The AFC North is full of fantasy football talent. Today, we discuss a player debate between Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers.
One is a veteran who has been on the fantasy decline for the last few years, while the other is a second-year player who helped our teams during his rookie breakout. Both come from potent offenses, but only one is the correct pick in this sector of the consensus rankings.
You instantly elevate the probability of winning your league by correctly identifying which wide receiver is the right one to draft. Let’s break down the fantasy outlooks of Higgins and Flowers to help you walk away from this debate with the knowledge you need to approach wide receivers in your draft.
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Tee Higgins
Higgins faces one of the most formidable strengths of schedule for a wide receiver in 2024. Although his fantasy production has declined in the last three years, he’s shown big playability within his repertoire.
TruMedia ranks Higgins as the 17th-best wide receiver in terms of air yards per target. He was 13th overall in yards per reception.
Higgins is a down-the-field play within the Bengals’ offense and can help produce fantasy points instantly. As a result, his average draft position (ADP) is No. 59 overall.
With Ja’Marr Chase possibly sitting out looking for a new contract, Higgins can become the WR1 attached to a great quarterback in Joe Burrow. If that happens, we could have a league-winning wide receiver in 2024.
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Zay Flowers
Last year, Flowers used his ability to separate, turning 108 targets into the 28th-highest reception total last season with 77. In air yards per target, Flowers ranked 66th overall with an 8.53 average but turned those targets into 11.1 yards per reception.
This combination of stats shows Flowers was able to utilize his playmaking ability throughout the 2023 season. We hope he can take another step this year within Baltimore’s potent offense.
However, there is a risk within Flowers’ fantasy outlook. We have a healthy Mark Andrews, which was an issue last season. Rashod Bateman is also returning to the fold healthy and looking for targets.
The biggest problem is that we must deal with Derrick Henry, who is commanding an enormous piece of the Ravens’ offensive scheme this year. Flowers is talented, but so is the rest of his team, which makes us wonder if there is an upside in his No. 61 overall ADP.
Who Should I Draft in 2024?
With Chase possibly sitting out, we must target Higgins in our drafts. Even if Chase does play, his lack of practice time within training camp makes him susceptible to a ramp-up period and a significantly higher injury probability.
Higgins will have to take on more of the workload as Joe Mixon has left to play elsewhere. The Bengals will lean on Burrow’s arm, and Higgins will have to elevate in order for Cincinnati to have any success in 2024.
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