UPDATE: On Saturday, coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Higgins will play on Monday vs. the Commanders.
Friday: Late Friday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Higgins is planning to play Monday night.
Thursday: Higgins has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury, but the wideout appears to be trending in the right direction. Higgins is expected to practice Thursday ahead of Monday’s matchup with the Commanders, per Zac Taylor.
While this is a positive sign, it is no guarantee Higgins will suit up Monday. And, if he does, there is a strong chance he is limited. Dealing with different injuries last season, there were three games in which Higgins saw fewer than 60% of the snaps; he failed to go over 20 yards receiving in all those starts.
Still, Higgins handled a 17.9% target share last season and generated a solid 0.25 FPTS per snap, so he does have upside when healthy. Furthermore, Higgins gets a great matchup vs. a Washington defense that is allowing the fourth most yards per pass and the most FPTS to receivers this season.
However, with the strong chance that Higgins doesn’t see a full workload given his track record and with his game status likely not being determined until late Sunday or Monday before kickoff, benching the receiver in favor of a safer, healthier option that competes Sunday is a smart choice. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bengals are seven-point favorites over the Commanders.
Verdict: Sit him.
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