Tyler Higbee
Higbee is the Rams' leading tight end in targets this season (28 through Week 6), but he is a complementary piece whose volume depends on injuries to Terrance Ferguson, Colby Parkinson and the wide receivers.
Role
Per SI (about Oct 22), he leads Rams tight ends with 28 targets, 16 more than Parkinson, 17 more than Ferguson and 19 more than Davis Allen. He runs about 25 routes per game, third most on the team. Rotowire's snap table, undated, lists Higbee at 57% of team snaps, Parkinson at 71%, Allen at 50% and Ferguson at 41%. I could not tell which player each percentage belongs to, so treat those figures as unreliable. Fantasy Data and RotoBaller said he became the starting tight end after Ferguson (ankle) went to injured reserve following Week 3. Fantasy Data, with an unclear date, said he would keep that role until Ferguson returns. I found no return date for Ferguson. Fantasy Data says Higbee sits behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in the pecking order. His latest line, per your wire note, was 2 catches on 3 targets for 14 yards against the Raiders.
Higbee ran off a stretch of at least five catches and 60 yards in three straight games, then caught 5 of 6 targets for 83 yards against the Bills. RotoBaller and CBS both noted that Adams (hamstring) was expected to be out until at least after the Week 11 bye, and Nacua was dealing with a calf issue. That leaves Stafford with fewer targets to distribute, and Higbee is the tight end with the most targets so far. Fantasy Data also described him as a TE1-level option while Ferguson is sidelined.
He is 33, and NBC Sports earlier said he is best suited to a rotational role. The Rams use a heavy tight end rotation, and his production has been uneven: 12 yards in Week 1 and 14 yards against the Raiders. Fantasy Data warned that his snaps look safe but his target share is less predictable. Any return by Ferguson or Parkinson would cut into his work, and so would healthy receivers. NBC's Week 1 note said Ferguson still looked like the tight end to roster going forward.
Where analysts split
The split is whether Higbee's recent target volume lasts once Ferguson returns from injured reserve and the wide receivers get healthy. Optimists see a durable No. 3 passing-game role. Skeptics see a veteran filling in on a team that rotates tight ends heavily. The sources I found were not fully current on Adams, Nacua, Ferguson or Parkinson, so I cannot say who is healthy now.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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