TE · ARI · GWTTKB

Elijah Higgins — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 3.42 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 169.9, usage worth 4.

25 years old · 3 seasons of experience · 2023 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 169.9
Consensus across 1 books, 0 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on underdog, priciest on espn.
ESPN169.9
UNDERDOG216
FFA343

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 15, pick 2 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankTE31
Bye week14

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 63 points, 4.1 per game — 27.9 catches, 279 yards, 1.2 TDs. That is TE5, 292 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 3.2 points per game to a ceiling of 7.4, with the median at 4.1. Boom rate 80%, bust rate 22%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 169.9 on consensus and our board has him 292. We rank him 122.1 picks worse than the room drafts him. At that distance it is a fade: we do not want him anywhere near his ADP.

The offense he plays in, 2026

Arizona Cardinals returns 2 of 6 continuity slots, replacing qb1, rb1, hc, oc. Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, Mike LaFleur as head coach, Nathaniel Hackett calling it. The offense projects to 31.9 pass attempts a game at low confidence and 24.8 rushes.

In: Carson Beck (qb), Carson Beck (qb2), Gardner Minshew II (qb2), Kendrick Bourne (wr3), Devin Duvernay (wr5), Reggie Virgil (wr6), Jeremiyah Love (rb1), Tyler Allgeier (rb2). Out: Kyler Murray (qb), Greg Dortch (wr3), Zay Jones (wr4), Jalen Brooks (wr6), Emari Demercado (rb2), Michael Carter (rb3).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 6.2%, with a bear case of 4.9% and a bull case of 7% and a full range of 4.5% to 8.3%. That comes from 25 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Trey McBride21.8%
Marvin Harrison Jr14.4%
Michael Wilson13.9%
Jeremiyah Love10%
Elijah Higgins 6.2%
James Conner6.1%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: The Cardinals have interesting pieces on their offense but the offensive line and lack of a franchise QB is holding them back. IF Arizona can figure out the QB position, player value across the board SHOULD explode (Mcbride already ballin). Jeremiyah Love COULD have a slower start in 2026 but is a candidate to have a top 10 PPR fantasy season 100%.

Key additions: Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) RB drafted 1st round 3rd overall. drafted guard Chase Bisontis 2nd round (Texas A&M). Drafed Carson Beck QB Miami 3rd round. Drafted WR Reggie Virgil (Texas Tech) 5th round. Signed G Issac Seumalo to 3/$31M (starting O line). Signed Tyler Allgeier ATL RB to 2 year $12.25M deal. Signed Kendrick Bourne 2/$10M deal. Signed QB Gardner Minshew II 1/$8M. Signed Devin Duvernay WR on 1 year (kick returner most likely).

Key departures: Kyler Murray was cut & signed with Minnesota. WR3 Greg Dortch left to Detroit. RB4 Emari Demercado left in free agency.

Notes: Love arrives as 1.03 pick — immediate RB1 candidate. Mike LaFleur hired as new HC (Shanahan & McVay tree). OC is Nathaniel Hackett. Arizona signed Tyler Allgeier from Atlanta, will compete with James Conner for Backup. Expect Trey Benson COULD be traded or compete for backup. Cardinals drafted Carson Beck Round 3 of 2026 draft & MAY compete with Brissett who is looking for a new contract. Brissett likely week 1 starter. Michael Wilson MAY establish himself as a TRUE WR2 in 2026 (Trending in right direction). MHJ WR1 breakout candidate, but has yet to demonstrate consistency. If the O line does not improve, Jeremiyah Love will have a difficult rookie season similar to Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas. Arizona will need better QB play for any players to have consistent weekly fantasy upside in 2026. It is possible Brissett can continue to support volume for McBride, but one of Michael Wilson or MHJ will have to benefit. Both cannot have high finishes most likely.

