Cincinnati Bengals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle) exited Saturday's 19-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and did not reenter. The 25-year-old was forced from the contest in the third quarter and was initially deemed questionable to return. However, he was not seen again after injuring his ankle. Cincinnati's offense missed him when he was gone -- having trouble moving the ball with Pittsburgh keyed in on teammate Ja'Marr Chase. Before leaving, Higgins caught 4-of-5 targets for 53 yards. Despite not returning, he was not immediately ruled out, which is a positive sign. With the Bengals snagging another win, they'll need some help tomorrow to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle, knee) is officially active ahead of the Week 18 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Higgins carried a questionable tag into this game after getting in three limited practice sessions this week. Despite that, Higgins has been cleared to play and is a full-go for Saturday's game. Higgins is coming off a huge performance during last week's win over the Denver Broncos. He hauled in 11 of his 12 targets for 131 yards and three touchdowns last week. Fantasy managers can go ahead and plug Higgins into their lineups ahead of Saturday's game.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (ankle) has been ruled out for the Week 18 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The plan was for Brown to workout pre-game and attempt to suit up for this contest. The Bengals have decided to play it safe and hold out Brown for the regular season finale. The 24-year-old suffered an ankle injury last week and is still feeling sore coming into Saturday's game. Khalil Herbert figures to see a bulk of the carries with Brown unable to play. Herbert is worth a look as a cheap DFS option for this weekend's slate.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins hope to play together for "years to come." Rapoport noted that sources say that the three players have made it "their goal." Burrow has expressed heavy interest in keeping Tee Higgins under team control before he enters free agency this offseason. Chase has one more year left on his rookie contract but attempted to negotiate a long-term contract this past offseason. Discussions were eventually put on hold shortly before Week 1. However, their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday evening could be their last game together if Higgins is unable to agree to a contract to remain in Cincinnati this offseason. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor this situation throughout the offseason as Burrow would see his fantasy ceiling drop if he were to lose one of his star wideouts. Burrow has already set a career-high in touchdown passes and yards this season.

Cincinnati Bengals kicker Cade York will be a borderline starting kicking option for fantasy managers with the Bengals trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a win on Saturday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in the Week 18 regular-season finale. The 23-year-old missed a 33-yarder in overtime last Saturday in the eventual victory over the Denver Broncos, his second straight week with a missed field goal. Since taking over for Evan McPherson (groin), York has made five of his seven field-goal opportunities while going 13-for-14 on extra points for the Bengals. McPherson is eligible to return from Injured Reserve this weekend, but it will be York kicking in his fifth straight game. He's certainly not the most reliable fantasy kicker, but given Cincy's high-scoring offense, he's at least in play as a streamer in what should be one of the most competitive games of the week.