Isaiah Likely Fantasy Value Pick
New York Giants tight end Isaiah Likely’s stock continues to rise this offseason, but his ADP has remained quite reasonable as fantasy football drafts are in full swing. Entering the summer, there was genuine uncertainty about how Likely and Theo Johnson would split reps in New York’s offense. As the preseason has progressed, that uncertainty has largely resolved itself. Not only is Likely clearly the No. 1 tight end in this room, but he’s also emerged as one of quarterback Jaxson Dart’s most trusted targets.
There are plenty of vacated targets up for grabs following the departure of Wan’Dale Robinson, who signed with the Titans this offseason after logging 140 targets in each of the last two seasons, 280 combined over that stretch. A significant portion of that volume should flow to Malik Nabers, who is working back from a torn ACL but remains the clear top receiving option once healthy. Even so, Likely is positioned to see real, substantial volume of his own in an offense that no longer has to divide targets with Robinson.
A useful baseline for Likely’s floor is what Theo Johnson produced in that same tight end spot a year ago: 45 catches, 528 yards, five touchdowns, and a TE18 finish, a fully usable, streaming-caliber tight end season. Given that Likely arrives with a far more accomplished pedigree, a proven receiving role in Baltimore, and the clear WR1-caliber trust of his new coaching staff, that Johnson line looks more like a floor than a ceiling. His actual ceiling, if the target volume breaks his way and touchdowns follow, is a top-five finish at the position.
There’s a lot working in Likely’s favor here: he’s a legitimately dynamic athlete at the position, he sits alone atop the depth chart, he has the trust of both his quarterback and a coaching staff that followed him from Baltimore, and he’s playing in an offense that’s trending in the right direction after adding meaningful pieces around Dart. All of that has yet to be fully priced into his current draft cost, which continues to sit in the double-digit rounds in most leagues, a very reasonable price tag for a tight end who profiles as a near-lock to be in your starting lineup every single week.
