The Baltimore Ravens will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wild Card Weekend. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Isaiah Likely.
Is Isaiah Likely Playing vs. the Steelers?
Likely is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Ravens’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Isaiah Likely on Wild Card Weekend?
Keep reading, and you’ll get my anti-Mark Andrews stance. And if that comes through, a pro-Isaiah Likely angle is a good way to benefit.
The 24-year-old has caught seven of eight targets for 104 yards and a score against Pittsburgh this season on just 35 routes. That’s a tiny sample, but Likely’s 56.9% snap share and 20.5% on-field target share at least have my interest in this specific matchup.
We know the TE position has touchdown equity given Andrews’ success, and I don’t think the market is valuing Likely’s potential to walk into an advantageous role properly. Given Baltimore’s potential to win multiple games, this is a path I’m interested in going for postseason-long formats.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Wild Card Weekend Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Isaiah Likely’s Fantasy Points Projection on Wild Card Weekend
As of Saturday, Likely is projected to score 10.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.6 receptions for 41.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Steelers' Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers tumbled out of the top 10 after slumping against superior competition during their four-game losing streak. From Weeks 15-18, Pittsburgh ranked 30th in pass defense success rate and 28th in EPA per play.
The season-long numbers still portray an elite pass defense, but some of the cracks that were there all along fully broke. For instance, the Steelers finished 18th in pressure rate without blitzing, signaling the erosion of a long, ferocious pass rush. They also finished 19th in sack rate despite another All-Pro-worthy season from T.J. Watt.
Injuries in the secondary were a huge problem, with starters Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, and DeShon Elliott all missing multiple games. That ultimately cost Pittsburgh the division and will result in a tough Wild Card road trip to Baltimore.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Isaiah Likely’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 8:30 AM ET on Saturday, January 11. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Wild Card Superflex Rankings.
Wild Card TE PPR Rankings
1) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. PIT)
2) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (at LAR)
3) Zach Ertz | WAS (at TB)
4) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (at BAL)
5) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (vs. DEN)
6) Tucker Kraft | GB (at PHI)
7) Dallas Goedert | PHI (vs. GB)
8) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. PIT)
9) Will Dissly | LAC (at HOU)
10) Tyler Higbee | LAR (vs. MIN)
11) Dalton Schultz | HOU (vs. LAC)
12) Payne Durham | TB (vs. WAS)
13) Dawson Knox | BUF (vs. DEN)
14) Cade Otton | TB (vs. WAS)
15) Stone Smartt | LAC (at HOU)
16) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. GB)
17) Luke Musgrave | GB (at PHI)
18) Darnell Washington | PIT (at BAL)
19) Josh Oliver | MIN (at LAR)
20) Lucas Krull | DEN (at BUF)
21) Cade Stover | HOU (vs. LAC)
22) Hayden Hurst | LAC (at HOU)
23) Nate Adkins | DEN (at BUF)
24) Colby Parkinson | LAR (vs. MIN)
25) Devin Culp | TB (vs. WAS)
26) John Bates | WAS (at TB)
27) Adam Trautman | DEN (at BUF)
28) Tucker Fisk | LAC (at HOU)
29) Davis Allen | LAR (vs. MIN)
30) Ben Sinnott | WAS (at TB)
31) MyCole Pruitt | PIT (at BAL)
32) Ko Kieft | TB (vs. WAS)
33) E.J. Jenkins | PHI (vs. GB)
34) Johnny Mundt | MIN (at LAR)
35) Connor Heyward | PIT (at BAL)
Steelers at Ravens Trends and Insights
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: The 2011 Giants are the only team since 2000 to win a Super Bowl in a season that included a four-game losing streak (the Steelers have lost four straight, totaling just 57 points across those games).
QB: Russell Wilson’s pressure stats are a major concern as we get into the postseason.
- Passer rating when pressured, Weeks 12-14: 120.7 (would lead the NFL)
- Passer rating when pressured, Weeks 15-18: 43.9 (worse than Kirk Cousins)
Offense: Saturday’s loss to the Bengals was Pittsburgh’s first this season when not turning the ball over (they won the first four such instances, out-scoring opponents 100-44 in those games).
Defense: The Steelers are 1-5 this season when allowing opponents to pick up at least 37% of their third downs this season (lone win: Week 13 at Bengals).
Fantasy: The Najee Harris train has run out of gas, partly due to this offense:
- Weeks 6-14: 4.2% production over expectation, 4.0 red zone touches per game
- Weeks 15-18: 16.8% production below expectations, 2.0 red zone touches per game
Betting: Mike Tomlin doesn’t just excel at winning games on the field – his Steelers have posted a winning ATS record in 10 of the past 12 seasons (2024: 11-6, 64.7%).
Baltimore Ravens
Team: The UConn Huskies won a national championship in 2023. Why does that matter? They also won in 1999 and 2011, the season prior to the Ravens winning their most recent Super Bowls.
QB: In the last two seasons under Todd Monken, Lamar Jackson has been a different QB:
- 2023-24: 66.9% complete, 8.4 yards per attempt, 7.0% TD, 1.2% INT
- Career prior: 63.7% complete, 7.4 yards per attempt, 6.1%, 2.3% INT
Offense: The Ravens turned the ball over at least once in six of their first seven games – they’ve done it in just three of 10 games since.
Defense: In Weeks 11-18, Baltimore allowed 1.38 points per drive (Weeks 1-10: 2.30)
Fantasy: Since Week 12, Derrick Henry has been even more dangerous than normal when it comes to chunk gains.
- Weeks 1-11: 37.6% of carries gained 5+ yards (11.7% gained 10+ yards)
- Weeks 12-18: 49.2% of carries gained 5+ yards (17.2% gained 10+ yards)
Betting: No team cashed over tickets more often than the Ravens during the regular season (13-4), quite the change for a franchise that had more unders than overs in each of the four seasons prior.