Who Should I Start? Kayshon Boutte or Jayden Higgins

Saturday, November 22, 10:34 AM

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) returns from a two-game absence this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. While fantasy managers will be excited to get the third-year receiver back for Week 12, expectations should be tempered as he prepares for a challenging matchup. Cincinnati's defense has been soft in many areas this year, but its one main area of strength has been shutting down receivers who operate out wide. The Bengals have allowed the second-fewest points to perimeter receivers, which is where Boutte has amassed 89.3% of his snaps. Even though he'll likely be the Patriots' No. 2 receiver this week, he ranks outside the top 36 fantasy receivers and has a very low floor in this specific matchup. Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry are far better fantasy options among the Patriots' pass catchers in Week 12.

Thursday, November 20, 11:48 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins caught four of his nine targets for 38 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's Week 12 win over the Buffalo Bills. The rookie led the team in targets and had more catches than Nico Collins, contributing to the Texans' third straight victory under backup quarterback Davis Mills. Higgins has looked solid with Mills under center, catching 13 of 23 targets for 135 yards and two touchdowns during that three-week span. He, Collins, and Christian Kirk have all carved out fantasy-relevant roles lately, but it remains to be seen whether the distribution of targets will look any different when C.J. Stroud (concussion) returns to action next week. Higgins' streak of strong performances should keep him in the high-end WR3/flex tier for Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.