Tee Higgins injury update: Latest on Bengals WR for fantasy football Week 5

Tee Higgins left the Cincinnati Bengals game early on Sunday. The offense struggled immensely, and things only got worse for them as the game progressed without their star wide receiver. He suffered a rib injury and was ruled out of the contest. What is his status moving forward?

Tee Higgins is injured

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Tee Higgins injury update

Tee Higgins entered the locker room in the first half with a rib injury and did not return with the team when they exited for the second half. The talented wide receiver was forced out of action early with a rib fracture. There is an expectation that he will be out of action for a while.

Rib injuries are particularly difficult to deal with in the NFL. There's not a lot of padding surrounding them and every single hit you take, including a hit by falling on the ground after diving for a catch, can cause a lot of pain. Even worse, it can easily reinjure them. A fracture especially is not something to be trifled with.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense were nowhere to be seen this weekend. They've been absent for most of the season.

They lost badly to the Tennessee Titans and their offense doesn't appear to have any good news coming with the latest update on Higgins. He recorded just two catches (on four total targets) for 19 yards before being forced out of action.

Update: Higgins has been ruled out of Week 5.

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What happened to Tee Higgins?

Tee Higgins suffered a hit to his ribs in the first half of the game against the Tennessee Titans. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, who is up for a new contract at the end of this year, was ruled out after that.

The hit was serious enough to force him into the locker room. There is a medical tent, but more worrisome injuries force players off the field entirely. That is what happened with Higgins. He was taken back and looked at. He couldn't return to the game and never came back out.

The offense sputtered even further without him, putting up three points. They have only beaten the Los Angeles Rams and have lost three times in what was supposed to be a big year for them. Without Higgins, the future does not look good.

It also doesn't help his future prospects. It's a contract year, and he is not having a good start. It doesn't appear as if he's going to be able to play for the next few weeks and improve his status and work towards a nice deal.

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When will Tee Higgins return?

Healing for a fracture often takes at least six weeks. NFL players sometimes defy the laws of physics when it comes to injuries and come back far sooner than expected. Regardless, a multi-week absence is expected.

Given that it's a six-week minimum expected recovery time, the Bengals will more than likely be forced to place Higgins on the Injured Reserve. If that happens, he will be unable to come back for four weeks regardless of what he feels like.

That means he won't be back until Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills. A more likely return date is Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, or even later.