Cincinnati Bengals DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss (neck) popped up on the injury report this week. Fortunately, he doesn't have an injury designation heading into Sunday's game against the Chiefs after practicing on Thursday and Friday. Most of the Bengals offense struggled in the Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots. However, Moss was arguably the most productive for fantasy managers, with the 26-year-old amassing 44 yards and a touchdown off nine carries, adding two catches for 17 yards. But what stood out the most was Moss' workload, considering he finished the day by logging 33 snaps compared to the 17 from Chase Brown. Many had assumed both men would split carries evenly this season. Although that may be the case eventually, Moss remains the preferred fantasy option out of the duo. Nonetheless, despite the challenging matchup on the horizon against the defending champs, Moss has earned his way into nearly all fantasy lineups for Week 2.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson (knee) is likely to be listed as doubtful for the Week 2 contest this Sunday versus the Kansas City Chiefs, according to head coach Zac Taylor. Hudson did not practice on Wednesday but then was upgraded to a limited session on Thursday. He was apparently injured in the Week 1 loss to the New England Patriots, when he had two catches on three targets for only 18 yards. It appears the 29-year-old wasn't able to make enough progress in practice by the end of the week to get the green light to suit up this weekend. With Hudson expected to be inactive on Sunday, look for Drew Sample to have a bigger role alongside starter Mike Gesicki against the Chiefs. Gesicki had three catches for only 18 yards in Week 1 but nearly missed a touchdown and can be considered a sleeper TE2.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) is likely to be doubtful to play in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, according to head coach Zac Taylor. Higgins injured his hamstring last Thursday at practice and didn't play in the season-opening loss to the New England Patriots. After missing more practice time this week, it looks as though fantasy managers will need to keep Higgins on their benches for the second straight week. It's a frustrating situation for a player that also disappointed in 2023 and missed three games due to hamstring issues. With Higgins likely out again this weekend, Ja'Marr Chase should see most of the aerial targets, with Andrei Iosivas expected to serve as the WR2 after he played all 51 of the offensive snaps in Week 1. Behind Iosivas and Chase, Trenton Irwin was third among receivers with 65% of the offensive snaps.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) was not practicing on Friday again, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. The 25-year-old wideout also did not practice on Wednesday and Thursday of this week and is now in danger of missing his second straight game. Higgins first hit the injury report with a hamstring on Thursday of last week, which held him out of the opener. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Cincinnati injury report later on Friday as it will provide clarity on his chances of signing up on Sunday. If the Clemson product is sidelined again on Sunday, fantasy managers should expect Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin to serve as the No.2 and No.3 wideouts opposite of Ja'Marr Chase.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) told ESPN that the hamstring injury that he injured last week in practice that kept him out of the season-opening loss to the New England Patriots is completely unrelated to his contract status. Higgins hasn't practiced since getting hurt on Sept. 5. "I just don't understand why fans think I'm faking an injury, when for me to get an extension for a contract, the deadline is over," Higgins told ESPN. "I just don't understand why they think I'm faking an injury. It doesn't make sense to me." He has sought a contract extension in each of the past offseasons and requested a trade in March before signing the franchise tag on June 17. Higgins appears to be on the wrong side of questionable for Week 2 against the Chiefs, and fantasy managers shouldn't forget that he also missed three games with a hamstring injury in 2023.