Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely isn’t currently a hot commodity in fantasy football circles, but that could be set to change by the end of the season.
Likely isn’t garnering much fantasy attention despite a fantastic summer that saw him emerge as a player primed for a large role in the Ravens’ offense. It’s easy to see why though.
Rookie tight ends rarely produce at a high rate in fantasy, especially fourth-round picks who aren’t even starting for their team. Likely isn’t surpassing Mark Andrews on the Ravens’ tight end depth chart and hasn’t received much attention because of that.
But to truly evaluate Likely’s fantasy value, we have to ignore his position label for a moment. That’s because that’s exactly what the Ravens are doing.
Why Isaiah Likely should be a relevant fantasy football tight end
The Ravens aren’t looking at Likely as a tight end. In reality, they don’t really look at Andrews as a tight end either. They see both players as offensive weapons in an offense that lacks a ton of star power in the passing game.
Andrews and Rashod Bateman are the clear-cut top two targets in that Ravens’ offense, but behind them, things get tricky. Do you trust an unproven wide receiver like Devin Duvernay or James Proche? What about veteran Demarcus Robinson? Perhaps even a running back like J.K. Dobbins?
I’d argue that Likely is, or will soon be, the third receiving option in the Ravens’ offense. He’ll be split out wide, used in the slot, or used as an in-line tight end. The Ravens will find ways to get him on the field, and all he did was produce this summer.
Likely is, of course, still a risk. Everything regarding his role in the offense and target share is projection because we simply do not know the impact he will make, especially early on.
But as a late-round flyer and TE2, not to mention a handcuff for Andrews, Likely makes a ton of sense.
Don’t leave Isaiah Likely on the waiver wire to start the season. Make sure you’re ahead of the curve and target him in the latter rounds of your fantasy football drafts.