Is Tee Higgins playing today: Bengals Week 17 injury update, fantasy replacements

The Cincinnati Bengals will host the Denver Broncos at 4:30 PM E.T. in what qualifies as a do-or-die matchup. It has been tough sledding for the 7-8 Bengals, whose explosive offense is constantly undermined by a leaky defense. The Broncos, meanwhile, are 9-6 with a remarkably solid foundation beneath rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Short story short, the Broncos currently occupy the seventh seed — the final Wild Card slot — in a competitive AFC. The Bengals are mathematically in the hunt, but a loss ends their postseason hopes, point blank. It'll be tough even with a win, but Cincinnati cannot afford another stumble here in the final weeks of the campaign. Such is the price of early-season malaise.

Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are more than capable of heroic performances under pressure, but there was concern going into Saturday's matchup that Cincinnati might be without its second-best wideout, Tee Higgins, who has been dealing with a knee ailment. He carried a 'questionable' designation into game day.

Thankfully, Bengals fans received a bit of good news ahead of kickoff.

Tee Higgins injury update for Bengals-Broncos: Star wideout expected to play

Higgins has performed admirably in a contract year, despite battling through injuries and suffering at the hands of Cincinnati's ghastly defense. He has 58 receptions, 727 yards, and seven touchdowns through 10 games. He netted eight catches on 11 targets last week, putting up 58 yards and six points in a critical win over the Cleveland Browns.

Higgins has your prototypical wide receiver tools at 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds. It's hard to overstate his importance to this Bengals offense, even if he's frequently operating in the shadow of his Pro Bowl running mate. Chase spearheads a dynamic Bengals pass attack, but Higgins is more than capable of reeling in contested catches and feasting in the red zone.

Tee Higgins fantasy football replacements in Week 17

Still alive in your fantasy football postseason? Well, you're in luck. Tee Higgins is good to go, which means he should probably be in your lineup. He could, in theory, see fewer touches than normal if he's not fully up to speed, but that's a risk worth taking at this point in the season. Few fantasy free agents are going to come close to the ceiling of Higgins when he's catching passes from Joe Burrow.

That said, if you're worried and in search of last-second replacements, a few options exist.

Olamide Zaccheaus (WAS), Jalen McMillan (TAM), and Jalen Coker (CAR) are all classic fantasy league winners, stumbling into expanded roles down the stretch and taking advantage of their suddenly juiced-up target share. Washington, Carolina, and Tampa have all been spicy offenses of late, so there's reason to invest, should you feel the need to insure against Higgins or other injured wideouts on your team.