Getty Tarik Cohen of the Chicago Bears just told Colts tight end Eric Ebron to come play for the Bears next season. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
Tarik Cohen, the Chicago Bears top offensive weapon of 2018, has yet to be a factor at all this season. He had nearly 1600 total yards last year, and he has yet to go over the 100-yard mark so far in 2019.
Many fantasy football owners have either given up on Cohen or have gotten restless. Should you drop Cohen, or should you exercise a little patience with him? Here’s a breakdown of the Bears running back’s next few games from a fantasy football perspective:
Tarik Cohen Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Minnesota:
GettyLANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 23: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears hands the ball off to Tarik Cohen #29 against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedExField on September 23, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
The Bears’ next two games will be tough tests in different ways. They play the Vikings at home this Sunday. Minnesota has an excellent run defense. They are currently ranked 8th against the run by Football Outsiders, and 14th against the pass.
Cohen hasn’t been a factor in the running game at all, and that shouldn’t change in Minnesota. He will be splitting carries with David Montgomery, who will be the Bears’ primary back.
While he always has big-play capabilities, Cohen’s fantasy football awakening in 2019 likely won’t happen against this stout Minnesota defense in an early divisional game both teams need. His breakout will likely come the following week against a much weaker opponent.
Tarik Cohen Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Oakland:
GettyLANDOVER, MARYLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Tarik Cohen #29 of the Chicago Bears is tackled by Montez Sweat #90 of the Washington Redskins during the first quarter in the game at FedExField on September 23, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The following week, the Bears travel to London for a game against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have given up 859 yards passing in three games so far this season, and have been almost as bad against the run.
Look for Cohen to break out week 5, where Nagy will use him in a multitude of ways. The Vikings just rushed for 211 yards against this same Raiders defense, and Matt Nagy will likely feature Cohen and David Montgomery heavily week 5. Cohen should be a factor more so in the passing game, but also in the running game against one of the weakest defenses he’ll see all season.
Should You Keep Tarik Cohen on Your Fantasy Team?
GettyChicago Bears Running Back Tarik Cohen. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Last season, Cohen had 444 yards rushing, 725 yards passing and 411 yards on punt returns. He has 82 yards receiving and just 16 yards rushing so far in 2019. He hasn’t broken off a huge punt return yet, either, although he has had a few nice ones negated by penalties this season.
It’s understandable that most fantasy owners have lost patience with Cohen–the Bears offense has been bad early. But hanging on to Cohen in the hopes that he’ll warm up along with the offense isn’t a bad idea. After all, the Bears also started slowly in 2018–they have the same number of touchdowns on offense through three games this year as they did last year. Patience could be key here.
Fun fact: The Bears have the same number of offensive touchdowns this season (4) as they had through the first 3 games of 2018.
Final Verdict: Keep him for another two weeks to see if he gets going. He could just be off to a ridiculously slow start. If he scores less than 13-15 points against Oakland, drop him and don’t look back.