Isaiah Likely Joins New York Giants: What It Actually Means for Fantasy Football

The New York Giants reunited head coach John Harbaugh with former Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, a move that could unlock his long-awaited fantasy football breakout in 2026.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

NFL free agency buzz is heating up. Today, we learned about Kenneth Walker heading to the Chiefs, Travis Etienne signing with the Saints, and more shocking moves shaking up the fantasy football landscape.

The pipeline from Baltimore to New York continues to provide dividends for Big Blue. The Giants made an intriguing splash today in free agency by uniting head coach John Harbaugh with former Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, a player many fantasy football analysts have been waiting to see unleashed into a larger offensive role. Likely has been inked to a three-year, $40 million deal.

Giants signing TE Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40M deal. (via @TomPelissero, @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/tdLxIfXLHc

— NFL (@NFL) March 9, 2026

While the G-Men saw some decent production from Theo Johnson in 2025, Likely should emerge as one of Jaxson Dart’s top targets, and will surely leapfrog Johnson on the depth chart. 

Likely spent the first portion of his career buried behind star tight end Mark Andrews in Baltimore, but whenever Andrews missed time, Likely flashed the upside that made him one of the more intriguing young tight ends in the league. At 6-foot-4 with wide-receiver-like skills, the young tight end is poised for a huge opportunity with Big Blue.

Isaiah Likely Career Breakdown

In the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Isaiah Likely after he showed steady development across four seasons in college, posting receiving lines of 12/106/5, 32/431/5, 30/601/5, and 59/912/12.

Likely flashed his upside immediately as a rookie, turning heads during the preseason with stat lines of 4/44 and 8/100/1. However, Baltimore limited his role early in the regular season. Over the first seven weeks, he managed just 10 catches for 104 yards on 18 targets. His first breakout moment came in Week 8, when he posted a 6/77/1 line after Mark Andrews exited with an injury. Another highlight followed in Week 18, when the Ravens rested Andrews ahead of the playoffs and Likely responded with eight catches for 103 yards on 13 targets. Between those games, he added 12 receptions for 89 yards and two touchdowns on 22 targets.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) warms up before a game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Expectations were higher heading into 2023, but Likely finished with a modest 30 catches for 411 yards and five touchdowns on 40 targets. When given starting opportunities, he was far more productive. Across seven games in an expanded role, he recorded 23 receptions for 356 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 13.5 fantasy points per game, though he still averaged only 4.4 targets per contest during that stretch.

Likely opened the 2024 season in spectacular fashion against the Kansas City Chiefs, delivering a dominant 9/111/1 performance in the NFL’s season opener. The breakout showing sent his fantasy stock soaring, often making him an overpriced draft target afterward. Despite the hot start, his production was inconsistent. He logged 733 offensive snaps compared to 768 for Andrews, but his only other fantasy-relevant outings came in Week 5 (3/13/2), Week 11 (4/75), Week 13 (5/38/1), Week 16 (3/29/1), and Week 20 (4/73/1). After seeing 12 targets in the opener, Likely received five or fewer targets in 16 of his next 17 games. He ultimately finished 17th among tight ends in PPR scoring (124.7 points) despite posting fewer than 5.0 fantasy points in eight games, including two games without a catch.

His production dipped further in 2025. Likely finished the season with 27 receptions for 307 yards and one touchdown, ranking TE44 in PPR formats while averaging just 4.4 fantasy points per game across 14 contests. His best performance came against the Cincinnati Bengals, when he caught five of six targets for 95 yards. It was one of only two games all season in which he surpassed 50 receiving yards.

A Potential Offensive Centerpiece

The Giants have been searching for reliable pass-catching weapons for several seasons, and adding Likely gives them a dynamic option over the middle of the field. His ability to stretch the seam, operate out of the slot, and create yards after the catch makes him a versatile chess piece in modern offenses.

During his time with the Ravens, Likely often produced when called upon. In games where Andrews was limited or sidelined, he showed legitimate TE1 fantasy upside with multi-catch performances and strong red-zone usage. Those flashes are exactly why fantasy managers have been eager to see him in a situation where he isn’t sharing the position with one of the league’s most established tight ends.

With the Giants, that path to volume looks much clearer.

Isaiah Likely 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook

From a fantasy perspective, this signing is one of the more intriguing tight-end moves of the offseason.

The tight end position has long been top-heavy in fantasy football, with only a handful of players consistently providing weekly production. When a young, athletic tight end like Likely lands in a situation where he could command meaningful targets, it immediately puts him on the radar as a breakout candidate.

If the Giants utilize him as a hybrid tight end and slot receiver, Likely could realistically push for 100 targets in his first season with the team. That type of usage would firmly place him in the TE1 conversation in most formats, especially given Dart's development in Year 1.

Likely also brings strong red-zone potential. At his size and with his athletic profile, he has the ability to become a primary scoring threat near the goal line—something the Giants have struggled to consistently find in recent years.

BREAKING: The #Giants are signing former #Ravens TE Isaiah Likely to a 3-year, $40M contract with upside to $47.5M, per multiple sources. Deal done by @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports.

The deal makes Likely the 3rd-highest paid TE in the NFL, and pairs him with Jaxson Dart and… pic.twitter.com/qmjZkAYmNp

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 9, 2026

Fantasy managers should consider him a top-10 tight end in 2026. Mark Andrews should resurface as a top-tier target at the position as well.