Past Production
There’s no point in discussing Tyler Higbee’s entire history of production. Before Week 13 of 2019, Higbee had little to no fantasy production. He often served as a hybrid to balance the tight end position in the Rams’ offense. Higbee either complemented Gerald Everett, the pure receiver, or he became a receiving threat while a variety of players filled the blocking role. Higbee dominated snaps, hovering around 70% from 2017-2019, but he didn’t produce in the passing game.
However, here’s Higbee’s per-game numbers from Weeks 13-17 in 2019.
| Yards | Receptions | Targets | TDs | Fantasy Rank | PPG | PPG Rank |
| 104.4 | 8.6 | 11.2 | 0.4 | TE1 | 21.4 | 1st |
In every game during this stretch, Higbee played 85% or more of the offensive snaps, as he became an every-down player. The Rams began using 2TE sets, with Higbee as the constant presence due to his versatile skill set. No tight end has ever recorded anywhere near 21.4 PPR PPG in NFL history, which means that Higbee has the upside to be the TE1 if he can maintain anywhere near that level of production.
2020 Outlook
Going into 2020, the Rams traded Brandin Cooks, leaving Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods locked in as their top two wide receivers. While they drafted Van Jefferson in the second round and still have Josh Reynolds, neither will replace Cooks. Therefore, I believe the Rams will continue what worked down the stretch and use 2TE sets. They will feature Woods, Kupp, and Higbee as passing weapons and the heavier personnel will open up rushing lanes for either Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson.
Higbee is one of my favorite 2020 values at tight end, coming in at TE6 in my redraft rankings. He’s in the same tier as Hunter Henry and Evan Engram, but neither of those players has anywhere close to Higbee’s upside. The Rams’ offense should improve from 2019, as quarterback Jared Goff had almost the same yardage in 2018 and 2019 but threw 10 fewer touchdowns. I expect to have many Higbee shares in my 2020 redraft leagues, and I would love to have him on my dynasty team.
Dynasty Analysis
Higbee is one of my favorite buys in all of dynasty. Dynasty owners don’t want to buy into Higbee because he’s only succeeded in five games and took almost four years to break out. However, the Rams have valued Higbee as a core member of their team since he’s been there. Higbee has played ahead of Everett for his entire career, and he received a 4-year, $29 million extension at the beginning of 2019. While I don’t even think the Rams saw Higbee’s meteoric rise coming, there’s no doubt who they prefer between Higbee and Everett. Higbee should be with the Rams through at least 2021 based on that contract, and he’s still going outside the top 100 in dynasty ADP. He turned 27 years old in January, putting him in the prime of his career for a tight end. Go out and acquire Higbee today to get TE1 production on the cheap.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
