Touchdowns Key For Ravens TE Isaiah Likely

ESPN fantasy football analyst Mike Clay foresees a bit of a nightmare for Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.

Arriving in the fourth round of last year's draft out of Coastal Carolina, Likely eared 373 yards on 36 receptions, certainly a respectable output considering he was stationed behind Mark Andrews, one of the league's most productive names at the position. But Clay's projection points downward, giving Likely 231 yards on 22 receptions, two of which go for touchdowns.

It seems a bit harsh to doom Likely to a down here, especially considering he conducted himself fairly well throughout his freshman season. An argument could be made, however, that there's only one football for Lamar Jackson to throw - and plenty of big name talents who will want their share.

When Likely burst onto the scene last season, it was clear he was going to have to burden a bigger statistical load than originally envisioned. The team lost potential top target Rashod Bateman early on while rusher J.K. Dobbins was also limited to only eight games for medical reasons. Even Jackson himself wasn't immune to the injury bug, missing the final stages of a Baltimore season that ended in AFC Wild Card heartbreak in Cincinnati.

Amidst the ailments, Likely wound up playing 414, or 40 percent, of Baltimore offensive snaps last season.

This time around, Baltimore not only aims to have Bateman and Dobbins healthy for a full season but made a pair of high-profile additions at receiver in the form of Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers. That'll do one of two things for Likely's statistical opportunities: he could either have more of a chance to make a big play thanks to double coverage as Beckham and Flowers also deal with a new playbook or he'll get lost in the revamped ledger.

So Clay has a point when it comes to Likely's dip in receptions and yardage. Two touchdowns, on the other hand, seem unnecessarily harsh. Chanticleer games in Conway were never complete without an end zone visit for Likely, who tallied 27 aerial scores at Coastal Carolina (a dozen alone in his senior campaign).

Baltimore, of course, is well-known for boasting the services of Justin Tucker at kicker and his leg has literally proven historic. That being said, Baltimore may grow sick of him, as their red zone touchdown percentage at just over 44 percent ranked 30th in the league last season.

There'd hardly be a better welcome back present for Jackson than the reliability of Likely inside the opponent's 20-yard-line which would potentially allow Baltimore fans to save on their heart medications: eleven of the Ravens' 18 games last season were decided by one possession - including six of their eight losses.

Boosting the yardage? Anything but, for Likely. Touchdowns, however, would potentially make him an intriguing backup or bye week option for fantasy players come their drafts.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

Follow the Baltimore Ravens Daily Blitz Podcast