Mitchell

Tinsley

He was an exclusive rights free agent. Tinsley pushed former third-rounder Jermaine Burton out of Joe Burrow’s circle of trust in the preseason and managed an 8/116/2 seasonal receiving line, with 15 of those targets coming against the Ravens and Patriots as Tee Higgins was out. Tinsley isn’t exactly a fantasy football sleeper, but Burrow’s rapport with him does make him interesting as a contingency plan. The Bengals also signed these 18 other players to ERFA one-year deals or futures contracts: LB Liam Anderson, C Jacob Bayer, HB Gary Brightwell, QB Sean Clifford, OT Andrew Coker, DT Howard Cross, OT Javon Foster, WR Xavier Johnson, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Bralyn Lux, WR Jordan Moore, LB Antwaun Powell-Ryland, S Russ Yeast, DE Isaiah Foskey, LB Joe Giles-Harris, LB Shaka Heyward, TE Cam Grandy, and S PJ Jules.

Oh, dear. This is unfortunate. Higgins practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. If he is unable to participate today, it likely means that he suffered a setback. The Bengals face the Dolphins this week. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. With Higgins sidelined, the Bengals had WR Andrei Iosivas operate as the No. 2, while Mitchell Tinsley handled No. 3 duties.

Tinsley saw a season-high nine targets in Week 12 when playing in place of Tee Higgins. With Higgins sidelined again due to another brain injury this week, Tinsley was unable to replicate his target volume, with only two looks coming his way in the shutout loss. Tinsley hauled in a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter, and just missed hauling in a pass in the end zone on that same drive a few plays later. Assuming Higgins is able to return in Week 16 against the Dolphins, Tinsley will go back into his backup role.

Higgins has been concussed twice over the last three weeks and will now miss a second game due to his brain injury. Despite being limited in both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practice, the star receiver felt like a long shot to play after landing in protocol following Week 14’s game against the Bills. When Higgins missed Week 13’s game against the Ravens, backup Mitchell Tinsley stepped up to run a season-high 31 routes while also drawing a season-high eight targets. He could have some upside as a dart-throw WR4 in deeper leagues.

Taylor told reporters that Higgins — who was checked multiple times after a couple major hits on Sunday — reported symptoms after the game. Given the quick turnaround from his last concussion, it would be surprising if Higgins managed to play this week. It looks like Andrei Iosivas and Mitchell Tinsley, as well as Mike Gesicki, will be solidly on the 12-team radar for Week 15.

With Tee Higgins out because of a concussion this week, Tinsley ultimately operated as the team’s No. 2 receiver, just like he did in Week 12. He earned plenty of targets, but the young wideout failed to come up with any of his difficult targets, only bringing in the layups Joe Burrow threw his way. Higgins could be back next week. Even if he isn’t, the Bengals will likely try to get Andrei Iosivas more involved after this inefficient performance from Tinsley.

With Ja’Marr Chase suspended and Tee Higgins leaving early with a possible concussion, Tinsley was tied for second on the team in targets. He and Joe Flacco weren’t able to connect on many of them, but Tinsley was able to haul in a clutch fourth-quarter touchdown to pull the Bengals within three points. He could be a deep league FLEX option on Thursday against the Ravens if Higgins is unable to suit up.

Tinsley has been making the game-day roster over Jermaine Burton this year. He made the most of his opportunities this week with a top-tapping (shin-tapping, technically) score in the third quarter. Tinsley isn’t on the fantasy radar, but even a minor role for him will keep Andrei Iosivas out of the fantasy conversation as well.

Other than the Bengals sad first-team defense, Tinsley was the talk of last night’s preseason game between the Bengals and the Commanders with a 5/73/2 display on six targets, including two extremely nice end zone catches, one from Joe Burrow. Dehner adds that Tinsley’s performance “had him running with the first team during certain practices.” Do we need to scrap the entire depth chart and worry about Ja’Marr Chase’s target share? No. But Tinsley could potentially push Andrei Iosivas for some time in the third receiver role, and perhaps scoot ahead of Jermaine Burton at last cuts.

The Commanders have been fortunate throughout most of the season, boasting one of the healthier rosters in the league. Curtis Samuel, who missed Week 9 with a toe injury is active and can be treated as a WR3 against a Seahawks defense that has been frequently targeted in the slot.