Tyler

Higbee

Sadiq out of Oregon is widely expected to be a first round pick after setting record at the NFL Combine. Bowen believes the hyper-athletic tight end could be a situation matchup player for Sean McVay, who used three tight end sets at the NFL’s highest rate in 2025. “With his frame and 4.39 speed, Sadiq could be a seam stretcher for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Plus, McVay could use Sadiq as a backside X receiver/power slot to draw favorable man matchups.” Sadiq, who had 80 receptions over three seasons at Oregon, could fit the LA offense “as a catch-and-run target on boot action concepts,” Bowen said. Stafford last season led the NFL with 75 pass attempts on designed rollouts. It’s a crowded tight end room in LA, with Colby Parikson, Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, and Davis Allen on the roster. Sadiq would likely function as a rotational player if he lands with the Rams, who have the 13th pick in the 2026 draft.

The deal prevents Higbee from entering free agency next week. The longtime Rams tight end spent time on injured reserve during the 2025 season, rehabbing an ankle injury. At 33 years old, he is best suited to a rotational role. Fortunately for him, the Rams employ a heavy tight end rotation while regularly calling plays out to 3TE sets. He caught 25-of-35 targets for 281 yards and three touchdowns last season. Higbee is not on the TE1 radar anymore.

Higbee is still deciding on his future. The 33-year-old lifelong Ram was lost in the 3TE set shuffle last year and wouldn’t figure to be an interesting fantasy tight end if he re-signed in Los Angeles.

A free agent this offseason, the 33-year-old tight end certainly didn’t earn many targets for the Rams in 2025 despite 3TE looks being the norm. Some of that is Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, yes. Some of that is also just getting old. We’d bet on Higbee to get sniffs in free agency, but we’d be surprised if the lifelong Ram found a fantasy-favorable role in 2026.

Despite scoring in his return from injured reserve in Week 18, Higbee played 39 of 75 snaps this week and was mostly kept in check as Davante Adams garnered a huge amount of targets. He managed a 36-yard catch in the middle of a busted zone in this one, but otherwise didn’t build much of a TE punt case for next week’s Divisional Round slate.

Higbee came off injured reserve this week after missing over a month with an ankle injury. It took him no time to get back in the swing of things and he easily led the Rams in receiving yards. Higbee gashed the Cardinals for three gains of 20+ yards, including his fourth-quarter touchdown. This goes down as Higbee’s highest receiving total since 2022 and his second-best mark since his epic run at the end of the 2019 season. Higbee is still splitting work with Colby Parkinson, and the latter found the end zone twice this week. The committee approach from Sean McVay will make Higbee a boom/bust fantasy option for the Wild Card Round.

It’s back to a four-man tight end room for Los Angeles’ three-TE sets, probably nerfing Colby Parkinson’s Week 18 fantasy value in the process. Higbee has been on IR since Week 11’s win over the Seahawks.

Higbee will return to practice this week, though it’s unclear if he will be ready for LA’s Week 18 date with the Cardinals. The Rams only have minor differences in seeding to play for this week, so they will likely hold him out until the playoffs, even if he could return on Sunday. Higbee will split reps with Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson in the postseason.

The Athletic’s Nate Atkins said Higbee is unlikely to be active for Thursday night’s game against the Seahawks, however. Higbee has bee on IR since mid-November following a serious ankle injury against Seattle. His absence has opened up routes and targets for Colby Parkinson, who should be treated as a legit streaming option in Week 16. Parkinson and TE Terrance Ferguson led the Rams in pass routes last week against the Lions in an LA offense that uses two and three tight end sets at the NFL’s highest rate.

Higbee’s sidelining still leaves the Rams with three capable tight ends, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Terrace Ferguson. Although the rookie, Ferguson, intrigues, Parkinson has finished as a TE1 in consecutive weeks, buoyed by touchdowns. The latter player can be started as a touchdown-dependent TE1, if needed, though stashing Ferguson could return value down the line. Higbee will be eligible to return in Week 16.