Is Tee Higgins playing today? Final status for Bengals star wide receiver vs. Eagles

Health, or lack thereof, continues to be a theme for the Cincinnati Bengals this season. The Bengals will be without a key contributor when they host the Philadelphia Eagles today, as star wide receiver Tee Higgins has been ruled out of the contest due to a quadricep injury that he suffered late in the week.

Tee Higgins ruled out for important matchup against Eagles

The injury kind of came as a surprise, as Higgins wasn't listed on the team's injury report on Wednesday or Thursday, but popped up Friday with a "questionable" designation for the contest. The Bengals were obviously hoping that Higgins would feel good enough to give it a go today, but that clearly wasn't the case.

This is rough news for both Bengals fans and fantasy football owners alike, and now the Bengals just have to hope that the issue isn't one that will linger and cause Higgins to miss multiple games.

While fellow star pass-catcher Ja'Marr Chase has had more ESPN-worthy highlights for Cincinnati on the season, Higgins has been central to the team's offensive success. He missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, and his absence was noticeable.

Cincinnati struggled to move the ball consistently without him, and it's probably not a coincidence that they lost both of the games that he missed and won three out of the five that he's played in. In addition to his own numbers, Higgins' presence helps to open things up for Chase in a big way.

It's also probably not a coincidence that Cincinnati's offense really exploded when Higgins returned to active lineup in Week 3. The Bengals scored 34-plus points in three straight games immediately upon his return, and his reliable production has been an important factor for the team.

In addition to having 29 catches for 341 yards and three touchdowns on the current campaign, Higgins has also come up big when it comes to moving the chains with 21 first downs generated. Now, the Bengals will have to try to figure out a way to win without Higgins for the first time this season.