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    Giants ‘appear intent’ on featuring Likely

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    SNY’s Connor Hughes said “the Giants appear intent on featuring (Isaiah Likely)” this season.

    The drumbeat continues to grow louder for Likely, who has been rumored multiple times throughout the offseason as the player the team was planning to feature. In June, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan said Likely was Jaxson Dart’s “favorite target” in practice, so this latest piece of news hardly comes as a surprise. According to Hughes, Likely has “displayed clear early chemistry with Dart” in training camp, and the 26-year-old tight end “appears to be the No. 2 option behind Nabers.” Currently going around the 10th round in fantasy drafts, Likely could emerge as a solid late-round option for fantasy managers who pass on the elite tight end options early in drafts.
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  • NYG Tight End #9
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    Likely’s yardage total came back to Earth last week with just 33 despite seeing 10 targets. It fell further today, as did the target total. On the plus side, he finished second on the team in receiving opportunities and finished with a 23 percent target share. Likely remains the team’s de facto No. 2 receiver behind Malik Nabers. That simply wasn’t worth much in terms of fantasy points today. He remains a solid TE1 bet for Week 4 against the Cardinals.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    Although fantasy managers are thrilled with the team-leading 10 targets, the nature of those targets is cause for concern considering the uneven play from backup quarterback Jameis Winston. Starter Jaxson Dart was forced from the game with a knee injury on the team’s first possession and it would not be shocking to see him miss games considering the mechanism of his injury, leaving the offense in the hands of the inconsistent Winston. Even so, fantasy managers will be thrilled to start Likely in a plus matchup against the Titans in Week 3, particularly considering the multitude of injuries at the position throughout the league.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    Making his debut for a new team, Likely didn’t wait long to prove he can be a featured tight end for the Giants, scoring on the final possession of the first half and first possession after the break. His first score highlighted his athleticism as he escaped coverage to the corner of the end zone from 15 yards out while his second trip to paint was reminiscent of a Nagy design for Travis Kelce in which the veteran tight end shed a chip-block in the flat for an easy score from two yards. Likely looks every bit of a fantasy TE1 but gets a difficult matchup against the Rams in Week 2. Even so, you’re starting him if you got him.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    Graziano affirmed what every fantasy manager believes: Likely will probably be the team’s WR2 behind Malik Nabers this season. New York coaches, according to Graziano, “love the way he has embraced and evolved his relationship with Jaxson Dart since he has been in New York. Likely is a regular visitor to the quarterback room, and the connection he has formed with Dart on and off the field could pay major dividends.” Graziano said Likely could be Dart’s top option if Nabers needs time to get back to full speed as he recovers from his 2025 ACL injury. Likely profiles as an easy click for fantasy drafters who forgo the game’s elite tight ends.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    With Malik Nabers still off the field, that’s a given. Still, Likely finds himself as barely a top-12 tight end by ADP. The argument could be made that he belongs closer to the top 10. “Given the way [Jaxson] Dart likes to throw to his tight ends, it suggests that Likely is in for a breakout season given the chemistry they already have developed,” Raanan concludes.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    With Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton both sidelined with injuries, it’s not a complete surprise to hear that Likely was the preferred target over recently signed vets like Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That said, it’s an encouraging sign for Likely and his fantasy managers, who are hoping that his first season away from Mark Andrews can lead to a breakout in 2026. Likely had a down year in 2025, posting career lows in targets (36), receptions (27), yards (307), and touchdowns (1), while appearing in 14 games. The 26-year-old tight end has shown flashes throughout his career and has drawn praise throughout much of the offseason. He profiles as a fringe TE1/TE2 with a chance for immense upside in an offense that’s devoid of top talent at receiver after Nabers.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    This is the third positive report in as many months for Likely, who is set to handle TE1 duties for his new team. Johnson is slated for the TE2 role after posting a 45/528/5 receiving line in his second NFL season last year. Giants WR1 Malik Nabers recently underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee and field-stretching WR Darius Slayton is recovering from core muscle surgery. Nabers will retake the No. 1 pass-catching role when healthy. Slayton, 29, is on the downslope. Likely is in the low-end TE1 tier and could improve his stock through the spring and summer.
  • NYG Tight End #9
    The context isn’t entirely crystal clear from the article as the question wasn’t included, but it alludes to the idea that Likely is going to put up bigger numbers. Giants beat writers seem in lockstep on the idea that New York will use multiple tight ends often in 2026 — something that makes plenty of sense when you look at their wideout room — and especially if Malik Nabers is sidelined early in the year, it would make sense to see Likely have some big games. He’s clearly at least in the low-end TE1 tier, and we can see an argument for higher given how little we saw of him as a featured option behind Mark Andrews.
  • NYG Tight End
    Likely followed former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh to New York in free agency, as expected, and signed a three year deal worth up to $47.5 million — a hefty deal considering Likely’s 2025 struggles in Baltimore. With the signing, the Giants “essentially swapped Likely in for Wan’Dale Robinson, signaling the shift in their offensive approach,” Duggan said (Robinson signed with the Titans). Likely will be “paired often” with TE Theo Johnson in a New York offense that should be among the league leaders in two tight end usage, just like Harbaugh’s Ravens, Duggan added. Likely, who should operate as a big slot receiver for Jaxson Dart, could have volume-based upside in 2026.
  • NYG Tight End #80
    He can get up to $47.5 million with incentives. John Harbaugh gets his upside tight end for what looks poised to be a huge role in New York’s offense. Likely should be in the low-end TE1 ranks to start the year, with the upside to perhaps make a push for the middle. The soon-to-be 26-year-old played only 14 games last year for the Ravens, catching a career-low 27 balls while dealing with injury and playing behind a resurgent Mark Andrews.

