Fantasy Football: One Deep Sleeper Candidate From Every NFL Team

Tarik Cohen, RB, Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears struck gold in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, landing Indiana running back Jordan Howard, who proceeded to finish second in the league in rushing with 1,313 yards while starting just 13 games. While there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about Howard's NFL future, it’s been Tarik Cohen, a 5'6", 180 pound back out of North Carolina A&T, who has been turning heads throughout training camp and the preseason.

Cohen was one of the more dominant backs at the FCS level during his college career, earning All-American honors in 2016 after setting a school record with 1,588 yards and 19 touchdowns on only 212 carries (7.5 yards per carry). Watch him play for just a few minutes and you understand why he earned the title "The Human Joystick," and his ability to make defenders look silly is truly special.

But can a back of his size really excel in the NFL? Very few have, and Cohen won't be the first (or last) back that teams project as "The Next Darren Sproles." But there are surely exceptions, and size did not prevent backs like Warrick Dunn, Jacquizz Rodger or Sproles from having success at the next level.

In the immediate sense, Cohen could carve out a role in the passing game. Last year, Howard led all running backs with 8 drops on 37 catchable targets, good for the worst drop rate in the league. Cohen's quickness and agility in space, along with his 4.42 speed, make him a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball, something the slower Howard simply can't do. The Bears targeted their running backs a combined 84 times in 2016, but they lacked a player with the skillset to really deliver in that role.

It would be foolish to project Cohen to at any point become more than a role player, especially sharing a backfield with Howard, but it's hard to keep dynamic players off the field. Cohen has posted 121 yards this preseason on 19 carries, and while his ability in space is what makes him special, his confidence in traffic has been impressive to watch.

Cohen has placed himself firmly on dynasty radars (and likely redraft, as well), and he is worth rostering in deeper formats.