Football fans and fantasy managers were similarly confused by the Baltimore Ravens‘ usage of their tight ends in their season-opening clash with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. All-Pro Mark Andrews was targeted with just two passes, and he caught both for a total of 14 yards.
However, the presumptive second option, Isaiah, Likely had a huge day. Let’s talk about how to handle Likely as a fantasy football asset going forward.
Isaiah Likely’s Fantasy Outlook for the Remainder of the 2024 Season
Likely shocked the NFL world by catching nine of his 12 targets for 111 yards and a score (all team-high totals), as well as nearly snagging an enormous final-play touchdown. That’s an extremely high-end fantasy tight-end performance, so should he be viewed as an elite option going forward?
The short answer is that he’s not likely to put up that kind of production again — maybe ever. Likely had a strong end to the season last year with Andrews injured, but he never cracked triple digits in terms of single-game yardage, maxing out at 83 yards.
He did score a good amount of touchdowns, so his end-zone usage could be somewhat more sustainable. Still, with goal-line threats like quarterback Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and, of course, Andrews, it would certainly be unwise to rely on a weekly score from Likely.
Andrews has long been a trusted target for Jackson ever since the two came into the league together as members of the 2018 draft class and developed an immediate connection. Notably, Baltimore also took tight end Hayden Hurst in the first round of that draft before selecting Jackson at the end of that round and Andrews in the third, but Andrews rose to the top as Jackson’s most preferred receiver.
Suffice to say, Likely should not be fully supplanting Andrews, who is still re-acclimating to the field after a tough injury last season, and he could very well be easing into this campaign. If Likely is available on the waiver wire in your league, he could be worth picking up as a second tight-end option, but don’t upend your roster to bring him in via a trade.
Jason Katz’s Waiver Wire Advice for Likely
Perhaps it’s a bit premature to call this a changing of the guard, but I’m ready to declare Isaiah Likely the Ravens’ TE1. He was in a virtually even split with Mark Andrews, playing six fewer snaps and running three fewer routes. But the real story is usage.
I am a firm believer in targets being a skill statistic. The best players earn looks from their quarterbacks because their talent dictates so.
Likely saw 12 targets to Andrews’ two. Yes, it’s only one week, and there were clear instances of the Chiefs doubling Andrews. However, there were very, very few players where Andrews was the first read. Likely, on the other hand, was the primary read quite often.
When it comes to waiver wire pickups in fantasy, there is no waiting to confirm. Those who weren’t sure about Puka Nacua or Kyren Williams after Week 1 last year completely missed out.
Am I sure about Likely? No. But if I had to offer an opinion on whether he will be the Ravens’ highest-scoring tight end this season, I would say it’s…Likely.