It feels like we’ve been waiting for Tyler Higbee to make the proverbial leap to TE1 territory for a while now, and it’s just not happening. His numbers last season with the Los Angeles Rams were by no means bad, but he still looks like a hit-or-miss player to have in fantasy football lineups.
2023 Fantasy Football: Tyler Higbee Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Higbee saw career highs in targets and receptions last year, catching 72 passes on 108 targets. That had more to do with injuries to Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp than a breakthrough in his own performance. Despite being second on the team in receptions, he only managed to post 620 yards—the second-lowest yards per catch (8.6) of his career—and three touchdowns.
Updated Rams outlook
It’s hard to know what to make of the Rams this season. They could be better than last year’s injury-decimated squad, but still a long way off from the NFC’s upper tier. And there’s still some uncertainty over Kupp’s readiness to return. Stafford is reportedly good to go, but he’s also 35 with a lengthy injury history.
Best-case scenario
Higbee could benefit as one of the Rams’ healthiest pass catchers, someone who’s earned more looks in the passing offense. If that’s the case, Higbee could put up numbers similar to last year—though it’s hard to imagine as many targets if Kupp is healthy. Still, he could put up the kind of numbers that make him a fringe TE1, maybe even with the chance to score five touchdowns again.
Worst-case scenario
We could see him back to normal, i.e. a tight end who’s capped at around 500 receiving yards. And it’s possible that he could produce fewer than that.
Prediction
Higbee might not be able to match his numbers from last season, but he is a safe bet as a 500-yard, 3-4 touchdown option.