Isaiah Likely Is Carrying the Giants' Passing Game — And Your TE Slot
Likely's 4 TDs are tops among all tight ends through Week 5, and he's doing it with Jameis Winston under center. That's a TE1 you start without blinking.
Four TDs and a career-high target share make him a locked-in TE1.
- 4 receiving TDs — most among all TEs through Week 5
- 19 receiving first downs lead all tight ends in 2026
- 85 PPR points in 2026, our #3 TE this season
- Signed 3 yrs, $40M ($26M guaranteed) in free agency
- Giants 3-1-1 despite losing QB Jaxson Dart in Week 2
When the Giants handed Isaiah Likely a three-year, $40 million deal ($26 million guaranteed) this spring, the plan probably didn't involve Jameis Winston throwing him the ball. But that's exactly where New York landed after starter Jaxson Dart went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 — and Likely has turned a messy situation into one of the best tight end values on any fantasy roster.
Through five weeks of the 2026 season, Likely has posted 33 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns, good for 85 PPR points and our No. 3 ranking at the position this year. Those four scores are tied for the most among all tight ends leaguewide, and his 19 receiving first downs lead every tight end outright. For a Giants offense scraping to stay afloat, he's been the one reliable thing.
Winston Makes It Work Anyway
Here's what makes the production remarkable: Winston ranks second-to-last in the NFL in completion percentage at 57.6%. He's thrown for 805 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions across four games (60 PPR points), but he's not an efficiency machine — his last five outings are running about 1.5 fantasy points below his own season average. When a quarterback is that scattershot and still feeds his tight end four scores, that tells you where the trust lives.
It helps that top wideout Malik Nabers is still shaking off rust after returning from a torn ACL. With Nabers finding his footing, Likely has essentially functioned as New York's No. 1 target in the red zone and on money downs. That's not a fluke role — it's the structure of this offense right now.
The Fantasy Verdict
Start Likely with total confidence. He's a weekly TE1 with elite touchdown equity and a target profile that doesn't hinge on game script. The only caveat is the Winston accuracy ceiling, which could cap the week-to-week yardage, but the end-zone usage more than makes up for it. If a frustrated manager in your league is undervaluing him because of the quarterback situation, buy — this is exactly the kind of tight end you build around for the stretch run.
