Joe Burrow will be without one of his favorite targets for the Cincinnati Bengals' Week 2 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, as wide receiver Tee Higgins is officially not going to suit up for the away game today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Higgins, who suffered a hamstring injury in practice before the Bengals' season opener vs. the New England Patriots, had been listed as doubtful for each of the first two games of the year.

Without Higgins, the Bengals' second-most targeted wideout when healthy, they stunningly fell to the Patriots in Week 1. Burrow threw for just 164 yards and no touchdowns against New England, and only Ja'Marr Chase, who sat out the preseason in hopes of a new contract, caught more than three passes last week.

Higgins similarly wanted a new deal this preseason, but he decided to sign the franchise tag over the offseason, which guarantees him $21.8 million this season. Although he has many reasons to play, the legitimacy of Higgins' injury has been questioned, with some accusing the fifth-year wide receiver of faking his injury after not coming to terms with the Bengals on a long-term contract extension.

“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 told ESPN this week, referring to the July 15 deadline for long-term deals. “I just don't understand why they think I'm faking an injury. It doesn't make sense to me.”

Higgins said that, in reality, his hamstring injury was simply worse than he initially believed.

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“I prepare myself to go out here and dominate, start of Week 1,” Higgins said. “Unfortunately, four days before the game, I have a hamstring tweak that I didn't think was as bad, so I made the comments I did after [practice].

“I didn't think it was bad until, obviously, I got it checked on the next day. It was worse than what I thought.”

Higgins missed five games last season and, as a result, fell well short of the 1,000-yard mark he had surpassed the two previous seasons.

The Bengals and Chiefs kick off at approximately 4:25 p.m. ET.