Tee Higgins Will Need Better Injury Luck To Reach Full Fantasy Football Potential

Tee Higgins set a new career high with 11 touchdowns last season, despite Joe Burrow being limited to just 8 games due to injury. Higgins has had his own injury issues throughout his career, so both players will need to be healthy for Higgins to reach his full potential in 2026.

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Mixed 2025 Production

While Higgins' touchdowns were great last season, his 59 receptions and 846 receiving yards were the second-lowest marks of his career. His 98 targets were the fewest in any season in which he played at least 14 games. What’s concerning about so much of his value coming from touchdowns is that, while he averaged 0.73 scores per game, the 4for4 Air Yards App had his expected receiving touchdowns scored per game (xTD) at 0.43.

The bright side for Higgins was that his average depth of target was 13.4 yards. That ranked second on the Bengals behind Mitchell Tinsley (14.8), but Tinsley only received a total of 24 targets despite appearing in 17 games. Higgins’ average air yards per game of 88 was second behind only Ja’Marr Chase (98). Higgins and Chase led the category by a wide margin, considering Andrei Iosivas was third on the team with an average of 36 air yards per game.

Injury Concerns

Not having Burrow available for half of last season certainly didn’t help Higgins. Keeping Burrow on the field has been a problem, with him playing 10 or fewer games in two of the last three seasons. The Bengals did at least shore up their backup behind Burrow, bringing back the veteran Joe Flacco. Despite being 40 years old, he showed last season that he still has something left in the tank. Across six starts with the Bengals, he averaged 272.7 passing yards, while posting 13 touchdowns. Over those six games, Higgins turned 43 targets into 27 receptions for 417 yards and five touchdowns. Five of his targets came inside the red zone.

Higgins hasn’t exactly been the picture of health, either. Last season, he missed two games while in the concussion protocol. In 2023 and 2024, he played 12 games each while dealing with various ailments. The last time he played at least 16 games in a season was 2022, when he finished with 74 receptions for 1,029 yards and seven touchdowns. Burrow also appeared in 16 games that season.

Bengals’ Top-Heavy WR Depth Chart

The Bengals have brought back mostly the same wide receiver depth chart as last season. Behind Chase and Higgins, Iosivas and Colbie Young could be the top options for the WR3 spot. In that role last season, Iosivas was only targeted 58 times. Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample will lead the way at tight end, with Sample expected to fill a mostly blocking role. The biggest threat to targets behind Chase and Higgins is actually running back Chase Brown, who totaled 153 targets the last two campaigns.

Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration is the Bengals’ defense. Last year, the Bengals gave up 28.9 points per game. As their offense tried to keep pace, they attempted the second-most passes in the NFL. They did try to improve on that side of the ball, trading for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and signing two other defensive linemen in Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen. They also brought in safety Bryan Cook. Those four should all help, but the Bengals still have the potential to have several holes on defense. That could lead to them getting into a lot of shootouts again, which would benefit Higgins and the passing game.

With a major role in hand in what could be a pass-heavy offense, Higgins has an ADP of 37, according to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP. That makes him WR16 between Zay Flowers (ADP 33) and Garrett Wilson (ADP 38). While Higgins has WR1 upside, both he and Burrow would need to stay healthy for him to reach that tier. More realistically, he should be viewed as a WR2, which is where he is being drafted in most leagues. Given his injury history, though, it might be wise for those who draft him to also build quality depth at wide receiver.

The Bottom Line

• While Tee Higgins provided plenty of touchdowns last season, he could be in line for some regression in that department this year. However, he is still locked in as the WR2 for the Bengals and should have a high target share.
• Not only does Higgins have his own checkered injury history, but so does his quarterback, Joe Burrow.
• According to 4for4’s Multi-Site ADP, Higgins has an ADP of 37 and is WR16.
• If everything breaks right for Higgins on the health front, he can be a WR1 in fantasy. However, given the issues that he and Burrow have had, he is best viewed as a WR2 in most leagues.