Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Bounces back with trip to end zone
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Likely had five receptions (on eight targets) for 38 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-19 loss to Philadelphia.
Likely responded well from his zero-catch outing against the Chargers last week, posting his fourth touchdown reception of the season against the Eagles on Sunday. Starter Mark Andrews produced the finer fantasy line (6-67-1), though Likely still helped managers who stuck with him following the aforementioned dud against Los Angeles. Likely should be a viable fantasy option in deeper formats when the Ravens return from the upcoming bye to face the Giants on Dec. 15.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Not targeted in win
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Likely failed to record a single target in Monday's 30-23 win over the Chargers.
Likely was held without a catch for just the second time this season as the 24-year-old continued what has been a mostly disappointing season after a hot start back in Week 1 against the Chiefs. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Mark Andrews produce a solid performance Monday, catching all five of his targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. Likely did, however, lead all Baltimore tight ends in playing time, as he was on the field for 35 of the Ravens' 65 offensive snaps. Andrews and Charlie Kolar finished with 27 and 32 snaps, respectively. With Andrews more involved in the passing game as the season has progressed, Likely has lost most of his fantasy utility within the Ravens' aerial attack. Barring injuries, the Coastal Carolina product should not be trusted for consistent fantasy production going forward. The Ravens are set to host the Eagles in Week 13.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: TEs to Sit
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Likely returned from his one-game absence due to a hamstring injury in Week 11 at Pittsburgh, and he had a solid outing with four catches for 75 yards on five targets. That was his best game in terms of yards since Week 1, and it was just the third time all season he had at least four catches. He still hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 5, and I'm not planning to start him against the Chargers, who are the only team yet to allow a touchdown to an opposing tight end. Even Mark Andrews is a risky start against this defense.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Leading receiver in loss
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Likely caught four of five targets for 75 yards in Sunday's 18-16 loss to the Steelers.
The third-year tight end led the Ravens in receiving yards and tied Justice Hill for the team lead in catches as the Steelers' defense focused on shutting down the deep passing game. Likely had missed last week's win over the Bengals due to a minor hamstring strain, but he appears fully healthy and will look to make an impact again in Week 12 against the Chargers.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: All clear to face Steelers
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Likely (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Likely will return from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury. After being a limited participant Wednesday, he practiced without limitations Thursday and Friday. While Likely's healthy, he probably will continue to cede most of the targets among Ravens tight ends to Mark Andrews, which had usually been the case in the weeks leading up to Likely's injury.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Practices fully Thursday
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Likely (hamstring) was a full practice participant Thursday.
The full session should clear the way for Likely to return to action Sunday in Pittsburgh after he sat out the Ravens' Week 10 win over the Bengals due to the hamstring injury. His absence last week freed up a larger role in the passing game for top tight end Mark Andrews (6-68-1 receiving line on seven targets), but the expected return of Likely in Week 11 will presumably lower Andrews' fantasy ceiling. As for Likely himself, he's failed to come close to matching his lofty production in the Ravens' loss to the Chiefs in Week 1, when he caught nine balls for 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. In his subsequent eight appearances combined, Lively has been contained to a 15-160-2 line on 22 targets.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Limited in return to practice
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Likely (hamstring) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Jonas Shaffer of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Likely didn't practice last week and ended up missing a 35-34 win over the Bengals on Thursday. It was his first absence of the season, and a return to practice Wednesday suggests he has a shot to make it back for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Back at practice Wednesday
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Likely (hamstring) was on the field for practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.
Likely missed last Thursday's 35-34 win over the Bengals with the hamstring injury, but the extended time off appears to have done him some good. While Likely was sidelined last week, fellow tight end Mark Andrews played a season-high 87 percent of the offensive snaps and drew a season-best seven targets en route to finishing with a 6-68-1 receiving line. Likely's potential return Sunday against the Steelers would amount to a hit to Andrews' fantasy stock and would give the Ravens a three-man tight end group that also includes Charlie Kolar.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Not practicing yet
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Likely (hamstring) wasn't on the field Tuesday for the Ravens' practice session, Giana Han of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Likely hasn't practiced in any fashion since tweaking his hamstring in the Ravens' Week 9 win over the Broncos. The tight end may need to get back on the field in some capacity by Friday to have a chance at returning from a one-game absence Sunday against the Steelers.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Sidelined for practice Tuesday
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Likely (hamstring) wasn't on the field for Tuesday's practice, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.
Likely had been previously listed as a non-participant on Monday's estimated practice report, and with Tuesday being the Ravens' only full practice before Thursday's matchup with the Bengals, the tight end looks to be at real risk of missing his first game of the season. The injury may explain why Likely was held to a season-low 31 percent snap share in the Ravens' Week 9 win over the Broncos. If Likely were to sit out Thursday's contest, Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar could see increased reps, and fullback Patrick Ricard -- who caught a three-yard touchdown in Week 9 -- could also be on the field more frequently.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: TEs to Sit
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Likely had a solid outing in Week 8 at Cleveland with four catches for 47 yards on four targets, which was the most yards he's had since Week 1. But he's now gone three games in a row without a touchdown, and the Ravens just added Diontae Johnson via trade, which should impact the targets for Likely moving forward. Denver has allowed just two touchdowns to a tight end this season, and if Likely doesn't score then his Fantasy production will likely be minimal.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Sees four targets Sunday
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Likely had two catches for 27 yards on four targets Sunday against the Commanders.
