The Jordan Howard nightmare grew even darker on Sunday, as the once-dominant tailback failed to top 5 FPs for the second straight week thanks to a dreadful goalline fumble. Versus the Dolphins, Howard had 69 yards on 14 carries, which was actually one of his more efficient per-carry outputs. Yet, he continued to be outshined by Tarik Cohen, who exploded again for 121 total yards and a score on 12 touches (7 catches). On the year, Howards snap rate has steadily declined from 73% to 63% to 54% to 51%, while Cohen’s rates have climbed each week.
The overall offense, which has now topped 450 yards in back-to-back weeks, is clearly more dynamic with Cohen’s versatility and game-changing ability. Thus, this now 50/50 backfield split seems likely to remain for the year, if not shift in favor of the diminutive dynamo. Howard’s value is clearly at an all-time low, so tossing out some low-ball offers isn’t the worst idea considering his high game-to-game TD upside in this ascending offense. Yet, he also feels like an “Amari Cooper” kind of fantasy cancer: enough upside (and name value) to not bench, which ultimately kills your team far more than it actually helps.
Thus, moving forward, I’d much rather own Cohen. He can score all over the field, is more creatively used, and is finally flashing the “jack-of-all trades” usage we’ve long been predicting. Moreover, he’s clearly game-flow proof, as Cohen’s been most used in neutral or negative pass-game scripts these past two weeks. With this explosion, Cohen eliminated any concerns this was just a result of the perfect matchup versus the Bucs, while casting further shade on Howard’s extremely murky moving-forward fantasy value.
