Who Should I Start? Theo Johnson or Isaiah Likely

Sunday, July 6, 12:22 PM

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson (foot) is hoping the work put in during the offseason will keep him healthy throughout the 2025 campaign. "The big thing for me this year is I want to play 17 games," said Johnson on the Giants Huddle podcast. "That's the number one priority. I've been taking my recovery and my health, what I'm putting in my body and everything, more serious than I ever have." The 24-year-old wasn't a consistent fantasy producer last season. However, he demonstrated some signs of growth and would total 29 catches for 331 yards and one touchdown before sustaining a season-ending foot injury in November. Johnson has more work to do to earn additional snaps, although it appears he has the edge over Greg Dulcich, Daniel Bellinger, among others, to enter Week 1 as the No. 1 tight end on the depth chart. Still, he has a way to go before establishing himself as a week-to-week fantasy starter.

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.