Zac Taylor: Higgins (adductor) ‘day to day’

Higgins had a monstrous day, seeing 16 of Joe Burrow’s 54 pass attempts. With Ja’Marr Chase (concussion) exiting early, Higgins made a series of toe-tap sideline catches and saw several contested targets. He suffered an injury making a sideline grab in the fourth quarter and missed the Bengals’ final drive. ESPN’s Ben Baby reports Higgins tried to give it a go but could not push through an apparent adductor injury. The severity of the injury is not yet known but there is a chance Higgins misses time. Higgins is a weekly WR2 fantasy play that enters WR1 territory when Chase is out. Injury reports from this week will tell if Higgins can go in Week 5 against the Dolphins.

Higgins scored his first touchdown of the season late in the second quarter when he hauled in a contested target against Asante Samuel Jr. for a 28-yard score while falling backward in the end zone. Higgins has now gone for 90-plus yards in back-to-back games and has seen six or more targets in every game this season. He’ll be a high-upside WR2 in next week’s game against the Jaguars.

Higgins had a number of incredible catches in this one, including a backshoulder ball in the fourth quarter. His longest gain of the day, a 23-yarder to get the Bengals into Ja’Marr Chase touchdown range, actually happened when he was left uncovered by the Texans over the middle. Whoops. Higgins will be a WR2 against the Steelers in Week 3.

Higgins also had a long second half reception overturned when he failed to keep control heading to the ground. Like Ja’Marr Chase, it was a quiet statistical start to the year caused in part by short Bengals fields following Bucs turnovers. Tampa’s defense also seemed to be forcing Joe Burrow to the middle of the field. Higgins has a tough Week 2 test in the Texans, but we are still firing him up as a WR2 after Houston’s defense folded vs. the Bills on Sunday.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Higgins and fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase (knee) will both be good to go for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. Higgins has been dealing with a heel/foot injury in recent weeks but will be on the field for the team’s season-opener. He profiles as a high-end WR2 in what is expected to be a high-scoring game to kick off the Bengals’ 2026 season.

The Bengals will have their top two wide receivers on the field for what should be a high-scoring game against the Buccaneers. Higgins is a high-end WR2 with WR1 upside, playing alongside WR1 Ja’Marr Chase this weekend.

Higgins has been dealing with a heel contusion recently, but the issue never seemed serious. He has still been able to practice in a limited capacity over the past week. He may ultimately be limited on the team’s first injury report of the season, but there’s almost no chance Higgins misses Week 1 versus the Bucs. He will be a boom/bust WR2 barring a setback.

Tee Higgins (heel contusion) was also spotted at practice after both players were said to be limited participants last week. The Bengals won’t release their first official injury report of the week until Wednesday, but it doesn’t sound like either Chase or Higgins is at risk of missing Week 1’s game against the Buccaneers. As usual, Chase profiles as a high-end fantasy WR1, while Higgins should be viewed more as a WR2 with WR1 upside in any given week.

We’re not viewing this as a major cause for concern; the Bengals have no reason to rush Chase back on the field after he hyperextended his knee last week. If he’s still drawing limited tags on the official injury reports next week, then we can start Panic Mode. Taylor added that Higgins (heel contusion) may also be limited this week. "(Tee) and Ja’Marr will be good at the end of the week,” said Taylor.

As has been the case in each of the past three years, injuries took their toll on Higgins and turned what would have been a good season into a rather disappointing one. He missed two games with separate concussions. Joe Burrow also spent multiple months on injured reserve with a turf toe injury. His absence briefly tanked the offense, though Joe Flacco eventually saved the day for fantasy managers when he took over for Jake Browning. Higgins finished the year with 59 grabs and 846 yards. Neither of those numbers are particularly close to his best marks, but he did bring down a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns, five of which came from Flacco. Despite the modest year, Higgins is still one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL, and fantasy managers will keep him in the WR2 mix when early 2026 drafts come around.