The Bengals have applied the franchise tag to WR Tee Higgins for the second straight season, according to multiple sources. That'll keep Higgins from hitting free agency and lock him into at least a one-year deal that would pay about $26 million. Cincinnati can afford to fit that number under the 2025 salary cap, according to Spotrac's numbers. But the Bengals would likely prefer to work out a longer-term deal with the 26-year-old.
This has been the expected move for a team that already locked in QB Joe Burrow but still has to work out an extension with WR Ja'Marr Chase.
Higgins lost five games to injuries last year but also delivered a career-high 18.6 PPR points per game when healthy.
A career-high 10 TDs obviously helped. But Higgins' 6.1 receptions per game also marked a big jump vs. the previous two seasons and beat his previous high by 0.8 (5.3 in 2021).
Higgins finished seventh among WRs in expected PPR points per game and sixth in actual points per game -- despite sharing the field with fantasy-scoring leader Chase.
Expect Cincinnati to continue ranking around the top of the league in neutral pass rate and concentrating targets between its top two wideouts.
Perhaps Higgins could have become a "true" No. 1 WR elsewhere. But it's hard to argue his fantasy outlook would improve anywhere else.
Higgins is no lock to continue scoring inside WR1 range every year. But Cincinnati's pass-happy approach and elite QB will keep the situation terrific.
This looks like the best potential outcome for Higgins' longer-term value -- especially if he can work out a longer-term deal before the franchise-tag deadline this summer.
If you were hoping for a 2025 breakout from Andrei Iosivas ... sorry.
The third-year WR managed just 2.3 catches and 33.9 yards per game across 12 contests shared with Higgins last year. And those averages actually got worse in the games Higgins missed.
Burrow, of course, has to be cheering. Expect him to remain a high-level fantasy option -- albeit with a bit more week-to-week risk than others around him in the QB rankings, thanks to his comparative lack of rushing.
We already had Higgins projected among the top 10 across formats in our WR rankings, expecting this outcome.
Best ball ADP has also been treating Higgins as though drafters expected him to stay in Cincinnati.
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