Rotoworld

  • Loveland_Colston_800_1080-9a141e0b04eaf38a.jpg

    Colston Loveland

    CHI Tight End #84
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    Colston Loveland caught all four targets for 31 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles.

    Loveland matched his to-date season total of one reception on the second play from scrimmage and narrowly missed his first touchdown of the young season after replay assist ruled him down inside the one at the start of the second quarter. The offense would turn the ball over on downs four plays later after failing to punch it in, allowing the Eagles to remain in the game for longer than they otherwise should have been. Either way, it’s a step in the right direction for the talented youngster, although the absence of Caleb Williams could further dent his fantasy upside in the immediate future. Loveland continues to be a TE1 in fantasy circles despite the slow start, which holds for when the Bears play host to the Jets in Week 4.
  • CHI Wide Receiver #15
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    Rome Odunze caught 3-of-6 targets for 44 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles.

    Odunze continues to function as the deep threat in Ben Johnson’s offense, which spells trouble for his fantasy value in the immediate future considering the absence of Caleb Williams. Case Keenum got the start under center against the Eagles, and while he kept the offense on track through veteran savvy, his general lack of arm strength limited the offense to hefty rates of attacking the short-to-intermediate areas of the field. It is unclear whether Keenum or Tyson Bagent will draw the start in Week 4, but the decision could dictate whether Odunze can be inserted into fantasy rosters against the Jets.
  • CHI Wide Receiver #10
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    Luther Burden caught 7-of-11 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles, adding seven yards on one carry.

    Burden got the scoring started with a shovel-pass touchdown on the first possession of the game and continued to be the primary engine of the offense on a night the team was led by veteran journeyman Case Keenum. Head coach Ben Johnson handily outmatched his counterpart in Sean Mannion, keeping the offense in rhythm and unpredictable throughout. Burden should continue to improve upon his early-season returns for fantasy managers that chased him up draft boards this offseason, particularly once Caleb Williams returns to the starting roster in a few weeks. In the meantime, treat Burden as an upside WR2 ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Jets in Chicago.
  • CHI Wide Receiver #14
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    Kalif Raymond caught 6-of-7 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles.

