X (formerly Twitter) may be a wasteland of porn bots and right-wing conspiracy theories, but at the end of the day, it’s still a useful resource — and the entertainment value remains undeniable.
As sports media migrates to BlueSky in a post-election world in which Elon Musk has changed the terms of service, you need a reason to stay on the app. And that reason is not only to promote your own content, but consume investigative reporting.
Now, Andrew Cooper, a lead fantasy analyst for Fantasy Alarm, isn’t about to win a Pulitzer Prize. But his investigation on X about whether Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins is playing any given week? That’s a doozy.
Cooper threaded a series of tweets showing that the way Higgins approaches a hill before practice at the Bengals practice facility is a key indicator of whether he’ll play or not. Higgins’ status for Cincinnati’s Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers was in doubt, having missed the last three games with a quad injury.
The way Tee Higgins approaches this hill before practice is a key indicator of whether or not he will play.
A quick thread with examples⬇️pic.twitter.com/U3oq4iNiqq
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 14, 2024
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced Friday that Higgins is expected to play his first game since Oct. 20.
And Cooper’s thread, resurfacing with Higgins cleared to play, caught the attention of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who praised his “excellent work.”
Tee Higgins is officially back.
HILL. DON’T. LIE. https://t.co/aPJ9ego33L
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 15, 2024
With over seven million impressions, Cooper’s thread now includes several examples. When Higgins approaches the hill gingerly, it’s usually an indication that he’ll be held out with an injury. If Higgins approaches the hill with a full stride in pads—like he did this week—it’s usually a strong indication that he’s playing that Sunday.
On September 19, 2024, however, Tee Higgins attacked the hill vertically at its highest point. He was able to suit up that week. pic.twitter.com/sknhnmCNMR
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 14, 2024
In this unrelated video, Ja’Marr Chase avoided the hill completely because he was holding out and did not want to risk battling with the hill. Understandable.pic.twitter.com/m0vWTMAopo
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 14, 2024
Which brings us back to today when Tee Higgins hits the practice hill with a strong stride in full pads, even in the rain. That kind of hill performance in those conditions tells me he’s playing this week.
Thank you for joining me on this hill journey!pic.twitter.com/U3oq4iNiqq
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) November 14, 2024
As it turns out, he plans to play Sunday Night Football this weekend.
This is the type of content and analysis we need — and crave. And i’s a reminder of why we still scroll.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.