Isaiah Likely

Week 16 at San Francisco 49ers

Isaiah Likely caught five of his six targets last week against the Jaguars, gaining 70 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight game with a touchdown, and he tied for the most targets on the team. You can’t replace Mark Andrews, but Likely is sure doing his best impression. Fantasy managers lucky enough to land him on waivers after Andrews’ injury should feel confident about him for the rest of the fantasy season.

This week, Likely faces a San Francisco defense that ranks 13th in aFPA to opposing tight ends. He’s starting to become matchup-proof, however, given the targets he’s getting and the athleticism he’s shown at the position. Continue to start Likely in what should be the game of the week.

Week 14 vs. Los Angeles Rams

In his first game as the full-time starter after the devastating Mark Andrews season-ending injury, Isaiah Likely caught four of his six targets for 40 yards. Most importantly, he played in 73% of the team’s offensive snaps. Any questions about whether or not Likely would be the primary replacement for Andrews were put to rest in the convincing victory over the Chargers before the bye last week.

This week, Likely faces a Rams defense that ranks dead last in aFPA to opposing tight ends. With a great matchup and seemingly a big role in the offense without Mark Andrews, Likely should be considered a weekly fantasy starter at the position, and we have him ranked inside our ten best tight end options this week.

Week 1 vs. Houston Texans

Managers who roster Mark Andrews may want to slide Isaiah Likely onto the back ends of their rosters as well. Likely had two starts last year while Andrews was hurt (Week 9) or resting (Week 17) and produced a combined 127 yards and a touchdown on nine catches and 18 targets in those two games. Likely has some value in deeper leagues, but is really only interesting in most formats if Andrews misses time. If Andrews is a late-scratch, having Likely as a backup plan should still net you quality production from fantasy’s most mercurial position.

Update: Andrews is unlikely to play, so Likely becomes a quality streaming option in all formats.