Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins popped up on the injury report with a hamstring issue this week, making us question if he is playing in the season opener. The official reading is “doubtful,” but we must be wary of Higgins even suiting up for this game. Higgins has a history of hamstring issues, and due to being in his contract year, he may take one game off to make sure he is fully healthy for the rest of the season.
Will Higgins play in Week 1, and what is his outlook for the opening week of fantasy football?
Update: Tee Higgins is inactive for Week 1
Will Tee Higgins Be Active in Week 1?
The doubtful tag is usually a clear sign that a player will not be active. You can count on one hand the number of times doubtful players have suited up on game day. The fact that Higgins’ practice trends were downgraded day-over-day is also a bad sign. He was a full participant on Wednesday, limited on Thursday, and absent on Friday.
For the Bengals’ long-term plans and Higgins’ own future, his playing this game does not benefit them much. The Patriots should not cause the Bengals too many issues, and while potentially being down Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase will stunt the offense, they should still be able to out-score a Patriots team that could struggle to reach double-digits.
READ MORE: Higgins’ Long History of Hamstring Injuries Continues, Availability in Doubt
Additionally, this hamstring injury plays into a narrative of Higgins having issues with this injury. That could help the Bengals drive down his cost on the open market. The hamstring is crucial in terms of top speed, and that will hurt Higgins’ game.
Data from TruMedia demonstrates that Higgins is a big-play receiver. He ranked 17th in 2023 in air yards per target, and 13th in yards per reception. Both of those numbers are likely to be hurt significantly if Higgins is struggling to get to full speed during his routes.
Potential Fantasy Options if Higgins Is Out
If Higgins is out, we can turn to a multitude of players that should be on your waiver wire. According to our consensus rankings, one of our favorites would be Iosivas. Throughout training camp, the Bengals’ organization raved about him as a new big slot weapon for their offense after Tyler Boyd’s departure.
Iosivas will provide a mismatch against the smaller slot corners throughout the game as veteran Trenton Irwin will become the primary outside receiver, replacing Higgins’ role while being used primarily as a decoy within the offense.
You could also lean into the rookie, Burton. But be warned: We believe this is a high-risk, high-reward move. Burton has a fiery demeanor while playing the game but has much to learn.
Rumors swirling throughout training camp about his lack of attention to detail in meetings have put a lack of trust in the rookie, diminishing your snap shares and route participation.
Burton can run the whole route tree and is nuanced in his releases, but with these camp stories attached to his name, the risk is too high to use in Week 1. We can also turn to Gesicki and see him as a Flex play, but this is also risky.
He is new within the offense, and as much as we love his abilities, Gesicki has never put together enough to instill faith. Especially with a game script leaning toward a big lead with the Bengals, Gesicki may not reach the snap percentage warranted to help us, as the blocking tight ends will see more time.