Week 12 vs. New York Giants
Tarik Cohen has now scored in back-to-back games, and surpassed 50 scrimmage yards in a game for the first time ever all season last week (74). One could see it as a trend in the right direction, but it could also be viewed as an anomaly. After all, he did have 39 rushing yards in Week 11 when he had 40 combined rushing yards in his four games before that one. Cohen should be viewed pretty much exclusively in PPR formats as he typically doesn't get enough yards to warrant starting him in standard. And even then, he's best as a flex play. This week he faces the Giants, who have allowed the seventh-fewest receptions to running backs in 2019.
Week 11 at Los Angeles Rams
Tarik Cohen ran for 14 yards on three carries and caught four passes for 23 yards last week. He also scored his second touchdown of the season. Cohen has been used minimally in the Bears offense having just one game with more than 10 touches and no games with 50 or more scrimmage yards. He's not much more than a desperation flex play at this point.
Week 10 vs. Detroit Lions
Tarik Cohen once again had a disappointing outing last week. He had just four touches for 16 total yards. He's only had more than 10 touches in a game once this season. He's a non-factor as a runner, averaging just eight yards on the ground. He's barely a factor as a receiver, finishing below 50 receiving yards in every game. He hasn't even been a great PPR choice as he's had 5+ receptions in just three of his eight outings. He gets a great matchup against the Lions this week, but he's not much more than a desperation flex play.
Week 9 at Philadelphia Eagles
Tarik Cohen hasn't been able to do anything on the ground this year as he's finished below 20 rushing yards in every game and with 10 or fewer rushing yards in five games (out of seven). He's had a minimal role as a receiver as he's averaging just over 26 receiving yards per game. Basically, you have to hope for Cohen to catch many passes in a full PPR format for him to have value. He is facing an Eagles defense this week that's allowed the sixth-most receptions to running backs in 2019, but that's a tricky stat. Cohen isn't much more than a low-end flex play in PPR leagues.
Week 8 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Depending on what format you play in, Tarik Cohen either had a good game or a bad game last week. He only finished with 29 scrimmage yards, so standard leagues were frustrated. But in PPR formats, Cohen added nine receptions off of 12 targets. Don't expect this production moving forward, however. Cohen's numbers were inflated because the Bears threw the ball 54 times compared to just seven runs. Instead, expect Cohen to continue his minimal production as he hasn't even reached 50 scrimmage yards in a game yet this season. He's at best a flex play in PPR formats this week against the Chargers.
Week 7 vs. New Orleans Saints
Tarik Cohen had one of his better games the last time the Bears played. He had double-digit touches for the first time all season, hauling in six catches while rushing four times. He's essentially been useless as a runner seeing just 3.4 carries per game while averaging 2.2 yards per carry. But if he's able to catch several passes then he has a role in PPR formats. Unfortunately, three of his five games this season have resulted in him finishing with two catches. Cohen is a game-flow dependent option and should be viewed as a low-end flex play this week against the Saints.
Week 5 vs. Oakland Raiders
Tarik Cohen scored a touchdown last week, but he wasn't very involved in the offense. He ran the ball just five times for 11 yards and only caught two of his five targets for seven yards. He now has 27 touches for 51 yards (1.8 yards per touch) through four games. In other words, he's barely involved and even when he is, he's not doing much with the ball in his hands. Expect a similar role for him moving forward. He gets a tough matchup against the Raiders who are allowing about five receptions for 40 yards to running backs in 2019. And with David Montgomery involved in the passing game, you can't even expect that full workload to be put on Cohen. He's a low-end flex play this week.
Week 4 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Tarik Cohen has had a bad start to 2019 as he hasn't even reached 100 scrimmage yards through three games. Last week he finished with negative rushing yards, and caught just two passes for 26 yards. He's basically been a non-factor on the ground, getting eight carries for 16 yards on the season. He's only slightly more useful as a receiver as he's second on the team in targets (19) and receptions (12), but his 27 receiving yards per game isn't inspiring hope. He's a low-end RB3 option in Week 4, especially in a tough matchup against the Vikings.
Week 3 at Washington Redskins
Tarik Cohen has apparently been banished to the shadow realm. The talented back saw just six touches in Week 2, finishing with 25 scrimmage yards. He did see five targets in the passing game, which was second on his team, but he caught just two passes for seven yards. He also saw a noticeable drop in playing time, going from 70% of the snaps in Week 1 to just 38% in Week 2.
Cohen gets an interesting matchup against Washington this week. So far this season, the Redskins have allowed just 41 receiving yards to backs, which is tied for the fourth-lowest. Of course, two games is a small sample size, so it's hard to take too much stock into that. We still like Cohen as a high-end RB3 option.
Week 2 at Denver Broncos
To no one's surprise, Tarik Cohen was heavily involved in the passing game. He saw 10 targets, catching eight passes for 49 yards. A little surprising, though, is that despite leading the backfield in offensive snaps, he finished the game with no carries. The Bears relied heavily on the pass, rushing just 11 times between backs Mike Davis and David Montgomery while throwing the ball 45 times. If that gameplan continues, then Cohen will be very valuable in PPR formats moving forward.
Expect a fewer receptions from Cohen this week, as eight is a high number to produce every week. But on the flip side, expect him to be a little more involved in the running game as zero carries seems a little off. We like Cohen as an RB3 in PPR formats and more of an RB4 in standard.Week 2 at Denver Broncos
