Tee Higgins fantasy outlook: Should you draft Bengals WR in 2023?

Tee Higgins has consistently found himself in a rare situation in relation to his NFL role weighed against his fantasy football value. Despite being the WR2 on his own team's roster, he has still found a way to put up elite fantasy production.

Higgins continually posts bigger numbers than most other teams' top receiving options, resulting from his high-powered offense and elite quarterback.

The 2023 NFL season is expected to be more of the same for Higgins, as long as he isn't traded, which is rumored to be a possibility. Even if he is, he could potentially become even more valuable than he already has been.

Tee Higgins' 2023 Fantasy Outlook

Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins is in a rare class of wide receivers that can realistically serve as the WR1 on a fantasy football roster, while not being one on his own NFL team. He has still found a way to post consistently solid numbers, averaging 72 receptions for 1,010 yards and six touchdowns per season in his three-year NFL career so far. Not many secondary options anywhere are comparable at all.

Higgins' rare production for his roster spot comes as a result of the Cincinnati Bengals performing as one of the best all-around offenses in the entire NFL. Elite quarterback play from Joe Burrow has helped almost all of his offensive weapons remain relevant in fantasy football.

Despite taking a back seat to Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins has finished among the top 12 wide receivers in fantasy points per game.

Further demonstrating the Bengals' offensive dominance is the fact their third wide receiver Tyler Boyd also proved to be a useful roster piece. Joe Mixon also ranks among the top running backs in fantasy football each year, while Hayden Hurst was a solid tight-end streamer last season.

Few teams are capable of providing so many relevant options in fantasy, with Burrow's Bengals being arguably the best at doing so.

With the Bengals returning basically their entire offensive roster from last year, there's little reason to expect any decline in Higgins' fantasy production. While he has been connected to trade rumors this year, a team change will likely only elevate him to a WR1 on his new roster, realistically improving his fantasy outlook even further.

Is Tee Higgins a good pick in Fantasy Football this year?

Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins joins just Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith as wide receivers ranked among the top 20 players at the position for fantasy football without being the WR1 on their own roster.

Facing a tough decision on draft day? Check out our 'Who Should I Draft' tool that provides valuable insights to make the best pick.

This demonstrates that it's entirely possible to be an elite fantasy option as a secondary target on NFL rosters, though it only comes from ideal situations. Higgins is in one now and could possibly be in a better one later.

The possibility of him being traded actually raises Higgins' ceiling in fantasy football by a fairly significant margin, without affecting his floor much, if at all. This means he holds a similar floor to other NFL WR2's like Waddle and Smith, but surpasses each of their ceilings. It's extremely unlikely that the other two have any chance of being traded, meaning their situations are expected to be unchanged this year.

---

Gain an edge with the fantasy football trade analyzer to get the most out of every transaction.

---

Even if Higgins' role remains unchanged this year as well, his previous WR12 finish in fantasy points per game shows why that's perfectly fine for his 2023 outlook. If he is in fact traded at some point, it would almost definitely be to serve as a WR1 for his new team.

He's currently due for a massive contract extension, and likely wants to be paid like a WR1, which is why the trade rumors began. His safe floor and high ceiling make him an intriguing option on draft day.

Where should you draft Tee Higgins this year?

Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins currently ranks as the WR14 and 30th overall player in 2023 fantasy football drafts, according to his recent ADP. This means he's being selected as one of the top WR2 options on most fantasy rosters, depending on league format and draft strategy. He also profiles as a back-end WR1, especially in deeper leagues, due to his upside and history of consistent production.

Other wide receivers who currently hold a similar ADP to where Higgins is being valued include DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel. While each of them serves as the WR1 for their NFL teams, they also play in a crowded offense with many legitimate options competing for targets.

Higgins is clearly in the best overall offense of the three, while easily playing with the best quarterback of the bunch.

While Metcalf has been relatively consistent during his career as well, the addition of Jaxon Smith-Njigba could potentially reduce his usage this year. He also plays with a quarterback with legitimate regression potential. Samuel plays in much more of a run-first offense, as well as with a risky quarterback situation. He also showed alarming signs of regression last year.

All things considered, Tee Higgins makes for an excellent fantasy football pick at his current ADP. Both his floor and ceiling are comparable, if not better, than the other wide receivers in the same relative range.