Tee Higgins is coming off a season that most fantasy managers would classify as a disappointment. Look at how that year actually unfolded, and a very different picture emerges. The quarterback situation in Cincinnati explains far more of it than his talent ever did. Fantasy managers may be getting a discount on a proven WR1 in 2026.
Should You Draft Tee Higgins in Fantasy Football?
As of early September, Higgins has an ADP of 41.6 in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator. That’s an early 5th- or late 4th-rounder, depending on how many people are in your league. PFN’s fantasy football experts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe are a little higher on him than the consensus drafter in our simulator has been. They have him as the 34th overall player on their fantasy football rankings this year. That’s WR18.
When you’re looking at Higgins, it’s worth keeping in mind that last year he was quite efficient. He’s had consecutive seasons with double-digit touchdowns. He made his first Pro Bowl last year, which is kind of surprising. It took him until year 6 to make a Pro Bowl with how consistent he’s been.
But it’s also worth noting he missed 5 games in 2023, 5 games in 2024, and 2 games in 2025. You can’t necessarily rely on him; recent years indicate you can’t count on him playing in all 17 games. Even with that said, the production is very much touchdown-reliant: he hasn’t had 1,000 receiving yards in a single season since 2022. Granted, he certainly would have surpassed that if he were healthy in 2024.
But at the same time, it can be difficult to have a receiver who consistently misses a couple of games a year due to injury, and he’s not the WR1 in his offense. Granted, he’s still been very productive, and having Joe Burrow throwing him the ball is extremely beneficial.
But with Higgins as the WR18, in most leagues, you’re relying on him to be your WR2. It’s perfectly fine in the NFL to rely on Higgins as your WR2. But in a fantasy football league, I’m not so sure. I have some concerns. I am not taking Higgins at his current fantasy football ADP.
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Tee Higgins’ Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
It’s Higgins and Amon-Ra St. Brown when it comes to players with double-digit touchdown receptions in each of the past two seasons, and yet he feels a bit taken for granted by the fantasy industry.
I think there’s a pretty good chance you get a round-plus of value based on where you were able to land Higgins this summer (mid-Round 4), and I say we see that be the case with a low-end WR1 finish in this spot.
Higgins is a tough cover who can’t see too much attention with Chase on the other side. That’s been the case for years and certainly feeds into him having averaged north of 13.5 yards per catch in 5 of his 6 seasons. The game environment is what has me believing that he can start 2026 with a bang: no team over the past two seasons has averaged more points per game as an underdog (minimum 10 such games) than the Bucs.
I don’t need the opponent to push to be bullish on Cincinnati’s WR2, but I’m not going to turn it down and am very tempted to go this way in the DFS streets.
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Where Higgins Ranks Among 2026 Wide Receivers
- A.J. Brown | NE
- George Pickens | DAL
- Rashee Rice | KC
- Chris Olave | NO
- Zay Flowers | BAL
- Tee Higgins | CIN
- Jaylen Waddle | DEN
- DeVonta Smith | PHI
- Ladd McConkey | LAC
- Emeka Egbuka | TB
- Terry McLaurin | WAS
Check the full position group on PFN’s 2026 PPR Wide Receiver Board.
