Tee Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals season isn’t dead yet! After playing with backup quarterback Jake Browning, who replaced the injured Joe Burrow, the Bengals traded for recently benched Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns. Flacco was a clear upgrade from the horrendous play of Browning. We all got to see why Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin was angry at the Browns GM for trading Flacco to division rival Bengals. The offense has come back alive as Ja’Marr Chase recorded a franchise single game record 16 catches for 161 receiving yards and a touchdown. Receiver Tee Higgins had a big bounce back also with 6 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. Flacco ultimately finished 31/ 47 with 342 passing yards and 3 TDs. The Bengals are hoping to stay in the playoff mix until Burrow hopefully returns in mid December.

Chase and Higgins owners can breathe a sigh of relief. Its amazing how competent play at quarterback can be a boon for fantasy production for the receiving options on a team. Higgins was a bench option and Chase was a prayer for a random big play with Browning at QB. Now both receivers are must starts each week with Flacco. Flacco understand who his receiver are and he will give them the chance to showcase their skills.

Author: Jesse Baldwin @J_Baldwin51 

The Cincinnati Bengals find themselves in familiar territory as Burrow is set to miss extended time after toe surgery.  With Burrow out the Bengals will turn to Jake Browning, someone also in familiar territory after Burrow went down at the end of the 2023 season.

Browning, who’s been with the Bengals the last three seasons, has proven he can get it done at the NFL level when he took over the helm the last time Burrow was out. In 2023 Browning finished as a top 10 QB 5 of his 7 starts throwing for over 300 yards in three of those games. The offense shouldn’t see much of a dip in their production and given how poorly their defense is Browning will have plenty of opportunities to provide fantasy relevance.

Tee Higgins becomes a target in trades as some of your leagues mates may start to panic and try to unload due to the Burrow injury and you should take advantage of that before its too late!

Author: Brett Jackson (@Bjackson1189)

Entering the 2025 offseason, Cincinnati’s top priority was retaining their star receiving tandem, Ja’marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase has another year left on his rookie contract, while Higgins received the franchise tag for the second consecutive year earlier this month. But now, the grueling negotiation process to keep both of Joe Burrow’s weapons in Cincinnati has concluded. Chase’s extension is a four-year contract worth $161 million ($40.25 million AAV), including $112 million guaranteed. Higgins’s extension is also a four-year contract worth $115 million ($28.75 million AAV).

The Bengals built this impressive duo through the draft, and it only took them two years to establish their current passing attack. In the same draft they found their franchise quarterback in, Cincinnati also struck gold by selecting Higgins in round two. He immediately found success in the NFL, reaching 900 receiving yards as a rookie and topping 1,000 yards in each of the next two seasons. Despite injury-riddled seasons in 2023 and 2024, Higgins has continued to develop into a downfield threat that defenses can’t stop with another stud on the opposite side of the field. With his new contract, expectations for consistent production will be higher than ever.

Although they landed Burrow and Higgins in the 2020 NFL Draft, Cincinnati found themselves picking at the top of the draft again in 2021. Chase was selected with the fifth overall pick and had the extraordinary opportunity to play with the same quarterback in college and the NFL. This combo didn’t skip a beat, and they were as dangerous with the Cincinnati Bengals as they were with the LSU Tigers. Chase set the record for most receiving yards by a rookie with 1,455 yards on 81 receptions, scoring 13 touchdowns. This level of dominance has continued for four seasons now, and it seemed obvious from the start that Chase would end up earning a contract extension like this. Expect the Bengals’ passing game to be as lethal as we’ve grown accustomed to for the rest of the 2020s.

Author: Trey Kroll (@TreyK_FB)

While the Bengals try to navigate the challenge of keeping multiple star players in Cincinnati, they’ve made one of their first big decisions by tagging Higgins. The team’s star quarterback, Joe Burrow, has already signed a lucrative long-term extension, but other cornerstone players are eyeing massive extensions this summer. Extension talks primarily regard Higgins and fellow wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, though several other starters are also looking for a new contract. If Higgins signs Cincinnati’s franchise tag, he’ll receive $26.2 million in 2025. Both sides still hope to agree to a long-term deal to avoid a potential holdout at the start of training camp or simply having a disgruntled star player.

Higgins recently wrapped up his fifth season as a pro and is approaching 5,000 career receiving yards despite missing a handful of games in the last two seasons. He’s reached the end zone once every other game on average, scoring 34 touchdowns through his first 70 career regular season games. It’s a unique situation given Higgins is obviously uber-talented, yet hasn’t even been considered the best receiver on his team since 2021 when the Bengals drafted Chase fifth overall. Some assume Higgins could put up even more impressive numbers in a different situation as the top target, but playing with an elite quarterback and a premier weapon on the opposite side of the field is certainly beneficial. Higgins would likely fair well regardless, but since the Bengals have placed the franchise tag on him, it’s increasingly likely he isn’t going anywhere.

Author: Trey Kroll (@TreyK_FB )

Higgins returning to practice is massive news for himself, quarterback Joe Burrow, and the offense as a whole. Between offseason contract disputes and a hamstring injury that’s sidelined Higgins to this point, it’s been a rocky few months. But the focus shifts to on-field impact as Higgins nears a return and intends to play out the season after signing the franchise tag in June.

In Higgins’s absence, two role players in Cincinnati’s passing attack were thrust into larger roles. Second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas has been on the field for most of the offense’s snaps and earned 10 targets over the first two games of the season. In addition, Mike Gesicki, an offseason addition to the roster, has taken advantage of Higgins missing time. He currently leads the team in receiving yards. Whether it be this week or sometime soon, once Higgins returns to the lineup, he’ll assume a prominent role in their passing attack. Iosivas and Gesicki figure to be demoted to lesser roles in due time.