Chase and Higgins Fined for Celebration, But Their Fantasy Value Stays Elite
The Bengals' WR duo got hit by the league office for an 'obscene' gesture — the good news is neither is missing a snap over it.
A league fine doesn't touch a WR4 who posted 314 PPR points last year.
- Chase & Higgins fined for 'obscene' TD celebration
- Chase: 125 rec, 1412 yds, 8 TD in 2025 (16 g)
- Higgins: 59 rec, 846 yds, 11 TD in 2025 (15 g)
- Chase ranks WR4, Higgins WR16 in our rankings
- No suspension — neither misses playing time
The league office spent this week reaching for its wallet on the Bengals' behalf. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were both fined for a touchdown celebration the NFL deemed obscene — a gesture reporters described as resembling a certain body part that is decidedly not an elbow. For fantasy purposes, here's the headline that matters: it's a fine, not a suspension, and neither receiver is losing a single snap.
That's a big deal when you're talking about two of the more valuable wideouts in the game. Chase sits at WR4 and No. 17 overall in our rankings after a monster 2025 season — 125 catches, 1,412 yards and 8 touchdowns across 16 games for 314 PPR points. Higgins checks in at WR16, and his 2025 line (59 grabs, 846 yards, an eye-catching 11 touchdowns in 15 games, 210 PPR points) makes him a legitimate WR2 with weekly ceiling.
Chase, for his part, wasn't buying the interpretation. He said the move was his spin on 'the people's elbow,' the wrestling bit made famous by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and shrugged that everyone's going to read into it whatever they want. He even trotted out a cleaner version of the celebration at his Wednesday presser, which is about as close to a compromise as you'll get from a guy who clearly thinks the fine is nonsense.
He's got a point about the enforcement being uneven. The same day, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk got dinged for miming chugging a beer — an activity thousands of paying customers perform in the stands every Sunday. Chase suggested the league's stars should team up with the players' union and push back on the fines.
The Fantasy Fallout
Zoom out and none of this changes your lineup card. Fines are a nuisance, not an injury designation. Chase remains a locked-in every-week WR1 — you drafted him in the first round and you're not benching him because the celebration police handed him a bill.
Higgins is the more interesting name here, and his direction of travel is up: over his last five games in 2025 he averaged 1.7 fantasy points above his season mark. That's a form trend you want, and it reinforces the touchdown equity baked into those 11 scores. Start both without a second thought — the only thing this story dents is Cincinnati's petty-cash drawer.
