Will Tarik Cohen have any Fantasy value in his Rookie Season?

Rookie Tarik Cohen is a home run threat, but will that translate for fantasy football owners?

As the NFL draft concludes, everyone starts analyzing what rookies could make an impact on fantasy rosters during their rookie seasons. When breaking down the running backs, names like Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook will get all the headlines. One name that most people will glance past is Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen. As a fourth round pick and sitting behind Jordan Howard, most people won’t see him as an impact player. But could Cohen show up on the stat sheet more than people expect?

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Cohen certainly isn’t going to be the RB2 on the Bears this year, but he may be the second most impactful Bears running back on the fantasy roster. Cohen is not, and will never be a 3-down back. If Howard goes down, while Cohen might see an increase in action, he isn’t going to be the Bears regular back. That job will go to either Jeremy Langford or Benny Cunningham (perhaps even Ka’Deem Carey), but certainly not Cohen.

Cohen’s role is going to become one of the home run threat. The Bears hope Cohen will be a playmaker, plain and simple. They’ll use him as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, they’ll try to get him the ball in the flat and give him some space and see if he can make something happen. Check out the video below. How many players in the NFL do you think have that type of skill and athleticism? Answer- not many, IF any.

https://www.instagram.com/p/3JrCt6S1mL/

The other question about Cohen is his potential as a kick or possibly punt returner. He does not have experience in this role, but his abilities should be able to translate well. If Cohen wins the kick returner job and your fantasy league gives points for return yardage or even touchdowns, that should give Cohen an increase in value.

As for Cohen’s role in the offense, if Cohen proves his worth, the Bears will make sure he gets 8-10 touches a game and see if he can make 1-2 major plays per game. If the speed of the NFL game catches up with Cohen and he doesn’t make the impact the team is hoping for, there’s a good chance he doesn’t get any touches a game on offense, perhaps just a couple.

Related Story: Which Bears Rookie will have the Biggest Year One Impact?

What does that mean for Cohen? That means he’s not worth holding as the handcuff for Howard and he certainly isn’t worth drafting in standard re-draft 8, 10 or even 12-team leagues. If you are in a deeper re-draft league that is 14 or 16 teams, or in a deep keeper league/dynasty league Cohen is absolutely worth a look. When drafting in the late rounds, getting a potential home run threat in Cohen is worth the shot over drafting an over-the-hill plodding running back who’s best days are clearly behind him.

Unfortunately, it’s tough to know what any rookie that’s drafted as late as Cohen will produce as a rookie. On the low-end, Cohen wouldn’t win the return job and as a running back for the season it might look something like this:

15 attempts, 56 yards, 3.7 avg, 9 catches, 78 yards, 8.7 avg, 1 TD

However, if Cohen’s big play potential comes to fruition immediately, he could have a legitimate role in both special teams and on the offense and make a significant impact on the stat sheet:

83 attempts, 473 yards, 5.7 avg, 3 TDs, 45 catches, 455 yards, 10.1 avg, 3 TDs, 30 kick returns, 885 yards, 29.5 avg, 1 TD

While that’s a ridiculous difference in the best case/worst case scenario. That’s the point. Cohen may not be ready for the NFL and may never see the field, but if he’s as gifted as he looks on film, then the Bears may have a steal. That’s the way you should draft in deep leagues. Keep an eye on Cohen in the late rounds and if he’s there, don’t be afraid to take a flyer on him. It’s also important to keep an eye on Cohen come training camp. If he’s bottled up and doesn’t do much in the game action he sees, don’t expect it to translate to the regular season. But if he has a few impact plays in August, the Bears are going to give him a shot to do that in September as well.