The club had Higgins training with the midfield group over summer, hoping he could play a similar role to premiership winning hybrid midfielder/forward Kane Lambert. He impressed the coaching staff with his elite running ability in his pre-season, completing the three kilometre time-trial in 10 minutes and 10 seconds to place third among all players at the club. Higgins played his first football in Richmond colours when he represented the club in a series of AFLX exhibition matches in Sydney in February 2018. He also played limited minutes in the club's first official pre-season match, recording five disposals against Essendon in Wangaratta. He didn't do enough to earn a recall in the final match of that series however, instead playing a practice match with the club's reserves side in the VFL. There he stayed through the first week of the AFL season, kicking two goals in a VFL practice match win over the Northern Blues. Higgins flew as a travelling emergency with the club's senior side to Adelaide the following week before playing another VFL practice match the next day, this time racking up 22 disposals, six marks, five tackles and a goal. His form was noted by the club's AFL match committee and he was selected to make his AFL debut against Hawthorn at the MCG the following week. Higgins had a quiet start to the match, failing to win a possession the match's first quarter. In the second term he made his impact, winning a mark deep inside Richmond's forward line before playing on, spinning round his body and snapping through a goal with his first kick in league football. He added another later in the match, soccering the ball in mid-air to help his team to a 13 point victory. He finished the game with 12 disposals and two goals, the latter of which earned him a nomination for Goal of the Week. Despite this strong performance, Higgins was omitted from the round 4 side chosen to face the Brisbane Lions due to the return of premiership players Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy. He sat out just one match, returning to AFL football with a team-high three goals in round 5's ANZAC Day eve match against Melbourne. He thus became the first Richmond player to kick multiple goals in the first two matches of their career since Justin Plapp did so in 1998. Higgins added another two goals in round 6, the second coming right after the first when he was awarded a free kick in the goal-square after being knocked down by Collingwood's Lynden Dunn while celebrating the first. He played senior matches in each of the next two weeks before being a late withdrawal from the selected side in round 9, replaced by premiership midfielder Shaun Grigg despite Higgins being in full-health. Higgins spent just one week on the sidelines before returning in round 10, this time becoming the subject of major news story when he was disallowed a goal on a score-review that the AFL later admitted was incorrect. Five weeks later he attracted yet more media attention when Seven Network cameras caught Higgins delivering a comical speech to his huddled teammates during a match's half-time break. Head coach Damien Hardwick flagged an intent to give Higgins more midfield time after that match in which he gathered 20 disposals in his side's victory over Sydney. He also earned praise from Richmond vice-captain Jack Riewoldt who said Higgins had been "really, really good for (Richmond) this year" as well as praising Higgins' work off-ball, an area he said was often a weakness in first-year players. To that point he ranked second for total goal assists, third for score involvements per game, fourth for contested possessions per game and fifth for total tackles inside 50 among all Rising Star eligible players in the league that season. In round 16 he recorded a season-best 25 disposals in his side's victory over Adelaide and two weeks later he received a Rising Star nomination for an 18 disposal, four clearance and one goal performance in his side's round 18 win over St Kilda.. Higgins received another award nomination the following week, this time for Goal of the Year for a goal-line scissor kick against Collingwood which 3AW commentator Tim Lane referred to as “one of the greatest, most creative goals ever kicked in 120 years of (the sport).” The goal attracted significant controversy, with commentators and fans labeling it a throw as it required Higgins to elevate the ball into the air while his body traveled around the goal-line in the act of kicking. Umpiring officials later supported the on-field umpire's decision to award the goal as Higgins' action to put the ball into the air was deemed to come in the action of kicking. Higgins continued to earn selection at senior level into the finals series, where he recorded 20 disposals, eight score involvements and one goal in his side's qualifying final win over Hawthorn. He was named by AFL Media as one of Richmond's best players in the following match, a shock preliminary final loss to Collingwood in which he kicked two of his side's eight goals. At season's end Higgins was nominated for the AFL Players Association's Best First-Year Player, placed fourth in the AFL Rising Star and won Richmond's best first year player award. He also received the Goal of the Year award for his round 19 scissor-kick goal. Higgins finished 2018 having played 20 matches and ranking first for contested possessions, goal assists and score involvements per game across the Rising Star eligible players that year.