Analyze Tee Higgins's matchup for week 10
Higgins can’t help you in Week 10 because Cincinnati is on bye, but his last three games with Joe Flacco (23-337-3) make him a locked-in WR2 with WR1 upside when the Bengals return in Week 11 against Pittsburgh.
Higgins’ arrow is pointing straight up: he’s averaged 10.7 targets, 112 yards and a TD over his last three outings, Flacco is force-feeding him in the red zone, and he’s scored in nine straight at Paycor Stadium. The Steelers’ pass defense has been middle-of-the-pack, and the game script should remain pass-heavy with Cincinnati’s defense struggling, setting up another 8+ target, high-ceiling day for Higgins in Week 11.
After a slow start, Higgins has exploded since Flacco took over, posting back-to-back 100-yard games with four TDs in his last four contests and a league-best nine-game home TD streak.
The narrative around Tee Higgins flipped the moment Joe Flacco became the Bengals’ starter. Through the first six weeks Higgins looked like an afterthought, failing to top 65 yards in any contest and finding the end zone only once. Since Flacco’s insertion in Week 7, Higgins owns a 23-337-3 line and paces the team in targets, air yards and red-zone looks. Flacco’s willingness to loft 50-50 balls has re-ignited Higgins’ dominant contested-catch profile—his 44-yard toe-tap score against Chicago exemplified the trust. The Week 10 bye arrives at an ideal time: Higgins finished Week 9 with a minor knock and now gets two weeks to heal while the coaching staff can craft even more designed looks for him. When they return in Week 11, the matchup is essentially a home date with Pittsburgh, a defense that has already allowed Higgins a 6-96-1 line in Week 7 and remains without its top cornerback depth. With Cincinnati projected to throw 40-plus times in a likely shootout, Higgins’ volume floor is secure and his red-zone usage keeps multi-touchdown upside in play.