Who Should I Start? Tyler Conklin or Isaiah Likely

Friday, March 21, 10:24 PM

Former New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Friday with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to his agent, Mike McCartney. Conklin heads to the AFC West after spending the last three years with the Jets, where he had 170 catches on 246 targets for 1,622 yards and seven touchdowns in 50 games (43 starts). While the 29-year-old did have a career-high four touchdowns in 16 games (15 starts) last year, he had just 51 catches and 449 yards (his lowest total since 2020) on 72 targets. The former fifth-round selection (157th overall) by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 out of Central Michigan has the opportunity to be the Chargers' top pass-catching tight end in 2025, but he'll also be sharing playing time with Will Dissly. Dissly had a very similar 50-481-2 line to Conklin a year ago in L.A. Expect Conklin to be a touchdown-dependent TE2 in fantasy in his new home.

Tuesday, December 2, 11:59 AM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely posted his most productive performance of the season in Week 13, recording five catches for 95 yards on six targets against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the 25-year-old was also responsible for one of the turning points in the game when he coughed up a fumble as he was crossing the goal line, turning a touchdown into a touchback. Still, Likely's increased involvement is a positive sign for fantasy managers. Although he's failed to find the end zone so far this season, Likely recorded six touchdowns on 58 targets across 16 games in 2024 and has shown stretches of red zone chemistry with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throughout his career. The presence of tight ends Mark Andrews and Charlie Kolar in Baltimore limits Likely's upside, as he's played fewer than 60% of the team's offensive snaps in six straight games heading into his Week 14 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, in deep fantasy leagues, Likely may be worth stashing off the waiver wire in case an injury to Andrews opens up a significant playing time opportunity in Baltimore.