Higgins will play Week 5

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (shoulder) "looked great" in practice this week and will play vs. the Packers on Sunday, HC Zac Taylor said Friday. Higgins opened the season with 4-58-1 and 6-60-1 receiving lines on 15 total targets before missing the past 2 weeks. He's a nice Week 5 fantasy play vs. a Green Bay secondary missing top CB Jaire Alexander.

WR Tee Higgins said Monday that he expects to remain with the Bengals for the 2024 campaign. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported back in March that Higgins requested a trade after getting the franchise tag, but he's evidently backed off those demands. We'll see if there's any movement during the draft later this month, but the most likely scenario has Higgins playing in Cincinnati for at least one more year. He dealt with numerous injuries last season, playing more than two-thirds of the offensive snaps in just nine games. But he averaged 66 yards and 0.6 TDs across those nine games -- after finishing as a top-14 WR in PPR points per game in both 2021 and 2022. Higgins is an easy bounce-back candidate this season.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins has requested a trade, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Cincinnati used its franchise tag to keep Higgins for 2024, but Higgins is reportedly disappointed that the team hasn't made an effort to sign him to a long-term deal. We'll see how interested the Bengals are in meeting Higgins' demand. There'd be no shortage of trade interest in the 25-year-old if he becomes available. This could also result in a Higgins holdout if the Bengals choose not to trade him. We'll keep you updated on the situation, but Higgins carries elevated risk in fantasy drafts until it's resolved.

The Bengals have told WR Tee Higgins they'll be applying the franchise tag ahead of free agency, according to multiple reports. This confirms the general expectation and means Higgins will be in Cincinnati for at least one more season. We're betting the Bengals hope to work out a longer-term deal ahead of the July deadline to do so, but we'll see how that plays out. Higgins has been a strong value in early best ball drafts, including his WR28 Underdog Fantasy ADP. QB Joe Burrow's modest QB7 ADP (early Round 7) enhances the value on that stack. We'll see whether Higgins' ADP moves earlier now that his situation is clearer.

The Athletic's Paul Dehner writes that "all expectations" are that the Bengals will use the franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins. Higgins is scheduled to hit free agency in March, but the tag would keep him in Cincinnati for 2024 on a one-year, $20.7 million deal. The deadline for franchise tags is March 5. Our current fantasy football rankings have Higgins projected to remain with the Bengals this year.

Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Browns. He’ll be replaced by some combination of WRs Trenton Irwin and Andrei Iosivas. Neither is a reliable fantasy option.