Isaiah Likely: Start or Sit?

TE•vs DAL•Fantasy Football verdict

Starting TE and pass-catching mismatch. Athletic seam-stretcher with red-zone flex ability.

This week’s verdict

Toss-Up· medium

TE12 at 9.4 projected points with only a 59% snap share and 14% target share — a fine plug-in, but not a set-and-forget TE1.

Projected

Consensus

TE12

position rank

Opponent

DAL

this week

Implied total

23.5

team points

The call

Consensus has him TE12 at 9.4 PPR points, which is exactly the 12-team starter/replacement boundary — he beats a streamer, but not by much.
The role is part-time: 59% snap share and a 14% target share over 11 games means his ceiling depends on red-zone looks rather than volume.
Dallas grades 10 of 32 in the DvP composite (32 = softest), a tougher-than-average draw, though the 0-game sample and 0.00 confidence mean that number shouldn't move the needle much.
A 1.5-point spread and 23.5 implied total point to a competitive, pass-neutral script — if your alternative is a sub-8-point TE, start Likely; if you have a locked-in every-down tight end, sit him.

Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Week	Verdict	Reason
2026 Week 1	Toss-Up· medium	TE12 at 9.4 projected points with only a 59% snap share and 14% target share — a fine plug-in, but not a set-and-forget TE1.

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