Ja'Marr Chase Is Back at Practice in Pads While Tee Higgins Sits Again Before Miami

Ja'Marr Chase returned to the practice field on Thursday, a meaningful step in his recovery from the concussion he suffered in Week 4, while Tee Higgins missed a second straight session with an adductor injury. Chase was on the field in pads and listed as a limited participant, but he remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and has not been cleared. For fantasy managers starting Sunday lineups and bettors looking at Bengals at Dolphins, the two receivers are now trending in opposite directions.

The Bengals (2-2) visit the winless Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, October 11, at 1 p.m. ET, and the timing matters. Cincinnati has its bye in Week 6, so whatever the team decides this week comes with two weeks of runway before a Week 7 trip to Baltimore on October 25.

Where Chase and Higgins stand

Chase took a blow to the head early in the 22-17 loss to Jacksonville in Week 4 and was ruled out at the start of the third quarter. He did not practice Wednesday. Zac Taylor said early in the week that Chase could spend most or all of the week in the protocol and would likely sit unless he cleared every step by Friday. Thursday's return in pads is the first sign that timeline is realistic. ESPN's Ben Baby noted he still has not been fully cleared.

Higgins is behind. He suffered the adductor injury late in the Jacksonville loss, was out of uniform again on Thursday while working on the rehab field, and has been reported with a neck issue as well. Multiple outlets now describe him as unlikely to play Sunday, and with the bye next week, Cincinnati has an obvious path to sit him and target the Ravens game.

Friday's practice and the official designations are the next checkpoint. A concussion return requires independent clearance, so even a full Friday session does not guarantee Chase is active; the final step can come as late as Saturday.

Why it matters: the Bengals' receiver room is thin

Cincinnati has already lost Andrei Iosivas to injured reserve after thumb surgery, and rookie Colbie Young has been reported as dealing with a knee issue. That leaves Dohnte Meyers as the most likely beneficiary of any absence, along with tight end Mike Gesicki and running back Chase Brown in the short passing game.

The Week 4 loss showed both the ceiling and the risk. Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards on 39-of-54 passing against Jacksonville even after Chase left in the first half, and Higgins carried the load with 11 catches for 157 yards. Gesicki caught a touchdown pass. But Burrow also threw two interceptions, and the offense came up a yard short on fourth down on the final drive. Without Higgins, and possibly without Chase, the volume has to go somewhere less proven.

Fantasy fallout

If Chase is cleared, start him. There is no partial-start scenario for a receiver of his caliber against a Miami team that has not won a game. The concern is availability, not role. If he plays, assume a full workload, and expect Burrow to lean on him heavily with Higgins out.

If Chase is ruled out, Meyers and Gesicki rise. Meyers becomes a viable flex in deeper leagues, and Gesicki moves into the streaming tight end conversation given how often Burrow found him in Week 4. Chase Brown also gains as a receiver out of the backfield in a game Cincinnati is expected to control.

Higgins: plan to be without him. Because the bye follows, Higgins managers should assume a two-week absence from lineups and plan accordingly. If he is somehow active Sunday, he would be a risky flex with an adductor injury that can limit explosiveness.

Burrow stays in lineups either way. His floor dips without both top receivers, but the matchup and the pass volume he showed in Week 4 keep him a QB1. Miami has also been dealing with secondary injuries, including cornerback Reese Taylor being ruled out with a quad injury.

Betting angle

The spread already reflects some of the uncertainty. One outlet reported Cincinnati opened as a 7.5-point favorite and has moved to 7. That is a meaningful number for a 2-2 team on the road, and it implies the market expects Chase to play or at least does not fully price in a version of the offense without both stars.

We would treat Chase's Friday status as the swing factor. If he is listed without a designation, Cincinnati at a touchdown is defensible against an 0-4 opponent. If he is ruled out, the Bengals would be laying a full touchdown with a backup-heavy receiver group, and we would lean Miami plus the points. Player props are the other lever: if Chase sits, Gesicki and Meyers receiving overs become the more interesting markets, while Burrow's passing yardage could hold steady because the attempts would remain high.

Verdexed's game-by-game probabilities for this matchup and the rest of the slate are at /nfl/predictions, and the weekly picks piece is at /blog/nfl-week-5-picks-2026.

The Verdexed take

The bye week gives Cincinnati the cleanest decision-making environment in the league. There is little reason to push Higgins, and we expect him to sit. Chase is different: a concussion is a protocol question, not a pain-tolerance one, and his return to pads on Thursday suggests the medical side is progressing. We expect Chase to play if he clears, and Thursday made that more likely than it looked on Monday.

For fantasy managers, the practical move is to keep Chase in the lineup with a pivot ready. Make sure your bench has a player in a late-afternoon or Sunday night game so you can swap if Cincinnati rules him out over the weekend.

What's next

Friday's practice report and game designations are the next update for both receivers. Concussion clearance can come as late as Saturday, so Chase's status may not be final until the day before kickoff. After Sunday in Miami, the Bengals are off in Week 6 and return October 25 at Baltimore, a game both Chase and Higgins should be targeting regardless of what happens this weekend.