Likely came back to earth Sunday after nabbing two touchdowns against the Bengals in Week 5. He actually saw his highest target volume since Week 1, but it only amounted to middling production. It's encouraging Likely played significantly more snaps (46) than Mark Andrews (34) but Andrews had his best pass-catching performance of the season and could start commanding a bigger share of the targets going forward. Still, Likely has promising peripheral metrics for targets per route (25.8 percent) and yards per route run (2.13), and with tight end production down league-wide, he actually ranks as TE5 in total fantasy points this season.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: TEs to Sit
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I'll reluctantly start Andrews again in Week 5 against the Bengals with the hope he starts getting more targets, but I'll sit Likely this week in the majority of leagues. He scored 26.1 PPR points in Week 1, but he's since combined for 9.6 PPR points in his other three games. I'm hopeful Andrews and Likely start playing better soon, but Andrews is still worth holding out hope for given his history.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Limited usage again
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Likely had one catch for 26 yards on two targets in Sunday's win over the Bills.
Likely's usage continues to be a fraction of what it was in the season opener, when he drew 12 targets. He made a splash with his lone catch Sunday night with an impressive leaping grab for a 26-yard gain that was Baltimore's longest completion of the night. Likely is playing a healthy snap share at 60 percent over the first four games. However, Baltimore has gone to a more run-heavy approach of late and is mixing and matching its tight-end personnel. This development not only is limiting Likely's chances, but the entire group of pass catchers as a whole. The Ravens have attempted fewer than 20 passes in each of the last two games, both of which were wins. Likely and the Ravens head to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in Week 5.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Likely has been a bust for the past two weeks, and it's hard to trust him as a must-start option in Week 4 against Buffalo. After his huge outing in Week 1 at the Chiefs when he caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets, Likely has combined for three catches for 30 yards on four targets in two games against the Raiders and Cowboys. Buffalo has allowed three tight ends to score at least 8.0 PPR points this season, but it seems like a squeaky wheel game is coming for Mark Andrews this week and no Likely. He should only be started in deeper formats in Week 4.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: TEs to Start
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Likely had a monster game in Week 1 at Kansas City with 26.1 PPR points, but then he came crashing down in Week 2 against Las Vegas with 4.6 PPR points. He should end up somewhere in the middle in Week 3 at Dallas, and I would start him in all leagues. Mark Andrews is also a must-start Fantasy tight end, but Likely has shown that he can still be a playmaker even when Andrews is on the field.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Week 2 Waiver Priority List
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Wow, Likely was amazing in Week 1 at Kansas City. He had nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets, and hopefully, that's a sign of things to come. We'll see if he continues to dominate targets like this, but I don't think he's going away in Baltimore's offense. He could be a must-start Fantasy tight end for the rest of the season, even with Mark Andrews healthy, and Likely is a must-add in all leagues. He's worth spending at least 25 percent of your remaining FAB, but you might need to be more aggressive in your leagues if you want to get him.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Arrow pointing up after Year 2
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Likely finished his second NFL season with 30 catches for 411 yards and five touchdowns on 40 targets over 17 regular-season games. He added four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown in two postseason games.
Though the tight end's target count dropped from 60 to 40, with most of his looks coming during Mark Andrews' lengthy absence, his counting stats and efficiency both ticked up significantly. Likely bumped his catch rate from 60 percent to 75 and his yards per target from 6.2 to 10.3 while topping his rookie totals for receiving yards and touchdowns. Though Andrews is still a major factor in the Ravens' passing game when healthy, Likely is overqualified to be a traditional No. 2 tight end. Baltimore's wide receiver corps is still a work in progress beyond Zay Flowers, however, so there could be more opportunities for the TEs. Likely has downfield ability and plenty of experience working from the slot (231 of 567 snaps in 2023) so his role could expand during his second year in OC Todd Monken's scheme.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Catches touchdown against Texans
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Likely recorded two receptions on three targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 34-10 win over the Texans.
The Ravens passed the ball only 22 times, limiting the volume for pass catchers in the offense. Despite having relatively few opportunities to impact the game, Likely accounted for the team's third-longest play from scrimmage with a 19-yard catch in the third quarter and subsequently caught a 15-yard touchdown in the final quarter of the contest. With the performance, he now has six touchdowns in his last six games. Even if Mark Andrews (ankle) returns, Likely shouldn't completely disappear from the offense in the AFC Championship Game against either the Bills or Chiefs.
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Ravens' Isaiah Likely: Two big touchdowns Sunday
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Likely caught two passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns on three targets in Sunday's 56-19 win over the Dolphins.
Likely's three targets might look like low usage at a glance, but the Ravens had a big enough lead that they were rotating in backups in the fourth quarter, and if the game had been more closely contested the Ravens might have had more reason to go back to Likely. Two touchdowns on three targets will usually do the trick, though, and there's no doubt that Likely's two touchdowns -- especially his one-handed catch and run for 35 yards -- were both game-breaking plays for the Ravens. Likely's rare ball skills and slick running after the catch have made him a crucial part of the Ravens' breakout offense over the last two weeks. As long as Lamar Jackson is producing, Likely figures to be in a good spot going forward no matter the opponent.
