The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2023 season with low expectations after a down campaign in 2022. The Rams came off the Super Bowl hangover hard and are still dealing with injuries to WR Cooper Kupp. In Week 1 vs. the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams exceeded expectations and looked like an elite offense again. Did that have more to do with Seattle or Los Angeles fixing things? Either way, TE Tyler Higbee should be heavily involved while Kupp is out. Let’s take a look at Higbee’s fantasy football prospects for Week 2 vs. the Niners.
Fantasy Football analysis: Rams TE Tyler Higbee
With Kupp sidelined in Week 1, Higbee had a down week for fantasy. He had three catches on three targets for 49 yards. It wasn’t a complete bust and there are reasons for optimism. One of those being Higbee played 74 offensive snaps and ran routes on 33 of those plays. That volume is elite and the targets should come.
Start or sit in Week 2 PPR leagues?
Start. For one, the Rams could be missing WR Puka Nacua, who is dealing with an oblique injury. Even if Nacua is fine, Higbee should play almost all the snaps at TE and really just needs more looks. With the Niners possessing a strong defense and pass rush, QB Matthew Stafford should look Higbee’s way a bit more in Week 2. Getting to around 5-6 receptions alone is all we need for Higbee to be a solid fantasy contributor.
Start or sit in Week 2 standard leagues?
In shallow formats with 8-10 teams, maybe we look at other options. In deeper leagues, you’re still starting Higbee. Again, he played a ton last Sunday and Stafford just had more success finding his receivers. The targets will come and there should be a sneaky amount of points in this Rams-Niners contest.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Tyler Higbee
DKN NFL Editor Chet Gresham has Higbee as the TE16 in PPR for Week 2. It’s not the best matchup, though a good game environment. Still, this would put Higbee outside the realm of a starting TE for this week. Cardinals TE Zach Ertz, Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth, Lions TE Sam LaPorta and Patriots TE Hunter Henry are a few names ahead of Higbee in the rankings.
