Chris Olave or Isaiah Likely: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Olave's every-down role beats Likely's explosive but less stable TE deployment

Start Chris Olave: his WR1 workload gives him the sturdier route-volume floor, making the model's narrow edge more trustworthy than the raw matchup gap. Isaiah Likely's slot takeover creates receiver-like upside at tight end, but his part-time snap role makes the strong target rate more dependent on touchdowns (Yahoo Sports (PFF) 2026-09-14). Olave's hamstring tag is the actual threat to this call; it was described as precautionary and not expected to affect Sunday (SI/OnSI 2026-09-17), but any lost routes would erase his workload advantage.

What flips it: A confirmed hamstring limitation that cuts Olave's route volume.

Sources: SI/OnSI · Sep 17, 2026 · Yahoo Sports (PFF) · Sep 14, 2026

AI editor

Chris Olave

Chris Olave

WR10NOvs BAL

Projected Points

Start
Isaiah Likely

Isaiah Likely

TE14NYGvs LAR

Projected Points

Start· medium

Chris Olave’s market

REC
O/U 5.5
-140 / +109
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 71.5
-114 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+195
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Isaiah Likely’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
-102 / -125
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 44.5
-114 / -110
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+290
Anytime Touchdown Props →
NO@
BALSun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
NYG@
LARMon, Sep 21, 8:15 PM ETView the game →

Why Chris Olave

Start

WR1 and primary target. Silky route runner with vertical speed and high-volume target share.

Start — every-week WR start at consensus WR10: 25% target share, Questionable on the latest report.

  • An 86% snap role supports a safer weekly floor than Likely's part-time deployment.
  • The hamstring issue was described as precautionary, preserving confidence in his WR1 volume (SI/OnSI 2026-09-17).

Latest on Olave

Role

Chris Olave was a major target in Week 1, catching 10 passes for 182 receiving yards.

Saints QB Tyler Shough expects less jitters vs. RavensESPN, neworleanssaints.com · Sep 18, 2026
Status

Chris Olave popped up on Thursday's injury report with a hamstring issue and was limited in practice, but his early departure was described as purely precautionary and is not expected to be a problem for Sunday's game.

SI/OnSI · Sep 17, 2026
NFL fantasy outlook for Saints in 2026? Etienne, Johnson, rookie WRs

With Alvin Kamara sidelined, fantasy managers are left to wonder who will pick up the carries for New Orleans.

ESPN · Sep 7, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Isaiah Likely

Start· medium

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

28% target share and a Week 1 line of 8-for-8 with two TDs make Likely a clear TE1 play at TE14, even in a tough on-paper matchup.

  • Likely's slot takeover gives him receiver-like upside from a tight end spot (Yahoo Sports (PFF) 2026-09-14).
  • His 28% target share is elite, but a 49% snap rate leaves more touchdown dependence.

The call

  • Usage is the sell: a 28% target share and an 8-target, 8-catch, two-touchdown Week 1 in which he absorbed slot snaps (17) previously held by Wan'Dale Robinson — that's a featured role, not a rotational one.
  • The DvP composite of 7 of 32 looks scary but it's a one-game sample with 0.00 confidence; there's not enough signal there to bench a 28%-target tight end.
  • Game script helps: an 8.5-point spread and a 20.0 implied total point to negative-script passing volume, which funnels targets to the underneath and slot area Likely now works.
  • Risk is the 49% snap share — he's still splitting time, so the floor depends on efficiency and red-zone looks rather than raw volume.

Latest on Likely

Role

Likely led the Giants' Week 1 pass-catchers with an 82.8 PFF grade, catching all eight targets for two touchdowns and taking over much of the slot receiver role (17 slot snaps) previously held by Wan'Dale Robinson.

Yahoo Sports (PFF) · Sep 14, 2026
Isaiah Likely's Week 2 preview
VideoESPN · Sep 16, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricChris OlaveIsaiah Likely
Projected points
Consensus rankWR10TE14
Opponent vs positionBAL · 12 of 321-game sampleLAR · 7 of 321-game sample
Receptions20 of 329 of 32
Receiving Yards17 of 329 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 321 of 32
Targets19 of 3215 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 321 of 32
Target share25%28%
Reception share29%35%
Implied total · spread19.5+7.520.0+8.5
Depth chartWR1TE1
Snap share86%49%
Injury designationQuestionable—
Start/Sit record—1–0

Recent form

Chris Olave — last 1 week

Week 1vs DET

Isaiah Likely — last 1 week

Week 1vs DAL

Signal breakdown

  • 15.8 vs 11.0 projected PPR pointsChris Olave +
  • Rank 10 vs 14Chris Olave +
  • Opponent DvP rank 12 vs 7 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 19.5 vs 20.0 team pointsIsaiah Likely +
  • Questionable vs no designationIsaiah Likely +
  • 86% vs 49% snap shareChris Olave +

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