Who Should I Start? Richie James or Isaiah Likely

Monday, January 8, 2:25 AM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James caught each of his two targets for 15 yards as the team managed a narrow 13-12 road victory in Sunday's regular-season finale. With top wideout Rashee Rice getting Week 18 off, James stepped in as a fixture in three-receiver sets for the Chiefs. On a day where quarterback Blaine Gabbert only passed for 154 yards, however, James was unable to get much very going. The offense ran through La'Mical Perine on the ground and Mecole Hardman Jr. through the air, with the latter getting peppered with 11 targets in the win. James cracked 100 yards for the campaign in this one, but it was a disappointing outcome for those who took a shot in the dark on him in DFS tournaments. The 28-year-old veteran will not be a big component of the passing game when K.C. kicks off the postseason with a Wild Card battle against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.

Friday, May 30, 12:49 PM

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has high hopes for rising tight end Isaiah Likely as he enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2025. "I want to see [Likely] be an All-Pro," Harbaugh said . "That'd be my goal for him, and he's capable of it." The former fourth-rounder in 2022 has been the backup to Mark Andrews for much of his career, but that could be changing in 2025. Likely caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in the season opener a year ago, but he didn't have another 100-yard game the rest of the year. He ended the season with 42 catches, 477 yards and six touchdowns. In 49 total games with Baltimore, including 19 starts, Likely has 108 catches for 1,261 yards and 14 TDs. In 10 games that Andrews has missed due to injuries the last three years, he had 530 yards and seven TDs. If Andrews misses any more time in 2025, Likely will be a must-start TE1 on a weekly basis.