    Raymond has now led the Bears in receiving in two of the team’s first three games, with Week 3 his best performance yet on the back of a 41-yard touchdown through busted coverage. It isn’t likely the career role player will lead the team in receiving throughout the season, but the early returns on investment must have fantasy managers ecstatic for those that either drafted him in the final round or scooped him off the wire following Week 1.
  • CHI Running Back #25
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    Kyle Monangai rushed 10 times for 31 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles.

    Monangai has exactly 10 carries in all three games to start the 2026 season, which pales in comparison to lead back D’Andre Swift, the latter of whom has seen 19 or more opportunities in each game. The lack of volume relegates Monangai to handcuff status in fantasy circles for the time being, at least until bye weeks begin in Week 5. He’ll be a difficult start in Week 4 against the Jets.
  • CHI Running Back #4
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    D’Andre Swift rushed 20 times for 84 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Eagles, adding four yards on two receptions.

    Swift was unable to churn out consistent gains before the break but came alive with the team nursing a second half lead, gaining 53 of his 84 yards on five second half possessions. It was also the third straight game in which Swift handled 19 or more opportunities, something he did only seven times in all of 2025, cementing his status as a volume-driven, back-end RB1 in fantasy circles. He’ll remain a weekly start when the Bears host the Jets in Week 4.
  • CHI Quarterback #11
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    Case Keenum completed 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ 27-7, Week 3 win over the Eagles, adding six yards and a touchdown on four carries.

    Head coach Ben Johnson was in his bag from the opening series, trusting Keenum to take to the air on the team’s first two plays from scrimmage. That set the tone for the remainder of the game as the Bears dominated time of possession, running 69 offensive plays to the 47 of the Eagles. Keenum was not perfect by any stretch, with no fewer than three attempts that placed the ball in immediate danger. He would escape with a clean sheet in the turnover department while exceeding expectations within the structure of Johnson’s offense, routinely delivering the football on time and where it needed to go. His counting stats were padded slightly by a 41-yard touchdown to Kalif Raymond against busted coverage in the third quarter and a fourth quarter rushing plunge from one yard out, but he did enough to guide the Bears to a 2-1 record ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Jets. It remains unclear if Keenum will draw another start under center now that Tyson Bagent will have a full week of preparation. Neither would be an exciting fantasy option against Aaron Glenn’s New York defense.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #9
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    Makai Lemon caught 3-of-4 targets for 29 yards in the Eagles’ Week 3 loss to the Bears.

    Lemon was the target on the team’s first play from scrimmage, gaining a first down on a first down play for the Eagles for the first time all season. The offense would sputter throughout the game on their way to only 47 offensive plays run from scrimmage, capping the fantasy upside of all involved in the process. Lemon has yet to live up to his lofty draft capital through the first three games of his professional career, but he could be called on for heavier work with tight end Dallas Goedert nursing an MCL sprain. Things don’t get any easier with a matchup against the Rams on deck for Week 4, where Lemon can safely be left on fantasy benches.
  • PHI Wide Receiver #13
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    Dontayvion Wicks caught 2-of-5 targets for 32 yards in the Eagles’ Week 3 loss to the Bears.

    For his part, Wicks was consistently breaking free of coverage with smooth route-running ability, but the offense managed just over 23 minutes time of possession on 47 offensive plays, leaving all involved stuck on a sinking ship. Better fantasy days should be ahead for Wicks in the immediate future, at least for as long as tight end Dallas Goedert remains sidelined with an MCL sprain. That said, he draws a difficult matchup against the Rams in Week 4. Treat Wicks as a viable FLEX option in a tough spot.
  • PHI Tight End #86
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    Zach Ertz caught 1-of-2 targets for nine yards in the Eagles’ Week 3 loss to the Bears.

    Ertz saw his snaps managed after both signing with the team Tuesday and returning from a torn ACL suffered in 2025, grabbing one of two targets in his first game in an Eagles uniform since 2021. There is very little fantasy upside here even as Dallas Goedert nurses an MCL sprain. Ertz can safely be left on the waiver wire.