Is Tee Higgins playing today? Final status for Bengals star WR for Week 2 game vs. Chiefs

Unfortunately for fans of the Cincinnati Bengals, star wide receiver Tee Higgins has been ruled out for today's Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Earlier in the week, ESNPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who is extremely plugged in, said he would be surprised if Higgins played against the Chiefs, and it turns out he won't be surprised.

Tee Higgins ruled out against Kansas City

Higgins missed Cincinnati's first game of the season last weekend -- a 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots -- after tweaking his hamstring in practice leading up to the game. There was some hope that he would be able to bounce back in time for the important matchup with the rival Chiefs, but that simply wasn't in the cards.

Higgins didn't practice with the Bengals all week, and there was no miraculous late-week turnaround. Instead, he'll miss his second straight game to start the season. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, so both sides are probably trying to err on the side of caution, especially since Higgins has previous history with hamstring trouble.

Since Higgins requested a trade over the offseason that wasn't granted, some have suggested that he's faking the injury because he's unhappy with his current contract, but Higgins did his best to shut down such speculation.

"I just don't understand why fans think I'm faking an injury, when for me to get an extension for a contract, the deadline is over," Higgins said. "I just don't understand why they think I'm faking an injury. It doesn't make sense to me."

It's true that it wouldn't make much sense for Higgins to fake an injury at this point. Since he'll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, he's basically playing for a contract this season, and tanking his own value by faking an injury would be a terrible business decision.

So, since the injury is legitimate, Higgins doesn't plan to rush back onto the field and risk doing further damage. After all, the NFL season is much longer than just a couple of games.

"I want to go out there and give my teammates a hundred percent of Tee Higgins, you know what I'm saying?" Higgins said. "I don't want to give them 50% and half-ass it just to be a presence on the field."

Bengals fans just have to hope that Higgins is able to return sooner rather than later, because a slow start could ultimately be the difference between making the playoffs or not in a very competitive AFC.