It's not hyperbole to call Tee Higgins one of the biggest busts of the 2023 fantasy football season, but there's still time for him to return at least some value for his disappointed owners. Of course, he has to be healthy first, and after missing last week because of a hamstring injury, his status for Week 11's Thursday Night Football matchup in Baltimore is in question.
Higgins' owners are used to this, as he's been on the Bengals' final injury report more often than not since Week 5. With every start 'em, sit 'em decision becoming more crucial at this point in the season, getting the latest info on Higgins' status will be paramount for his frustrated owners.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Higgins until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:45 p.m. ET, so check back for the latest.
Is Tee Higgins playing Thursday night Week 11?
UPDATE: Higgins was officially declared OUT on Wednesday afternoon.
Higgins (hamstring) managed one limited practice ahead of Week 10, but he failed to participate on Thursday and Friday. It didn't sound like he was particularly close to playing, with coach Zac Taylor saying Higgins will be evaluated on a "week-to-week basis," so it wasn't a surprise that he was an estimated DNP on Monday. At this point, it would seem like a major upset if Higgins suited up against Baltimore on Thursday night, which was all but confirmed on Monday when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that it's "unlikely" Higgins will play.
If Higgins bucks the odds and winds up being active, he'll be tough to sit despite the inherent risk of him aggravating the injury. He just turned in his best receiving performance of the season, catching eight-of-nine targets for 110 yards in Week 8, and while he hasn't scored since his two-TD outburst in Week 2, it's clear Higgins is still a major part of Cincinnati's offense when healthy. Even against Baltimore's No. 4 pass defense, Higgins should be viewed as at least a WR3/flex in 12-team leagues.
WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
If Higgins is out, Tyler Boyd would once again be Cincinnati's No. 2 receiver. He hauled in a team-high eight-of-12 looks for 117 yards last week, and despite a key drop in the end zone, he's clearly a trusted target of Joe Burrow. He's a safe WR3/flex in all formats behind Ja'Marr Chase.
WR Trenton Irwin (two catches, four targets, 54 yards, TD) and TE Tanner Hudson (six catches, seven targets, 33 yards) also stepped up in Higgins' absence last week, and both have some deep-league and DFS appeal. Given the tough matchup, it's tough to recommend either in 12-team leagues, but you could do worse for a boom-or-bust flex than Irwin and a desperation TE than Hudson, at least in PPR leagues.
Ultimately, Higgins' owners would be better off hitting the waiver wire for a replacement rather than looking to anyone other than Boyd on the Bengals. Guys like Noah Brown, Brandin Cooks, Jayden Reed, and even Quentin Johnston have higher floors and ceilings.
