Fantasy Upside
Tyler Higbee started all 16 games in his second season, catching 25 passes for 295 yards and 1 touchdown. His targets climbed from 29 as a rookie to 45 as a sophomore and he is currently atop the Rams' unofficial depth chart. Thanks to Sean McVay, L.A. now has an electric offense but one thing lacking a year ago was production at the tight end position. Higbee is the favorite to start, he offers some red zone appeal as a 6-foot-6 target, and he did flash some potential in games last year such as the Seattle contest when he caught four passes for 98 yards.
Fantasy Downside
Higbee had every opportunity to carve out a role last year but was quiet for most of the season. While he's currently slated to start, 2017 second-round Gerald Everett could earn a bigger role in an offense that already features Todd Gurley, Robert Woods, and newcomer Brandin Cooks. There are too many mouths to feed in an offense that doesn't generate a high volume of pass attempts as it is.
2018 Bottom Line
Higbee is our No. 31 ranked TE entering the season and we would take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to all Rams tight ends, not just the third-year product. Goff didn't target his tight ends much a year ago and whether it's Higbee or Everett that winds up starting, they'll be behind Cooks, Woods, and Gurley for touches. There's no need to draft Higbee when he'll be available on the waiver wire in the majority of 10- and 12-team leagues.
Wild Card Round vs. Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Higbee failed to record a catch in the Rams' Week 17 loss to the 49ers. He played 12-of-65 snaps so it's not a surprise he posted a goose egg. The most passes he's caught in a game this year was 8 back in Week 5 against Seattle. Outside of that, Higbee hasn't done much in Sean McVay's offense. Ranked as our No. 7 TE for the Rams' Wild Card matchup with the Falcons, avoid him this weekend. The volume is unlikely to be there for the tight end.
Week 11 at Minnesota Vikings
Tyler Higbee caught 2-of-f4our targets for 22 yards in the Rams' Week 10 win over the Texans. He has now gone four straight games with four or fewer targets. Higbee is not a fantasy option.
Week 10 vs. Houston Texans
Tyler Higbee caught 1 of his 2 targets in Week 9 as the Rams dismantled the Giants in East Rutherford. His 1 reception went for 8 yards and a touchdown, so if owners took a major gamble on Higbee the risk paid off. (Side note: The Giants have given up a touchdown to an opposing tight end in a league-record nine straight games.)
Higbee doesn't see enough targets in the Rams' offense to be a viable fantasy option. Ranked as our TE25 for Week 10, we recommend avoiding Higbee in all formats.
Week 9 at New York Giants
Tyler Higbee caught all 3 of his targets for 13 yards in the Rams' Week 7 win over the Cardinals. After posting a 98-yard game against the Seahawks in Week 5, Higbee failed to record a catch against the Jaguars in Week 6 and was held to under 50 yards receiving for the sixth time in seven games in Week 7. Higbee is ranked as our No. 21 TE for Week 9 but should be avoided when the Rams visit the Giants on Sunday.
Week 6 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyler Higbee caught 4-of-8 targets for 98 yards in the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Seahawks. The yardage was a career-high for Higbee, who led the team in receiving. He now has 145 yards receiving over his past two games, which puts him on the map as a TE2. Higbee ranks as our TE23 for Week 6 but he could be moving up the ranks soon. Consider him as a sneaky option for DFS formats but stay away from him in your year-long leagues.
Week 5 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Tyler Higbee caught 3-of-6 targets for 47 yards in the Rams' Week 4 win over the Cowboys. Higbee remains in a rotation with rookie Gerald Everett and is off the fantasy radar. Ranked as our TE32 for Week 5, avoid Higbee on Sunday when the Rams host the Seahawks.
Week 2 vs. Washington
Tyler Higbee was held to 2 catches for 17 yards on 3 targets in the Rams' Week 1 win over the Colts. Los Angeles jumped out to a big lead against Indianapolis, so opportunities in the passing game were few and far between in the second half. That said, Higbee doesn't look like he's going to have a prominent role in Sean McVay's offense.
Higbee actually has a nice matchup on Sunday when the Rams host a Washington team ranked as fantasy's No. 25 defense versus tight ends. That said, Higbee is our TE28 for Week 2 and should be avoided until the Rams start making him more of a focal point in their offense.
Week 1 vs. Indianapolis Colts
As a rookie in 2016, Tyler Higbee caught 11-of-29 targets for 85 yards and 1 touchdown. He enters his second season with higher expectations, although he caught just 2 passes for 15 yards in the Rams' first three preseason games. It could be a while before we know how Higbee fits into Sean McVay's new offense in Los Angeles.
Higbee has a nice matchup against the Colts, who rank as fantasy's No. 24 defense against tight ends. That said, Jared Goff needs to make big strides in his development before any receiver/tight end is fantasy relevant outside of Sammy Watkins. Ranked as our No. 23 tight end in Week 1, hold off on starting Higbee until we see how he's utilized in McVay's offense.
Fantasy Upside
Despite receiving only 28 targets as a rookie last season, there were reports this offseason Tyler Higbee would be heavily involved in new coach Sean McVay's offense. At 6'-foot-6 and 257 pounds, Higbee has the size/speed combination to stretch the seam as the Rams' pass-catching tight end. He should start in what will be a much-improved offense.
Fantasy Downside
Higbee pled guilty to second-degree assault for a 2016 incident while he was in college. He will be in a diversion program for five years and is subject to NFL discipline now that the legal process has played out. Higbee will also compete with Gerald Everett, who was handpicked by McVay in April's draft.
2017 Bottom Line
Higbee drew sleeper status a year ago but he's off the fantasy radar now. He ranks as our TE34 and should go undrafted in most leagues. The Rams offense is a massive work in progress, and now that Sammy Watkins is in the mix, there won't be many targets to go around for guys like Higbee.
