In The Blitz, RotoViz writers react to the latest news and help you place it within the context of our 2020 research and recommendations.
Chicago’s RB duo of David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen ranked 21st and 29th, respectfully, in the RotoViz Ultimate Rankings we published last week. However, news broke of an injury suffered by Montgomery Wednesday afternoon.
Updating a previous report, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that running back David Montgomery (groin) suffered a groin strain in practice on Wednesday and is undergoing further testing. The Bears are optimistic that it’s not a serious injury. It was reported earlier that Montgomery was carted off the field, but he actually walked off the field on his own. It’s good news that it wasn’t a knee injury for the second-year back, but he could still be out for a while with the groin strain. If he’s ready for the season opener, there isn’t much competition for carries on early downs and near the goal line. The problem is that Montgomery just wasn’t very efficient (3.7 yards per carry) in his rookie season, making him more of a low-end RB2. If he’s not ready or not at full speed for Week 1, Tarik Cohen will benefit the most.
Since the beginning of July, Montgomery has been going in the mid-fifties and Cohen has risen from around 100 to 90 in FFPC ADP. This news will surely bring their them closer together.
There’s a case to be made that Cohen, who owns a positional ADP of RB35, is being undervalued. Will this change if his Round 8 ADP creeps up significantly?
How Much Would This Benefit Cohen’s Fantasy Production
Montgomery played in all 16 games of his rookie season so Cohen’s splits don’t provide much useful information to glean. However, they do highlight that he’s rarely used as a rusher.
In fact, out of 48 games played, Cohen has recorded 10 or more attempts just four times. Of course, in 2017 and 2018, he was sharing the backfield with Jordan Howard. During this stretch, Howard didn’t miss any games so there’s no historical precedent for Cohen playing without Chicago’s lead back in action.
The Bears’ RB depth chart is sparse with only Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce behind Montgomery and Cohen. Nall, who played college ball at Oregon State and went undrafted, profiles as big-bodied grinder tipping the scales at 234 pounds. Interestingly, Pierce also attended Oregon State and went undrafted. As one would expect, neither player possesses a particularly compelling profile. As a result, it is conceivable that the team does increase Cohen’s usage as a rusher. He averaged over 4.0 yards per carry in 2017 and 2018. Like Montgomery, who was inefficient in 2019, Cohen was held to 3.3 yards per carry last season.
