Who Should I Start? Isaiah Likely or AJ Barner

Wednesday, September 3, 3:13 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) was not seen practicing on Wednesday with the rest of the team, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Likely was on the field early and was talking with head coach John Harbaugh, but then he went inside early. The 25-year-old tight end has not practiced since having surgery to fix a small fracture in his left foot that he suffered near the start of training camp at the end of July, and he's not expected to be available for Week 1 this Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills. However, the Ravens are still expecting Likely to be available early in the season, which is why he avoided Injured Reserve to start the year. Likely will likely be ruled out for Week 1 on Friday, which means fellow TE Mark Andrews should be a must-start TE1 in fantasy lineups to kick things off as one of quarterback Lamar Jackson's most trusted targets.

Sunday, August 10, 4:12 PM

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner has looked "very promising" in training camp practices and is "currently the No. 1 tight end," according to Michael-Shawn Duggar of The Athletic. A fourth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2024 draft, Barner recorded 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (six starts) as a rookie. Seattle released veteran tight end Noah Fant last month, which could be an indication of the confidence the organization has in Barner. However, the Seahawks also used a second-round pick in the 2025 draft at the position when they selected Elijah Arroyo, so Barner will still have in-house competition for targets and playing time.