It has been a crazy year if you have players from the Cincinnati Bengals on your fantasy football team. When quarterback Joe Burrow was lost, the expectations were that the offense was going to fall off into mediocrity. That hasn’t been the case at all, as Jake Browning has the Bengals still right there in the thick of things in the AFC playoffs.
However, the Bengals will be without Chase against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that could mean more opportunities for guys like Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd. Can you start Higgins or Boyd in fantasy this week?
Should You Start Tee Higgins in Fantasy This Week?
If you have had Higgins on your team this year, it has been a roller coaster, to say the least. He did nothing in Week 1 but then finished as a top-three WR in Week 2.
While it hasn’t been the season fantasy managers expected out of Higgins, he has put together three solid weeks recently. In the Bengals’ most recent game, he finished as the WR7 in Week 15 against Minnesota.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
With Chase out, Higgins has another opportunity to have one of those big weeks that can win a fantasy outing by himself. The matchup against the Steelers is basically an elimination game for both of these teams.
Last week, Higgins played 87% of the snaps and caught four of his eight targets for 61 yards and two TDs. He is the WR21 in PFN’s Consensus Rankings this week, and if he is on your team, he needs to be in your lineup. I was extremely high on him last weekend, and I am equally as high on him this week.
Should You Start Tyler Boyd in Fantasy This Week?
With Higgins’ anticipated ascension due to Chase being out, the same happens for Boyd. Boyd rises up the pecking order, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he should be in your lineup this week. He is currently WR66 and would be more of a Hail Mary type of decision to put in your lineup.
Boyd has only had three games this season where he has finished as the WR25 or better, and he wasn’t great last week when Chase was out of the lineup. Boyd just hasn’t been able to have the consistency or the high potential that would warrant him being in your fantasy lineup in Week 16.
I know there is a temptation to have him in your lineup with Chase out, but if anything, besides Higgins, it is the Bengals running backs that should be in your fantasy lineup because of Chase’s absence.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Higgins is the player to start. His projected 11.5 points include a projection of 54.7 receiving yards on 3.8 receptions. This outperforms the projection for Boyd. The veteran WR is projected to have 6.2 fantasy points and 28.7 receiving yards on 2.2 receptions.
I am going to go with the Optimizer on this. Higgins has shown the ability to step up when called upon, and Boyd just really has never been able to demonstrate it.
If you are deciding between the two Bengals on Saturday, there really shouldn’t be a question. If one of these two receivers is going to play a huge role in you making it to the fantasy championship, it is Higgins.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
