The Cincinnati Bengals take on the Houston Texans in Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season. The Bengals are dealing with injuries at wide receiver. WR Ja’Marr Chase is questionable to play while Tee Higgins has already been ruled out. The last time Higgins was sidelined, we saw WR Trenton Irwin step up and get more snaps. Might that be the case again in Week 10? And if so, does that make Irwin a sneaky good play in fantasy football? We investigate.
Update — Chase is expected to be active for Week 10 vs. the Texans, per NFL Network. With that news, Irwin becomes a less appealing play but still viable. Last time Higgins was out and Chase played, Irwin had plenty of targets and played most of the offensive snaps as the WR3. Irwin remains a decent PPR FLEX play.
Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals WR Trenton Irwin
The last time Irwin got a catch was in Week 8 vs. the 49ers. He finished with two catches for 24 yards. In Week 5 with Higgins out vs. the Cardinals, Irwin had eight catches on 10 targets for 60 yards.
Start or sit in Week 10 PPR leagues?
If you have Higgins and scooped up Irwin, he’s worth starting in PPR. Even if you don’t have Higgins or Chase, Irwin isn’t a bad waiver wire pickup for this week or last-second add. In Week 5 with Higgins out, Irwin played 62 snaps (76%). That was slightly ahead of WR Tyler Boyd, who many believed would be the one to step up. For PPR, Irwin should get plenty of targets with Higgins out. This is also a great matchup vs. a Texans team that loves to throw the ball.
Start or sit in Week 10 standard leagues?
We’d have a bit more pause in standard leagues. Irwin would really need a lot of volume to be a decent play in standard formats. He got that volume in Week 5 but it only translated to 60 yards. If Chase is also out, Irwin becomes a viable standard-league play. You’d think Irwin plays most of the offensive snaps as a starting WR with Chase and Higgins out. In a strong game environment, Irwin would be a very good WR2 or FLEX option in all formats.