Bengals WR Tee Higgins was not present for the start of minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Higgins has still not signed his franchise tag and requested a trade (again) in late April.
It's only June, so we're not worried at this point about Higgins' contract squabble spilling over into the season. The Bengals clearly want Higgins around as they make another run at the Super Bowl this year. The most likely scenario here has Higgins suiting up for Cincinnati come Week 1.
If he does end up elsewhere, it's tough to say whether it'd be good or bad news for his fantasy value. He'd likely be a better target bet without WR Ja'Marr Chase on the same field. But he'd need to learn a brand new offense and likely be dealing with a QB downgrade.
We're ultimately buying Higgins at his current WR27 best-ball ADP. Prior to a 2023 season that was wrecked by injuries to both Higgins and QB Joe Burrow, Higgins had finished the previous two seasons as a top-14 WR in PPR points per game.
He'll play this season at 25 years old, which is generally peak age for WRs, according to our aging-curve research.
Keep an eye on WR Jermaine Burton. The third-round rookie would be a big winner if Higgins does get traded before Week 1 or during the season.
Burton has a good shot to win the No. 3 WR job even if Higgins stays, which would likely give him some value in best-ball leagues.
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