Start Drew Sample or Elijah Higgins? Week 7

Our Week 7 call

Start Elijah Higgins over Drew Sample in Week 7.

Market-based projections have Elijah Higgins at 2.5 points and Drew Sample at 2.2, a gap of 0.3. That is inside the noise of a single catch, so treat it as close to a coin flip. No player market is posted for Elijah Higgins this week yet, so his 2.5 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (1.6 and 3.4); the call is rebuilt when his market posts. No player market is posted for Drew Sample this week yet, so his 2.2 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 4 and 5 (2.7 and 1.7); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.

What the market projects

No Week 7 player market is posted for Drew Sample yet. His market-based projections were 2.7 and 1.7 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 2.2, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

No Week 7 player market is posted for Elijah Higgins yet. His market-based projections were 1.6 and 3.4 points in Weeks 4 and 5, an average of 2.5, which stands in until his Week 7 market posts.

That puts Elijah Higgins 0.3 points ahead of Drew Sample on these projections.

Injury status

Drew Sample is not on the injury report.

Elijah Higgins is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 7

Through Week 5, Drew Sample played 50 percent of CIN snaps, drew 3 percent of the targets, earned 0 percent of the air yards and had 2 percent of the red zone chances.

Drew Sample, Week 2 against HOU: 36 of 60 snaps, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Drew Sample, Week 3 against PIT: 29 of 57 snaps, 2 targets and 1 catch for 0 yards.

Drew Sample, Week 4 against JAX: 20 of 76 snaps, 0 targets and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Drew Sample, Week 5 against MIA: 34 of 65 snaps, 1 target and 1 catch for 5 yards.

Through Week 6, Elijah Higgins played 39 percent of ARI snaps, drew 5 percent of the targets, earned 2 percent of the air yards and had 1 percent of the red zone chances.

Elijah Higgins, Week 3 against SF: 35 of 87 snaps, 3 targets and 3 catches for 20 yards.

Elijah Higgins, Week 4 against NYG: 24 of 66 snaps, 2 targets and 2 catches for 19 yards, 1 touchdown.

Elijah Higgins, Week 5 against DET: 39 of 73 snaps, 3 targets and 3 catches for 57 yards.

Elijah Higgins, Week 6 against LAR: 32 of 72 snaps, 3 targets and 3 catches for 28 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Drew Sample played 17 games for CIN and scored 31.9 PPR points, 1.9 a game, finishing TE64.

He caught 15 of 20 targets for 106 yards and 1 touchdown, with 1 red zone target and -3 air yards.

He was on the field for 52 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

In 2025, Elijah Higgins played 17 games for ARI and scored 58.1 PPR points, 3.4 a game, finishing TE48.

He caught 30 of 37 targets for 301 yards and 0 touchdowns, with 4 red zone targets and 92 air yards.

He was on the field for 41 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 7 calls

• Start Drew Sample over Daniel Bellinger.
• Start Davis Allen over Drew Sample.
• Start Drew Sample over Foster Moreau.
• Start Austin Hooper over Elijah Higgins.
• Start Cole Kmet over Elijah Higgins.
• Start Davis Allen over Elijah Higgins.