The Cincinnati Bengals have a must-win game today. Well, all of their games have been must-win since their rocky start to the year. However, they have turned things around and somehow kept their slim playoff chances alive. Now, they have a showdown with the Denver Broncos on the agenda and could be down a man with wide receiver Tee Higgins popping up on the injury report.

Will Higgins play this week? And, if he does, what can we expect from him in this pivotal matchup?

Is Tee Higgins Playing in Week 17?

Week 17 Status: QUESTIONABLE

After being listed as limited all week on the Bengals’ injury report, Tee Higgins has drawn the questionable tag ahead of the game against the Broncos. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that there is optimism that Higgins will play this weekend after improving throughout the week.

#Bengals WR Tee Higgins (questionable, ankle/knee) improved every day in practice and there’s optimism he can play Sat. vs. #Broncos, barring new development, per sources.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 27, 2024

Higgins has dealt with a multitude of nagging injuries this season, but it seems to be trending toward him not missing any time with this latest issue. Higgins got his ankle tweaked underneath him last Sunday against the Browns but was able to return to the game.

Higgins’ Fantasy Outlook this Week

This hasn’t exactly been a bump-free season for Tee Higgins, but the man produces far more often than not, and it’s clear that the Bengals know what they have in him (whether they want to pay him or not is a different discussion). Last weekend against the Browns, Joe Burrow directed three of his first four passes toward Higgins and was rewarded with three completions and a score.

That’s now five of six games with a score for Higgins. The failure in there was a 2-23-0 dud against the Cowboys on national TV, and that hurts the narrative around him, but make no mistake about it — Higgins is a fantasy star and a threat to be a top-12 receiver next season should he land in a situation with some level of stability under center.

Bengals Stats and Insights

Team: The Bengals have a 3+ game win streak in December (or later) in four straight seasons.

QB: You know that Joe Burrow is the first ever with 250 passing yards and three passing TDs in seven straight – extend his numbers from those games for a full season, and he’s posting a 5,430-yard 58-TD season (for reference, 2007 Tom Brady’s 17-game pace: 5,106 yards and 53 TDs.

Offense: Cincinnati scored on “just” 36.4% of their drives over the weekend, their lowest rate since Week 8.

Defense: Cincinnati has allowed under 1.5 points per possession three times this season – two of which have come against the Browns.

Fantasy: Ja’Marr Chase is seeking a seventh straight game with 18+ PPR points. Since 2013, only twice (Cooper Kupp in 2021 and Davante Adams in 2020) has a receiver had a longer such streak in a single season.