Start Jaylen Waddle or Tee Higgins? Week 1

Our Week 1 call

Start Jaylen Waddle over Tee Higgins in Week 1.

Jaylen Waddle is priced by the books at 11.2 projected points. Tee Higgins has no player market posted for this week, so his side of this call rests on consensus ADP and the news wire only. Drafters take Jaylen Waddle at ADP 43 and Tee Higgins at 37.

What the books imply

No sportsbook posted a player market for Tee Higgins in Week 1.

Player prop markets imply 11.2 fantasy points for Jaylen Waddle, with 100 percent of the markets a WR needs posted.

Week 1 matchups

Tee Higgins and CIN host TB.

TB allowed 19.1 fantasy points to WRs in its one game this season, the 4th fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 101 yards and no touchdowns against TB.

Jaylen Waddle and DEN visit KC on Monday at 8:15 PM ET.

KC allowed 13.0 fantasy points to WRs in its one game this season, the 2nd fewest in the league.

Receivers caught passes for 55 yards and no touchdowns against KC.

By points allowed to the position, Tee Higgins has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Tee Higgins was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Jaylen Waddle was not on the injury report when the call was made.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Tee Higgins played 15 games for CIN and scored 211.6 PPR points, 14.1 a game, finishing WR15.

He caught 59 of 98 targets for 846 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 14 red zone targets and 680 air yards.

He was on the field for 80 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Tee Higgins, Week 18 of 2025 against CLE: 9 targets and 6 catches for 67 yards, 1 touchdown, 18.7 PPR points.

Tee Higgins, Week 17 of 2025 against ARI: 44 of 77 snaps, 5 targets and 4 catches for 59 yards, 9.9 PPR points.

Tee Higgins, Week 16 of 2025 against MIA: 38 of 61 snaps, 3 targets and 3 catches for 53 yards, 1 touchdown, 14.3 PPR points.

In 2025, Jaylen Waddle played 16 games for MIA and scored 194.1 PPR points, 12.1 a game, finishing WR24.

He caught 64 of 100 targets for 910 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 11 red zone targets and 682 air yards.

He was on the field for 78 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 17 of 2025 against TB: 14 of 55 snaps, 1 carry for 7 yards, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards, 0.7 PPR points.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 16 of 2025 against CIN: 42 of 59 snaps, 9 targets and 5 catches for 72 yards, 12.2 PPR points.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 15 of 2025 against PIT: 42 of 50 snaps, 4 targets and 2 catches for 26 yards, 4.6 PPR points.

How Week 1 went

Jaylen Waddle scored 1.2 PPR points and Tee Higgins scored 8.9.

The call was wrong: Tee Higgins outscored Jaylen Waddle by 7.7.

Jaylen Waddle finished 10.0 points below the 11.2 the props implied.

Jaylen Waddle, Week 1 against KC: 38 of 51 snaps, 3 targets and 1 catch for 2 yards, 1.2 PPR points.

Jaylen Waddle finished as the week's WR102 in PPR scoring.

Tee Higgins, Week 1 against TB: 46 of 64 snaps, 6 targets and 3 catches for 59 yards, 8.9 PPR points.

Tee Higgins finished as the week's WR42 in PPR scoring.

Their other Week 1 calls

• Start Tee Higgins over Davante Adams.
• Start Tee Higgins over DeVonta Smith.
• Start Emeka Egbuka over Tee Higgins.
• Start Jaylen Waddle over Davante Adams.
• Start Jaylen Waddle over DJ Moore.
• Start Jaylen Waddle over Jameson Williams.