How the volume number was reached: New QB Jacoby Brissett, avg 28.8 att/g over 2025,2024; Regressed 65% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 31.9 att/g; New OC Nathaniel Hackett — pass rate and tempo may shift; New HC Mike LaFleur.

How that share projection was built

25 historical comps for TEs age ~24, prior share 7.5%, same team, OC change, QB change. Distribution: median 7.7%, p25-p75 [5.5%, 9.2%], tails [4.7%, 11.5%]. Closest comps: Josiah Deguara 2021→2022 (GB: 7.7%→4.7%); Will Dissly 2020→2021 (SEA: 6.0%→7.7%); Ian Thomas 2022→2023 (CAR: 8.0%→4.7%).

self-anchored 30% to own 7.5% role (1yr), 70% to comp median 7.7%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: ARI rates 19.1 against a league average of 23, 3.8 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season-0.8 · neutral
Weeks 1–6-0.5 · neutral
Weeks 12–17-0.8 · neutral
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)-1 · neutral

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +47.9% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as post-spike. The base rate that applies: after a +30% spike, TEs crash the following year 47% of the time (hold 53%). That puts the measured risk of his dynasty value falling sharply over the next year at 47% — a probability drawn from comparable historical seasons, not a prediction, and not a statement about his 2026 scoring.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 1.3 elite seasons and 2.3 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Noah Gray20234.471%+53.3%
Noah Gray20224.166%+26.7%
Mo Alie-Cox20223.966%-20.8%
Brevin Jordan20235.165%-39.6%
Brock Wright20243.264%+40.9%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 3 gained value, 2 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,000202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2023-05 to 2026-07. From 0 to 1,475, peaking at 1,475.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2023, round 6, pick 197 by MIA
CollegeStanford
Age at draft22
Height6′3″
Weight235 lb
40-yard dash4.54s
Vertical35″
Broad jump126″
3-cone7.01s

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game3.5
Week-to-week variation1
Boom rate5.9%
Bust rate32.4%
Games missed per season0
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.47

The record, season by season

2025 · ARI · 17 games

His best game was Week 16 against ATL — 16.1 PPR on 8 targets and a 27.6% target share, in a game that finished 19-26. His worst was Week 17 against CIN at 0, on 1 targets, final score 14-37. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 16 times. In the 10 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 3.9; in the 7 decided by more, 2.7. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 4 points per game. He scored 3.42, 13.5% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 0 against 1.39 expected, a gap of -1.4.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1NO20-131.312306.9%30%
2CAR27-226.52345012%40%
3SF15-161.711702.9%15%
4SEA20-23000000%13%
5TEN21-223221006.7%29%
6IND27-315.4223405.1%45%
7GB23-271.311302.9%42%
9DAL27-1763330010.3%40%
10SEA22-443.9231906.8%37%
11SF22-411.1231105.4%35%
12JAX24-27000000%37%
13TB17-203.7221705.4%41%
14LA17-45111002.3%66%
15HOU20-401.312305.3%70%
16ATL19-2616.17891027.6%63%
17CIN14-37001002.9%60%
18LA20-375.83328010.7%60%

Production

Receptions30
Targets37
Receiving yards301
Touchdowns0
Points per game3.42
Yards per target8.14
Catch rate81.08%

Role

Snap share42.53%
Target share6.66%
Air-yards share3.49%
WOPR0.124
RACR1.314

Efficiency

Average depth of target3.6
Yards after catch per reception7
Yards before catch per reception3.1
Total YAC209
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted89.3
Receiving EPA per game0.08

Scoring position

Red-zone targets5
Red-zone target share4.9%
End-zone target share2.6%
Expected receiving TDs1.39
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-1.39

Who else ate

The offense threw it 648 times. He took 6% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Trey McBride27.39%
Michael Wilson20.42%
Marvin Harrison11.83%
Michael Carter7.29%
Elijah Higgins 6%
Greg Dortch5.35%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Jacoby Brissett12293.88.147.06%
Kyler Murray582.58.135.7%

