Who Should I Start? Tee Higgins or Michael Pittman Jr.

Sunday, March 16, 11:39 PM

After signing wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to a record four-year, $161 million deal with $112 million guaranteed on Sunday night, the Cincinnati Bengals then turned around and signed receiver Tee Higgins to a four-year, $115 million deal to make him the highest-paid No. 2 wideout in NFL history, according to FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz. The first two years of Higgins' new deal are guaranteed. Cincy put the franchise tag on Higgins for the second straight year, but it only served as a placeholder before they locked the 26-year-old up long term. Although the former second-rounder (33rd overall) in 2020 out of Clemson only played in 12 games (nine starts) in 2024 due to injuries, he excelled when on the field and finished with a 73-911-10 line. His 10 scores were a new career-high. Although Chase takes valuable targets away from Higgins, he still has two 1,000-yard seasons and two 900-yard seasons, making him a strong WR2 target in fantasy.

Wednesday, April 23, 12:27 AM

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (back) said that his back injury from the 2024 season is in the past and he didn't require surgery on his back. He said he was cleared to play last month and thinks he's done the work necessary to get past the fractured back that he played through last year. In addition to shaky quarterback play and Anthony Richardson eventually being benched in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, Pittman battled a busted back to finish with only 69 receptions, 808 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games, which were all the lowest marks of his five-year NFL career since his rookie campaign in 2020 in which he played in only 13 games. The 27-year-old might be better off from a fantasy perspective if Daniel Jones wins the quarterback competition over Anthony Richardson this offseason, but either way, fantasy managers are going to be more skeptical of Pittman as a WR2 in 2025.