Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely turned heads in Week 1 with an explosive receiving game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The third-year tight end hauled in nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He nearly added another 10-yard touchdown to end the game, but his toe was out of bounds by the slimmest of margins.
For any lucky fantasy football managers who happened to draft Likely, their gamble paid off. For many others, it makes Likely a top waiver wire priority for Week 2.
In standard and PPR formats, Likely was the No. 1 tight end in Week 1, according to FantasyPros.
While Likely may not be able to sustain that type of performance, he should remain a playable tight end in fantasy from here on out.
Read more: Fantasy Football TE Rankings Week 2: Who to start, best sleepers at tight end
Offseason reports consistently conveyed that Likely was a standout during Ravens training camp and practices. Likely frequently made a big, athletic plays all around the field, showcasing his receiving skills.
Likely started eight games last year and turned into a useful option in fantasy. The Ravens had already planned to use him more this season, and his training camp performance only gave them more motivation to do so.
That carried over into Week 1, where Likely played 53 of 80 snaps. That's fewer than tight end Mark Andrews, but still a healthy number — fourth among Ravens skill position players.
That number should only increase going forward, given how productive Likely was in Week 1.
Of course, there will be weeks where Andrews is more productive than Likely. Andrews was hardly involved in Week 1, whether by Ravens' design or the Chiefs' scheming. But given that Likely earned 12 targets in Week 1, even if that number were cut in half, with Andrews eating into it, that still gives Likely a pretty safe floor.
Before the season began, we predicted that Likely would lead the Ravens in receiving touchdowns. We feel good about that prediction, as in Week 1, Lamar Jackson targeted Likely in the end zone twice on the final drive. Likely looks like he is going to be a weapon in the red zone, giving him some fantasy appeal, even if his targets, catches, and yards regress as the season goes on.
