Welcome to our continued coverage of NFL Free Agency transactions, as Isaiah Likely signs with the New York Giants. Read along as I give you my breakdown of its 2026 Fantasy Football Impact!
TE Isaiah Likely has decided to follow his former head coach, John Harbaugh, to a new team by signing a three-year, $40 million deal with the New York Giants. That is quite the hefty payday for a guy who has never shown himself to be that caliber of player in the past. I know that this is an unpopular opinion, but to me, this situation is about to become real overhyped real quick.
ISAIAH LIKELY ON 4TH DOWN TO SAVE THE SEASON.
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026
BALvsPIT on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/aIpzCbqdEY
Yes, I realize that I am about to get flamed for this take right now…But I personally believe that the IDEA of Isaiah Likely has always been better than the actual PRODUCTION of Isaiah Likely. The player has never been a high-level fantasy contributor as you’d want him to be, and several data points back this up.
Likely has never had more than 57 targets in a single season, more than a 59% snap share in a single season, or a yards-per-route-run number higher than 1.82 in a single season. Additionally, the player’s career high in receiving yards per game is 29.8, and career high in fantasy points per game in Half PPR scoring is 6.5. See what I’m saying here?
While at first glance the John Harbaugh and Isaiah Likely reunion might seem great for fantasy purposes, the fact of the matter is that the franchise already has a promising young TE in Theo Johnson, who showed legit upside at various different points last season. Johnson and Likely have a lot of overlap in skill set, as they are both hyperathletic, true chess-piece-type TEs (Likely had a 74.9% slot rate in 2025, and Johnson had a 53.7% slot rate in 2025). I have a strong feeling that they will both eat into each other’s fantasy production and playing time next season.
If you like to utilize a two-TE build strategy in drafts and want to make an upside play for Isaiah Likely late, go for it. That is perfectly fine. If you draft the player as your lone TE, though, that is where you will get in trouble. Count me out.
That’s it for our fantasy football coverage during NFL Free Agency as Isaiah Likely signs with the Baltimore Ravens, and the 2026 Fantasy Football Impact!
Stay tuned for more NFL Trade reactions and fantasy analysis from me as the league’s new year progresses. For all my other work here at Fantasy In Frames, click here.
-
-
-
-
