Fantasy football: Bengals' Higgins, Boyd upgraded to WR1, WR2 amid Chase absence

Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Fantasy football players with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd stock should get increased production from the wide receivers amid Ja'Marr Chase's injury absence.

Sources told ESPN, NFL Network and The Athletic on Thursday that Chase sustained a hip injury in Week 7 and could miss four to six weeks. Chase could be placed on injured reserve, which would result in an automatic absence of at least four weeks.

The Bengals will battle the Cleveland Browns on Monday in Cleveland. They then will face the Carolina Panthers in Week 9, but get a Week 10 bye.

They will battle the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11 and the Tennessee Titans in Week 12. Chase could return sometime in December if he misses four to six weeks.

Chase leads the Bengals with 605 yards and six touchdowns on 47 receptions this season. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft totaled 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns on 81 catches in 17 starts last season.

Chase totaled eight catches for 130 yards and two scores in the Bengals' Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He also scored twice in Week 6.

Boyd led the Bengals with 155 yards and a score on eight catches in Week 7. Higgins logged 93 yards on five catches against the Falcons.

Chase -- an elite fantasy football WR1 -- should obviously be benched in Week 8 and beyond, which is a huge disappointment for his stock owners.

Owners with stock in Higgins and Boyd can expect a boost in value. Higgins is now the No. 9 option in my Week 8 wide receiver rankings. Boyd is up to No. 19 in my rankings.

I expect Higgins to keep WR1 value amid Chase's absence. Boyd should hover in WR2 territory, but could provide some weeks with WR1 statistics, as he did against the Falcons.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will get a slight downgrade in my rankings, but I expect him to remain a solid QB1 due to the depth of talent on the Bengals offense.

The Browns will host the Bengals at 8:15 p.m. EDT Monday in Cleveland.