Wide receiver has become the dominant position in all of fantasy football, as young players like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb (to name a few) are lighting up the stat sheets. Unfortunately, NFL teams looking to make a major splash at the position will find it difficult to accomplish as the free agent market is a bit weak heading into the 2023 offseason. With that said, making a big splash trade these days can help fill a void. Look at what Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill did for their respective new teams. Oh, and let’s not forget about the A.J. Brown impact.
Some of the big names being floated around in potential trades include DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks, but what about Tee Higgins? He’s still on his rookie deal and not expensive at the moment, but the time will come where he’s going to be paid handsomely. The problem for the Bengals is that they’ll also have to pay Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the near future, and keeping all three is going to be tough under the salary cap. If you’re Cincinnati, do you trade him now or at the in-season deadline for the bounty of draft picks that would likely be offered?
Bengals personnel director Duke Tobin addressed the issue this week at the NFL combine, saying he has no intention of trading Higgins. That won’t stop us from playing the “what if” game.
Sam Greene/USA Today Sports Network
It will be a tough call to be certain, but in this “fantasy” world, Higgins might be better off playing a No. 1 role in another offense instead of being second fiddle to Chase. So, here are five teams that could have a need at wide receiver and would be interesting spots for Higgins to land next season. Let’s start things off with the NFL champs.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Super Bowl champions lack an alpha wide receiver (not that it mattered), but imagine acquiring Higgins in the offseason? With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman slated to become free agents, Kansas City could land him as a present and future No. 1 wideout. Imagine Higgins catching passes from Patrick Mahomes for the next five years? It’s enough to give fantasy managers statistical chills.
Los Angeles Chargers
This might be a pie-in-the-sky scenario but hear me out. Reports suggest the Bolts could cut Keenan Allen due to salary cap constrictions, leaving them with a need at wide receiver. Grabbing a rookie wideout in the draft is the cheapest alternative to replace Allen, but we all know how teams can massage the cap. Imagine a Justin Herbert-to-Higgins connection in L.A.? That would be an amazing fantasy move.
Top Five Fantasy Landing Spots: Aaron Rodgers | Jimmy Garoppolo | Saquon Barkley | Tony Pollard | JuJu Smith-Schuster | Miles Sanders | Derek Carr | Lamar Jackson | David Montgomery | Josh Jacobs | Jamaal Williams | Kareem Hunt | DeAndre Hopkins
New York Giants
The Giants are still licking their wounds from the Kenny Golladay disaster, and they need wide receivers in a big way. Remember, the team traded Kadarius Toney; Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are set to become free agents, so Higgins would come right in and become a targets machine. He’d also give Daniel Jones a true No. 1 option at wide receiver and remain a No. 2 option in most PPR leagues.
New England Patriots
The Patriots could lose both Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor as free agents, so trading for a big name wideout is possible. Higgins could come right in and be that No. 1 option in the passing game for Mac Jones and would pair pretty nicely with DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton. There are questions about Jones and the quarterback position, but the Patriots have a big need at wideout to fill for certain.
Chicago Bears
The Bears “No. 1” wideout, Darnell Mooney, is coming off an ankle injury and isn’t a true alpha. N’Keal Harry and Byron Pringle are slated to become free agents, leaving the team with Mooney, Chase Claypool and Equanimeous St. Brown. The Bears have draft capital and money to spend, and landing Higgins to pair with Justin Fields makes a lot of sense. He’d remain a solid No. 2 wideout in Chicago.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
