Isaiah Likely Contract Terms
Isaiah Likely is expected to sign with the New York Giants on a three-year deal worth up to $40 million, per the NFL's Twitter account.
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Fantasy Football Impact for Isaiah Likely with the New York Giants
Isaiah Likely is a modern-day move tight end. He had a productive collegiate career at Coastal Carolina, and his skills have provided him with a unique role in the NFL. Likely is asked to line up more as a receiver than a traditional tight end. Last year, Likely ran 73.2 percent of his routes from the slot. He was out wide 11.2 percent of the time. He only lined up as an in-line tight end on 14.5 percent of his routes. And that's not far off from his career usage so far. Likely has run more than 50 percent of his snaps as a slot receiver in each of his first four seasons. His career-high usage as an in-line tight end was 40.9 percent in 2023, and that has trended down since. The allure of a pure receiver with tight end utility in fantasy is tempting, but it hasn't paid off so far, aside from one game.
During the 2024 preseason, Likely had emerged as a trendy sleeper target in fantasy drafts. His role as a slot receiver was growing, and Mark Andrews was coming off consecutive down years. He delivered immediately in Week 1 when the Ravens opened the 2024 season against the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, and another would-be touchdown called out of bounds by a blade of grass. A football-ravaged fanbase spent the next few days dissecting every snap of Likely's game, and he was the top waiver target coming out of Week 1. Likely never recaptured the magic. He averaged 2.2 receptions and 24.4 receiving yards per game through the end of the year. From Week 1 on, he was the per-game TE30 in fantasy. Those numbers align with his career averages: 2.1 receptions and 24.9 yards per game. His per-game receiving average has been in the 20s every year of his four-year career. He's been steady but rather unproductive. Just 26 years old and having received a sizable contract, there's reason to be excited.
John Harbaugh was surprisingly let go by the Ravens this year, and he'll take over as the Giants' head coach. One of his first moves in free agency was to sign Likely. Harbaugh was the Ravens' head coach when Likely was drafted and has coached him for his entire NFL career. The Giants have another young, promising tight end in Theo Johnson, and past usage makes the roles pretty easy to imagine in New York. Johnson can do a lot of the things Andrews did in Baltimore. He's a 6-6 behemoth who has played 47.5 percent of his snaps in-line. He can block, while Likely assumes the same role he had in Baltimore. Jaxson Dart has shown upside as a rushing threat, and a mobile quarterback with two-tight-end sets was a staple of the offense Harbaugh tailored to Lamar Jackson. Harbaugh also lured Patrick Ricard to the Giants, giving him similar offensive personnel to what he had in Baltimore.
Could Likely step up and emerge as a consistent fantasy threat? It's possible. But we also have four years of experience to see exactly how Likely will fare in this role, and it's been disappointing. He's been the TE30, TE28, TE20, and TE45 in half-PPR. Likely has a pass-catching profile worth betting on in fantasy. He's on the right side of the age apex, still trending towards his production prime. His contract implies his importance in the Giants' future plans. All of these factors should keep him on the radar as a sleeper tight end this year. Assuming he's falling towards the back of drafts, he'll be worth a dart throw. But if excitement starts to brew throughout the offseason and his price becomes that of a starting tight end, his previous production will make it harder to draft him.
