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Week 2 · TE · NYG

Isaiah Likely Week 2 fantasy outlook: role, matchup and start/sit call

Our TE6 for Week 2 — 10.2 projected points at LAR, rostered in 91% of leagues.

By Sally & Tina · Updated September 21, 2026 at 12:13 AM ET

Start Isaiah Likely in Week 2: our TE6 projects for 10.2 points, 3.2 above a typical starting TE.

Projection
10.2 pts
TE rank
#6
Matchup
at LAR

Isaiah Likely's fantasy role in Week 2

Isaiah Likely goes into Week 2 of the 2026 season as a every-week lineup piece at TE for the NYG. He is rostered in 91% of leagues and actually started in 63% of them, and we rank him TE6 on our own weekly board at 10.2 projected points.

Roster rates are steady week over week, so his role looks settled rather than in flux.

No injury designation to work around right now, which keeps his projection honest.

Week 2 matchup breakdown

The matchup: at LAR. Our Pepper Meter heat rating for this spot is 4 out of 5, which is how we grade the combination of role, projection and opponent difficulty.

Against a typical starting TE baseline of 7 points, his 10.2-point projection is 3.2 points better. That gap is the whole start/sit argument in one number.

How to play it

Start Isaiah Likely in Week 2: our TE6 projects for 10.2 points, 3.2 above a typical starting TE.

If you are deciding between him and another TE, compare projections first, then lean on the Pepper Meter heat rating as the tiebreaker.

Sally's take

Peppers & Picks ranks Isaiah Likely (NYG TE), our TE6 this week for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season at LAR, projecting 10.2 projected points with a on fire Pepper Meter rating. LAR is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. 63% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. The math is unsexy and convincing: 10.2 points, 46% above what the position pays out on average. Sally has him at On Fire on the Pepper Meter, and she'll wear the result either way.

Tina's take

Peppers & Picks ranks Isaiah Likely (NYG TE), our TE6 this week for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season at LAR, projecting 10.2 projected points with a on fire Pepper Meter rating. LAR is the opponent, and that's the part of this I'm least worried about. 63% of managers already start him, and the depth-chart role behind that number looks stable. The math is unsexy and convincing: 10.2 points, 46% above what the position pays out on average. Tina has him at On Fire on the Pepper Meter, and she'll wear the result either way.