Player Profile: Tyler Higbee

Tight end is a tough position. If you go early and grab someone like Travis Kelce or George Kittle, you’re set at the position. But if you like to wait, the challenge is to find one of those late round players that can give you stability and a lift at the position.

That’s what makes Tyler Higbee interesting. The Rams’ tight end wasn’t even always the favored person at the position on his own team in 2019, and yet his stretch at the end of the season is tough to ignore. So his ADP is soaring, but is he a good bet going the season? Let’s consider the evidence.

Higbee’s Performance

Higbee was drafted in the fourth round in 2016. While he’s played in all but one game of his four-year NFL career, Higbee wasn’t a huger performer on the field for his first three seasons. In 2017 he had 25 receptions for 295 yards and a touchdown and in 2018 followed that up with 24 receptions for 292 yards and two TDs. That made him largely an afterthought in fantasy drafts.

And yet, the Rams seemed to make a commitment to him and his future, signing him early last season to a four-year, $29 million extension. That secured the long-term future for Higbee, but the question was would he have a bigger role in the offense. For most of the early part of 2019 it seemed to be business as usual for Higbee and the Rams. Through the first eight games of the 2019 season, Higbee had 21 receptions, and it was actually teammate Gerald Everett who seemed like the bigger receiving threat for the Rams. In Week 4, Everett caught five for 44 yards and a TD, following with seven for 136 yards in Week 5 and four for 50 yards and a TD in Week 7.

But the script flipped in the back half of the season. While high-profile receivers like Brandin Cooks faded, Higbee exploded. Beginning in Week 13, he rolled off five straight games with at least seven receptions, and four straight games with more than 100 yards receiving to close his season. Higbee ended the season with 69 receptions for 734 yards and three TDs. And that explosion to end the season, coupled with Cooks moving on to Houston, has people primed for an even bigger 2020 for Higbee.

Rams’ Receiving Corps

The Rams have undergone some changes this off-season. Cooks, who had 72 targets and 42 receptions in 2019, and running back Todd Gurley, who had 49 targets and 31 receptions in 2019, have both departed. Cooks was traded to Houston and Gurley was released, signing with Atlanta. That clarified some of the options for the offense, which figures to see Josh Reynolds and rookie Van Jefferson compete for the third receiver slot and second-year back Darrell Henderson, Jr. and rookie Cam Akers competing for running back work.

The Rams’ top two receivers remain. Robert Woods paced the team with 139 targets and 90 receptions while teammate Cooper Kupp had 134 targets and 94 receptions. Both figure to be a big part of the Rams’ game plan moving forward in 2020. But despite that and the targets for the now-departed Cooks, Higbee grabbed 89 targets and teammate Everett grabbed 60 targets in 2019. Even if Higbee simply maintains his target share, and his production, from 2019, he’d be a solid bet as a tight end starter. But with Cooks gone, unproven receivers behind Woods and Kupp and the likelihood that Everett cedes more work to him, Higbee could see more than 100 targets, maybe even as much as 110–120 targets, and could very well move to the top of the heap for tight ends. And if his touchdown rate increases, it could be a true boon to fantasy owners.

Betting on Higbee

Tight ends often take a while to have their break out season, often longer than running backs, receivers and quarterbacks. But the fact the Rams made a long-term commitment to Higbee last year indicates they suspected something was coming, and he responded in a big way down the stretch. The Rams’ off-season moves would seem to similarly indicate they feel he can continue to play a big role on offense in 2020.

And yet his ADP is in a reasonable spot. Among tight ends, Higbee is currently going as the 12th TE off the board. Guys like Rob Gronkowski, Noah Fant, Austin Hooper, Jared Cook, Hunter Henry and Evan Engram are all going ahead of him. And while it might make sense that you’d take players like Kelce, Kittle, Zach Ertz or Darren Waller first, Higbee feels like a high upside option among that next group of players, and he’s one of the last ones being taken. When you’re looking for potential value and a late swing, Higbee’s potential seems even more appealing.