Who Should I Start? Tee Higgins or Brian Thomas Jr.

Friday, December 12, 12:40 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that wide receiver Tee Higgins (concussion) will not play on Sunday in a big divisional matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Higgins was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before sitting out on Friday. He was unable to clear the league's concussion protocol after suffering his second concussion in the last several weeks in Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills. The 26-year-old will try to make progress and get cleared for a Week 16 contest on the road against the Miami Dolphins. Ja'Marr Chase will continue to be quarterback Joe Burrow's favorite target this week in the rematch against Baltimore, and Andrei Iosivas will now be in play as a touchdown-dependent WR4/flex in deeper fantasy leagues. Iosivas caught a touchdown in the last meeting against Baltimore with Higgins sidelined, but it was his only reception of the game.

Sunday, December 14, 9:35 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has tested his fantasy managers' patience throughout the entire 2025 NFL season. Between missing time and delivering several underwhelming performances, Thomas has not lived up to his late-first-round price tag in last summer's fantasy drafts. However, he could be turning a corner ahead of Sunday's Week 15 contest against the New York Jets. Thomas is coming off a modest performance against the Colts in which he caught three of six targets for 87 yards, but his underlying metrics were even more encouraging. The second-year receiver finished last week with 153 air yards and an average depth of target of 25.5 yards, both of which ranked sixth-most among all NFL wide receivers. If he can turn these potential yards into even more receiving yards, big plays, and perhaps a touchdown, he'll turn in a dominant fantasy performance. This week is as encouraging as any for Thomas, as the Jets' secondary has been iffy this season. While New York has allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in 2025, they also haven't intercepted a single pass this year. If Jacksonville doesn't abandon the pass early, Thomas should exceed his projections and rank as a top-15 fantasy receiver for Week 15.