Blowouts against close games

6 of his 17 games were blowouts, 22.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 2.18 in those and 3.9 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2024 · ARI · 15 games

His best game was Week 2 against LA — 8.8 PPR on 1 targets and a 4.8% target share, in a game that finished 41-10. His worst was Week 16 against CAR at 0, on 1 targets, final score 30-36. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 14 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 3.2; in the 7 decided by more, 3.4. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 3 points per game. He scored 3.28, 15.8% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 2 against 0.94 expected, a gap of 1.1.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1BUF28-343.2221206.5%41%
2LA41-108.8111814.8%55%
3DET13-202.1111102.9%32%
4WAS14-423.22312013.6%68%
5SF24-237.211213.3%41%
6GB13-34000000%31%
7LAC17-151.111104%37%
8MIA28-273.3221306.1%29%
9CHI29-95.42234010.5%43%
10NYJ31-63.3221308.3%49%
12SEA6-161.512505.9%31%
13MIN22-234.3222304.7%30%
15NE30-171.511503.2%34%
16CAR30-36001003.4%27%
17LA9-134.3232306.7%28%

Production

Receptions20
Targets24
Receiving yards172
Touchdowns2
Points per game3.28
Yards per target7.17
Catch rate83.33%

Role

Snap share38.4%
Target share5.59%
Air-yards share3.81%
WOPR0.111
RACR1.833

Efficiency

Average depth of target4.5
Yards after catch per reception4.5
Yards before catch per reception4.1
Total YAC90
Broken tackles3
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted124.3
Receiving EPA per game0.64

Scoring position

Red-zone targets3
Red-zone target share4.5%
End-zone target share6.9%
Expected receiving TDs0.94
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck1.06

Who else ate

The offense threw it 543 times. He took 4.59% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Trey McBride28.11%
Marvin Harrison22.18%
Michael Wilson13.58%
James Conner10.52%
Greg Dortch9.56%
Elijah Higgins 4.59%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 15 games were blowouts, 42.1% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 4.14 in those and 3.19 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · ARI · 11 games

His best game was Week 15 against SF — 14.4 PPR on 4 targets and a 10.5% target share, in a game that finished 29-45. His worst was Week 10 against ATL at 0, on 1 targets, final score 25-23. Across 11 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 10 times. In the 5 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 2.1; in the 6 decided by more, 4.3. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 3.7 points per game. He scored 3.3, 10.3% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
7SEA10-20111003%9%
8BAL24-31000000%16%
9CLE0-27000000%29%
10ATL25-23001003.2%18%
11HOU16-211.212206.9%15%
12LA14-373.6122604.5%27%
13PIT24-103.1122108.7%32%
15SF29-4514.44444110.5%34%
16CHI16-273.7231708.1%28%
17PHI35-314.1222106.5%37%
18SEA20-215.2223206.9%39%

Production

Receptions14
Targets19
Receiving yards163
Touchdowns1
Points per game3.3
Yards per target8.58
Catch rate73.68%

Role

Snap share25.82%
Target share5.3%
Air-yards share5.25%
WOPR0.117
RACR2.245

Efficiency

Average depth of target6.7
Yards after catch per reception4.8
Yards before catch per reception6.9
Total YAC67
Broken tackles0
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted116.8
Receiving EPA per game0.93

Scoring position

Red-zone targets2
Red-zone target share3.3%
End-zone target share4.2%
Expected receiving TDs0.41
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck0.59

Who else ate

The offense threw it 555 times. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Trey McBride19.63%
Marquise Brown18.7%
Rondale Moore11.48%
Michael Wilson10.74%
Zach Ertz7.96%
Greg Dortch7.59%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kyler Murray8184.419.066.91%
Joshua Dobbs210.501.5%
Clayton Tune1000%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 11 games were blowouts, 9.9% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 1.8 in those and 2.1 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

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