The drumbeat for Isaiah Likely continues to build as training camp reports confirm early chemistry with quarterback Jaxson Dart, positioning the tight end as the clear No. 2 option behind Malik Nabers. Possessing explosive athleticism highlighted by a 124.5 Burst Score (84th percentile), Likely was parked behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore, but his profile features a 31.4-percent College Dominator Rating (92nd percentile) that should translate to high target volume.
Currently falling into the 10th round of fantasy drafts, Likely offers ideal late-round upside for managers who choose to bypass the top-tier tight ends. With a empty cupboard behind Nabers, Jaxson Dart continues to be a Likely’s greatest risk factor. He is ranked as PlayerProfiler’s TE16 for high-stakes and redraft fantasy football leagues.
Across 15 games in 2025, New York Giants tight end Theo ...
New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson was one of the ...
As a second-year player in 2025, New York Giants tight end ...
With Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton dealing with injuries, Isaiah Likely emerged as the focal point during practices over veterans Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster. This early momentum follows a muted 2025 campaign where Likely posted a 57.0-percent Snap Share and averaged 4.4 Fantasy Points Per Game.
Stepping into a target competition vacuum, Likely’s underlying efficiency metrics illuminates a clear path to securing a Top-12 ceiling at the position. At just 26 years old with an 84th percentile Burst Score, Likely is a high floor, high ceiling pick in seasonal leagues and fantasy football dynasty formats, in particular.
Whatever that means, John. The bottom line is Giants beat writers expect to see a lot of 12-personnel in 2026, positioning Isaiah Likely for a statistical surge this season. Though Theo Johnson is technically more athletic, Likely is a lock for the higher volume move tight end role in New York.
Though still speculative, Likely offers significant upside as a featured passing game option for the first time in his career. Nabers can’t soak up 200 targets, which makes Likely an obvious buy in dynasty, “likely” requiring an overpay at this point in the offseason.
The battle for the number overall pick in the 2026 NFL Dtaft very well could be decided in this week 17 game between the (2-13) Las Vegas Raiders and (2-13) New York Giants. Both teams are limping into this game with multiple starters on IR including some of their best players in Malik Nabers for the Giants and Brock Bowers for the Raiders.
The Giants just ruled out tight end Theo Johnson with an illness. Johnson was one of the few bright spots of this moribund season. Johnson is TE14 on the season thus far with 45 catches, 528 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.
Johnson has played well despite the inconsistency from the quarterback position. His future looks bright if Jaxson Dart can continue to develop or they take the top quarterback in the draft. Johnson is insanely athletic according to the Player Profiler Athleticism score, Johnson ranks as number 7 out of 525 tight ends in the database. He is a must buy in dynasty.
Author: Jesse Baldwin @J_Baldwin51
Tyrone Tracy Jr. had another great day on the ground Sunday despite losing a fumble that cost the Giants the win against the Panthers in overtime. Tracy Jr. logged another 18 carries, marking the fifth game in the last six where he received 16 or more carries. The rookie accrued 103 yards on the ground and another touchdown. With Daniel Jones struggling, Tracy Jr. and fellow rookie Malik Nabers represent a strong core of young offensive weapons that are showing some pop and would be even more impactful with better quarterback play.
Daniel Jones was just 22-of-37 passing Sunday with two interceptions and zero touchdowns. The veteran QB totaled just 190 yards passing and spread the ball around. Nabers had six catches for 50 yards on 10 targets. Wan’Dale Robinson caught four of his eight targets for 51 yards. Jalin Hyatt and tight end Theo Johnson both had four catches for 39 and 37 yards, respectively. With Jones only throwing eight touchdown passes on the season and more than 250 yards just three times, the ceiling for the pass catchers is capped. Jones himself is merely a bye week fill-in, with rushing production buoying his floor.
– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb
