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Cincinnati signal caller Joe Burrow is finally 100 percent after battling a cranky calf injury early in the season. Unfortunately, his receiving corps is not at 100 percent.
Top target Ja’Marr Chase is batting a bad back and is questionable to play this Sunday against the Houston Texans. No. 2 WR Tee Higgins was fine until practice on Wednesday when he injured his hamstring. His availability for this weekend was up in the air until now.
So will Higgins be able to suit up on Sunday? Here is the latest!
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Is Tee Higgins Injured or Playing In Week 10?
Higgins has been ruled out for his week. Head coach Zac Taylor made the announcement on Friday afternoon. Higgins has not practiced since injuring his hamstring, and his status for next Thursday’s division tilt against the Baltimore Ravens is unknown at this time. Feel free to bench him in all fantasy formats.
Should I Start Trenton Irwin For Fantasy Football?
While backup wideout Irwin has been a sneaky stat compiler in games when the Bengals have been without one of their top three receivers (Chase, Higgins, or Tyler Boyd), I would not rush out to pick him up on your league’s waiver wire unless it is determined later this week that Chase will also miss Sunday’s contest.
I can see why fantasy managers might be considering the idea. Irwin did have a good game when he subbed for Higgins in Cincy’s Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He had eight receptions for 60 yards on 10 targets. Only Chase was aimed at more often by Burrow that day. Irwin also filled in for Higgins admirably last year when he had 58 yards and a TD in a victory over the Cleveland Browns.
While Irwin has sometimes been a fantasy zero when his receiver teammates are banged-up, he has been a fantasy zero otherwise. If you deduct his stats from that Week 5 outing he has only managed three catches for 41 yards on the season. So unlike other No. 4 receivers who shine in a supporting role on Sundays, Irwin has been relegated to watching the Chase-Higgins-Boyd trio dominate the time and targets when they are all healthy.
I could see Irwin having five receptions for 60 yards on Sunday with Higgins out. If that is what you are looking for out of a waiver-wire receiver, then go ahead and scoop him up. I would like a little more myself. But I do believe that Irwin would provide more bang for the buck if Chase is also sidelined on Sunday, so keep on eye on the injury updates out of Cincinnati this week! If Irwin only has to share targets with Boyd and the tight ends against Houston’s 24th-ranked pass defense, then his fantasy worth as a one-week stopgap goes way up.
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