Isaiah Likely 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook: Tight End Handcuff Waiting In The Shadows To Break Out
6 months agoIsaiah Likely is an incredibly talented player, unfortunately, his fantasy value is entirely dependent on the health of Mark Andrews. Prior to Andrews' injury, Likely scored over 3.0 fantasy points only once, but once Andrews went down in Week 12, he scored at least 18 fantasy points in three of the next four games and only failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in two of his final 7 games (versus the 49ers and Chiefs). He also has an excellent rapport with quarterback Lamar Jackson, leading the league in quarterback rating per target (147.0) and fantasy points per target (2.53). Likely is also excels on deep routes, finishing second in yards per target (10.3) and yards per reception (13.7) out of all tight ends. He is a bona fide stud at the position and he would be a virtual lock to finish inside the top five if he were the full-time starter. Sadly, it does not appear that he will get that opportunity as long as he is in Baltimore because Andrews does exist. It is possible that offensive coordinator Todd Monken will try to get Likely more involved in the offense this season, especially with Andrews coming back from a torn ACL and MCL, but it would be unwise for non-Andrews managers to spend any draft capital on him. If Andrews is not going to be ready for the start of the season, then Likely becomes a much more valuable asset, especially to start the season, but that needs to be addressed as the season gets closer because right now there is not enough information to rank him as anything higher than a back-end TE2. His current ADP sits as the TE18 in the seventeenth round, largely undrafted in smaller leagues, which is appropriate given that, at this time, he should not be drafted by anyone as more than an Andrews handcuff.