Who Should I Start? Jonnu Smith or Isaiah Likely

Friday, October 17, 9:35 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith caught three of his six targets for 28 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night's 33-31 loss at Cincinnati. It was Smith's first touchdown since Week 1 and also tied for the most targets in a game since then. Smith didn't have the flashiest night among Pittsburgh tight ends, with Pat Freiermuth exploding for 111 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. They both took advantage of a leaky Bengals defense, and one that struggled against tight ends. Still, the weekly volume isn't high for Smith, and he's reliant on finding the end zone to return fantasy value.

Tuesday, October 21, 7:06 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely has had a forgettable 2025 season through the first seven weeks. He didn't make his season debut until Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a back injury, and in his first game back, he played fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps and wasn't targeted at all. Likely caught his only target for 12 yards in Week 5 and then had two catches for just six yards in the Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In Weeks 5 and 6, Likely was working with backup quarterback Cooper Rush, with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson sidelined with a hamstring injury. The good news is that Likely played 80.8% of the snaps in Week 6, and he should be fully integrated into the offense coming out of the Ravens' Week 7 bye. The 25-year-old could be a touchdown-dependent TE2 the remainder of the year while splitting work with Mark Andrews, but don't be surprised if he breaks out in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears if Jackson returns under center.