Isaiah Likely

After spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Ravens, Isaiah Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants. Likely shared targets with Mark Andrews for four years and could see increased usage with his new team. The Giants are thin at wide receiver behind young star Malik Nabers, and Nabers has been slow to recover from an ACL tear sustained last September, leaving his early-season status in question. Likely's best season with the Ravens was in 2024, when he had 42 catches for 477 yards and six TDs. He never saw more than 60 targets in any of his four seasons in Baltimore. The world saw Likely's potential when he had nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' nationally televised season opener against the Chiefs in 2024. With an expected target increase in 2026, Likely has a chance to be a top-10 fantasy tight end.

The Ravens opted to sign Mark Andrews for more years instead of extending Isaiah Likely in the final year of his rookie deal. Likely struggled with injuries to both himself and to his QB...that dramatically hurt his 2025 production (along with a few TDs that didn't actually result in TDs). Entering free agency and eventually signing with the New York Giants...Likely's stock is nowhere near where it was at this time last year. However, the upside we have seen from Likely when Andrews has missed time in the past - 11 PPG with no Andrews, the TE5 in PPG last year - warrants a shot on Likely if he carves out a clear TE1 role with John Harbaugh in NY.

Isaiah Likely's 2025 season was crushed by a foot injury that he sustained in the preseason. I can't honestly tell you that he was fully healthy last season, or when that occurred, if so. I'm tossing his 2025 campaign in the trash. So, let's be kind and rewind to 2024. During that season, among 57 qualifying tight ends, Likely ranked 17th in target per route run rate, tenth in yards per route run, and eighth in first downs per route run and fantasy points per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). After signing a lucrative deal with the Giants this offseason, Likely should be their clear starting tight end and a strong part of their passing game, with only Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Calvin Austin, and Malachi Fields to contend with for targets behind Malik Nabers. Likely could easily be a solid TE1 this season and is worth a late-round dart in a ton of drafts in 2026.