Who Should I Start? Cade Otton or Isaiah Likely

Tuesday, July 29, 9:20 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (hamstring) remained sidelined for his team's Tuesday practice, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports. Otton has now missed three straight days of practice with what Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has described as a mild hamstring strain. The fourth-year tight end played 14 games in 2024, hauling in 59 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. However, Otton did much of his work when Tampa Bay's receiving corps got hit with a rash of injuries mid-season, so he could see his numbers come down a bit in 2025. That being said, he's clearly the team's top receiving threat at the tight end position, as backups Payne Durham and Ko Kieft profile more as blockers. It doesn't sound as though the team expects any significant missed time for Otton, but his situation is worth monitoring until he returns to the practice field.

Wednesday, July 30, 10:08 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) is expected to miss at least six weeks of action to repair a broken bone in his foot. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network noted that while the expectation is that the tight will miss six weeks, there is a belief that he could recover on a faster timeline. While Likely could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season, he has avoided a significant injury. The 25-year-old sustained this injury during Tuesday's practice session. Fantasy managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status in case this injury begins to linger. Last season, Likely enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, tallying 111 yards in the season opener. However, he would only go on to tally over 70 receiving yards in one game during the remainder of the season. When healthy, Likely will be deployed as the No. 2 tight end in Baltimore behind Mark Andrews, which will continue to limit his fantasy ceiling.