Tee Higgins or Ja'Marr Chase: Who is the Real Bengals WR1?
By Peter Dewey
The Cincinnati Bengals have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL, with last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja’Marr Chase lining up next to Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.
It’s made life easy on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and the receivers are a big reason why the Bengals made the Super Bowl last season.
While Chase has looked like the unquestioned No. 1 option since joining the team, and his odds to score each week, as well as many of his receiving props would indicate the same, that may be underselling just how good Higgins has been.
Make that now 591 professional football routes run simultaneously for Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase.
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 30, 2022
The results:
Targets
136 - Higgins
116 - Chase
Catches
92 - Higgins
71 - Chase
Yards
1,378 - Higgins
1,215 - Chase
PPR points
277.8 - Higgins
243.1 - Chase
So far this season, Higgins and Chase have run 125 routes together, and Higgins has outproduced Chase from a fantasy perspective in a big way.
They've run 125 routes together in 2022.
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 4, 2022
PPR points on those routes:
63.5 - Tee Higgins
34.1 - Ja'Marr Chase
A few long touchdowns for Higgins, including this 59-yard score in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins, have certainly helped, but maybe it’s time that we start buying low on Higgins’ prop numbers?
Joe Burrow 59-YD deep ball to Tee Higgins 🎯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 30, 2022
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/zP9OTeehOP
While Chase leads the team with 41 targets in 2022 to Higgins’ 28, the second-year wideout has just five more catches (25) than his counterpart (20). When you compare the numbers for Chase and Higgins this year, it’s easier to come to the conclusion that Cincy may have two WR1s, rather than this being a No. 1 and No. 2 scenario.
Ja’Marr Chase vs. Tee Higgins Stat Comparison
Targets (Catches)
- Chase: 41 (25)
- Higgins: 28 (20)
Receiving Yards
- Chase: 293
- Higgins: 315
Touchdowns
- Chase: 2
- Higgins: 2
Those numbers are pretty close, and it’s worth noting that Higgins’ prop numbers last week looked like this:
Tee Higgins Prop Numbers in Week 4
- Receiving Yards: 63.5
- Anytime TD: +140
Meanwhile Chase had his prop numbers significantly higher:
Ja’Marr Chase Prop Numbers in Week 4
- Receiving Yards: 72.5
- Anytime TD: -110
- Receptions: 5.5
This isn’t saying that you should avoid betting on Chase, but with these two both having a huge role in the offense, and Chase commanding a ton of attention from opposing defenses, Higgins is flying a bit under the radar in the prop market.
The Bengals take on a porous Baltimore Ravens secondary in Week 5, so both of these receivers will be a hot commodity in the prop market for the Sunday Night Football matchup.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.