position, allowing 15 fantasy points a game.
Quarterback isn’t the only offensive position that the Bears are dealing with injuries at. Several offensive linemen are hurting, while a couple running backs are trying to return from injuries.
Roschon Johnson would likely be the starter at running back if he can play, but he still hasn’t practiced this week because of a concussion. D’Onta Foreman started last week and looks poised to do so again. Darrynton Evans and Travis Homer are also on the active roster.
Our projections see Foreman getting the majority of the work and Johnson playing, but in a lesser role. If Johnson misses another game, Evans and Homer will back up Foreman, who would take on the workhorse role.
Foreman tallied 65 rushing yards on 15 carries and caught a 2-yard pass last week. Evans rushed nine times for 32 yards.
The Raiders are below average against running backs, allowing 22 fantasy points a contest.
D.J. Moore had been on a fantasy tear going into last week, but was limited to five catches and 51 yards on eight targets last week. Darnell Mooney caught two passes on three targets for 48 yards. Moore is ranked 22nd in this week’s wideout projections, while Mooney is 57th.
Las Vegas’ defense is above average against opposing receivers, surrendering 31 points a contest.
Finally, we’ll mention tight end Cole Kmet, who also struggled last week after looking like one of the better options at the position the past several weeks. Kmet had two catches for 9 yards on three targets last week.
Kmet is the 13th-ranked tight end this week and is facing a Raiders’ defense that allows 12 fantasy points a game, just a bit below average.
Which Bears Can You Start?
Whether it’s Fields or Bagent starting, I don’t know if I’m comfortable starting any Chicago players. This contest has all the makings of a slopfest, and the Raiders’ defense has been above average in defending most positions, so I’d try and avoid all the Bears.
I’d give some consideration to playing whatever running back starts, simply because they might get targeted often in the passing game. If Johnson plays, I’d expect a pretty evenly-split workload for the backs though.
Mooney I would avoid at all costs this week, while giving some consideration to Moore and Kmet. With so many other teams on bye weeks, you might not have any other options, but I’d do my best to avoid all pass catchers, as I expect statlines very similar to last week.
Raiders’ Quarterback Situation
Jimmy Garoppolo has already been ruled out with a back injury. Brian Hoyer or Aidan O’Connell could start for Las Vegas.
O’Connell started earlier this season against the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing for 238 yards, no touchdowns and one interception on 24-of-39 passing. He was sacked seven times while rushing for 3 yards and a touchdown on three attempts.
Hoyer has played offensive snaps in two games this season, but only attempted passes last week. He was 6-of-10 for 102 yards, without a touchdown or interception. He wasn’t sacked. His three “rushes” were kneel downs.
Raiders’ Fantasy Outlooks Behind the Backup Quarterback
Both Hoyer and O’Connell have proved to be at least competent backups, so the outlook for the team’s other offensive players is at least a bit more promising than the situation in Chicago.
They’ll be facing a Bears’ defense that’s been poor against several positions, including quarterbacks. They allow 20 fantasy points a game, which is tied for the third most in the league.
Running back Josh Jacobs remains the team’s workhorse, even though he hasn’t put together many big games. He’s gotten 20+ touches in all but one game, finishing with under 50 scrimmage yards just once. Jacobs has caught at least two passes in every game.
He’ll be featured heavily again regardless of who the quarterback is. He’s the eighth-ranked back in our projections and will be facing a Chicago defense that allows 28 fantasy points a game, which is again tied for the third-worst mark in the league.
Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers have been the only two relevant fantasy wide receivers.
Adams has been held under 50 receiving yards each of the past two weeks after tallying 65+ yards in weeks 1-4. He’s only been targeted nine times the past two weeks and voiced frustration about it this week, so I’d be surprised if the team doesn’t involve him early and often this week, even if it’s a backup quarterback leading the way.
Meyers has quietly been one of the most-consistent receivers in the league so far. He’s only got one game in which he didn’t reach 60 receiving yards. He’s got four touchdown receptions across five games, including one in each of the last two games.
Adams is dealing with a shoulder injury, but should be able to play. He’s ranked seventh in our weekly projections, while Meyers is 30th. They’ll be taking on a Bears’ defense that’s been average against opposing wideouts, allowing 35 points a game.
Michael Mayer is an emerging pass catcher at the tight end position. He’s been playing more the past few weeks, and turned in his best game last week, when he caught five passes for 75 yards.
Mayer is the 22nd-ranked tight end this week. Chicago’s defense is below average against tight ends, allowing 14 fantasy points a contest.
Which Raiders Can You Start?
The Raiders’ backup quarterback situation is different from the Bears. That has a lot to do with the defense they are going up against.
Whoever starts at quarterback is a guy that should get serious consideration for starting lineups, especially in deeper leagues where Garoppolo was your normal starter.
Jacobs seems like a no-brainer start to me. He’ll be used even more often than he has been, and against the Bears’ defense, should be one of the better fantasy backs this week.
Both Adams and Meyers are guys I’d feel pretty confident in starting as well. I like Adams to bounce back, maybe with not a huge yardage game, but with lots of catches and targets, and maybe a touchdown. Meyers isn’t likely to top Adams in numbers for a third-straight week, but he should get enough catches to warrant a flex spot at least in PPR leagues.
I also like Mayer a lot and would consider him for a start if you recently picked him up. If you have a top-end tight end going up against an average to below-average defense, then by all means start them. There’s better options than Mayer, but I also think he finishes much higher than the 22nd-ranked player at the position at the end of the week.
