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McLachlan

Uiagalelei was elevated to back up Trey Lance in Week 18, but ultimately did not play at all in Los Angeles’ exhibition to tank into the No. 7 seed. He had a 67.0 PFF grade in 69 offensive preseason snaps this past offseason and could eventually become Los Angeles’ backup quarterback.

The Bengals’ inactives outside of Higgins (quad) are pedestrian. McLachlan has yet to play this season and all wideouts outside of Higgins are active. Jermaine Burton and Andrei Iosivas will handle larger roles for the Bengals against the Eagles for Week 8.

No surprise here. Higgins did go through pregame warmups and even ran some routes with Jake Browning before the contest, but the doubtful designation was there for a reason. Also inactive for the Bengals are DE Cedric Johnson, OT Amarius Mims (pec), TE Tanner McLachlan and DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb). Tanner Hudson (knee) was listed as doubtful, but is active for the contest.

Higgins was a long shot to suit up this week after missing multiple practices. His absence puts Andrei Iosivas on the fantasy radar as a flex play. WR Kendric Pryor, Edge Cedric Johnson, OT Amarius Mims (pec), TE Tanner McLachlan, and DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) round out the rest of the Bengals inactives.

Starting his journey out of Southern Utah, McLachlan (6’5/244) was a wide receiver and tight end for the Thunderbirds before transferring to Arizona as a walk-on in 2022. He totaled 79 receptions for 984 yards and four touchdowns over his two seasons as a Wildcat. McLachlan is explosive and gritty on the field, with good athleticism to match his receiving potential. At the combine, he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash and jumped a 35-inch vertical, both top-four among tight end prospects. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein says, “his ‘whatever it takes’ mentality is the kind of intangible that often turns prospects into pros.” While McLachlan profiles better as a receiver than a blocker at the next level, his intangible “hustle” will be appreciated in the NFL. There’s certainly opportunity for targets at the tight end position now that he’s in Cincinnati.