Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Isaiah Likely

Friday, January 12, 9:37 PM

Detroit Lions tight end James Mitchell (hand) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's Wild-Card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Mitchell was limited in practice on Thursday, but ended up missing Friday's session. The Lions have decided to rule him out for this contest, which normally doesn't mean too much. However, Sam LaPorta (knee) has been banged up, but he was able to get through a full practice on Friday. Fellow tight end Brock Wright appears ready to play, so the absence of Mitchell won't make much of an impact.

Monday, June 24, 2:53 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely said he's focused on learning all of the receiving positions in Year 2 of offensive coordinator Todd Monken's scheme. "It's being a chess piece, being anywhere 'Monk' needs me to be in this offense -; whether it's in the slot, in-line, in the backfield, split out wide by myself," Likely said. "The more you know, the more you can stay on the field." The Ravens already have All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews, but the team wants to get both Andrews and Likely on the field more at the same time in 2024. In eight games after Likely stepped in for the injured Andrews last year, he caught 25 passes for 372 yards and six touchdowns. With an expanded role in 2024, Likely could be a TE2 in fantasy, but his ceiling will remain limited as long as Andrews stays healthy.