Is Tee Higgins playing tonight? Bengals injury update and fantasy replacements

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins's status for Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens remains a mystery. Higgins is one of the best No. 2 wide receivers in the NFL when healthy, and he could be a No. 1 on most teams. However, the Bengals have Ja'Marr Chase, which is a primary reason why Higgins could be on the move this offseason.

Unfortunately for the Clemson product, he hasn't been able to stay on the field in a contract season, thus hurting his eventual market value. Higgins would have been a popular trade target had the bottom fallen out of the Bengals season. Instead, Cincinnati is 4-5 and on the verge of a Wild Card spot, but the schedule won't do them any favors starting on Thursday night.

The AFC North is wide open, with the Ravens and Steelers fighting for the top spot. Pittsburgh holds the edge as they didn't play this past week, but will face off against a tough Washington Commanders team on Sunday. If the Ravens can defeat the Bengals, they'll be in a prime position to have sole possession of first place heading into an AFC North clash in Pittsburgh next week. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Will Tee Higgins play tonight? Bengals WR's status and depth chart

Higgins was listed as doubtful for Thursday night, as it's a quick turnaround from Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Higgins also missed that game as well. Tee is dealing with a soft-tissue injury which has forced him to miss four games so far this year. He has played in five contests, and started just three. When he's on the field, Higgins remains a force to be reckoned with, but the Bengals are going to have to survive and advance without him this week.

The Bengals passing attack is one of the best in the NFL, even without Higgins. The likes of Burton and Irwin could fill the void quite easily if asked. Iosivas has the most receiving yards on the Bengals as it pertains to players not named Chase, Higgins or tight end Mike Gesicki.

Tee Higgins fantasy football replacements

Finding a replacement for Higgins this late in the week won't be easy. Most fantasy managers assumed he'd be healthy given he didn't play last week and had an extra four days to heal. Alas, that's not always how the human body works.

As far as Bengals players, I'd recommend replacing Higgins with Iosivas, who has received the most targets, catches and yards in his steed. Other Bengals' value who now goes up includes the tight end, Gesicki, who has the third-most receiving yards on the team.

Beyond Bengals, however, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert projects Jauan Jennings, Quentin Johnston or even Jalen Tolbert as viable options, depending on your league. Unfortunately at this stage of the season most of the star-caliber talent has already been claimed.