Isaiah Likely or Tee Higgins: Who Should You Start?

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

Likely’s slot takeover offsets Higgins’ steadier workload

Likely’s Week 1 takeover of the slot gives his concentrated targets more route value than his modest snap share suggests (Yahoo Sports (PFF) 2026-09-14). Higgins counters with the steadier every-down role, a slightly better scoring environment and a red-zone profile that can turn limited volume into a touchdown. That makes this an even call: Likely’s role is the upside, while the risk is that his expanded deployment does not carry forward and Higgins’ workload wins out.

What flips it: A confirmed continuation of Likely’s expanded slot role.

Sources: Yahoo Sports (PFF) · Sep 14, 2026

AI editor

Isaiah Likely

Isaiah Likely

TE14NYGvs LAR

Projected Points

Start· medium
Tee Higgins

Tee Higgins

WR21CINvs HOU

Projected Points

Toss-Up

Isaiah Likely’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
-119 / -107
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 44.5
-114 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+260
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Tee Higgins’s market

REC
O/U 3.5
-144 / +113
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 54.5
-114 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+165
Anytime Touchdown Props →
NYG@
LARMon, Sep 21, 8:15 PM ETView the game →
CIN@
HOUSun, Sep 20, 1:00 PM ETView the game →

Why Isaiah Likely

Start· medium

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

28% target share and 8-for-8, two-TD Week 1 make Likely a TE1 play; 11.5 projected at TE14 clears the bar even in a 20-point implied total.

  • His slot usage creates a path to repeat target concentration despite a lighter overall role.
  • The red-zone mismatch profile gives Likely more ways to beat a modest team total.

The call

  • Usage is the case: a 28% target share plus the 17 slot snaps he took over means he's the primary target in this passing game, not a situational tight end.
  • Week 1 receipts back it up — all eight targets caught for two touchdowns and an 82.8 PFF grade, the best mark among the pass-catchers.
  • The matchup grades tough (7 of 32 vs TEs) but that's a one-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it shouldn't outweigh a locked-in target role.
  • Real risk is the environment: a 20.0 implied total with an 8.5-point spread and only a 49% snap share cap the ceiling if the offense stalls.

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.

Why Tee Higgins

Toss-Up

WR2 and red-zone mismatch. Big-bodied contested-catch winner with elite touchdown conversion.

Toss-up — WR21 consensus, projects WR26 this week: 18% target share, 12.3 PPR projected vs HOU.

  • His sturdier WR2 deployment offers a safer route base if Cincinnati controls the game.
  • Big-bodied red-zone work can rescue Higgins when his target share stays ordinary.

Head-to-head stats

MetricIsaiah LikelyTee Higgins
Projected points
Consensus rankTE14WR21
Opponent vs positionLAR · 7 of 321-game sampleHOU · 21 of 321-game sample
Receptions9 of 3215 of 32
Receiving Yards9 of 3225 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 3225 of 32
Targets15 of 3215 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 3225 of 32
Target share28%18%
Reception share35%12%
Implied total · spread20.0+8.522.0+2.5
Depth chartTE1WR2
Snap share49%72%
Start/Sit record1–00–1

Recent form

Isaiah Likely — last 1 week

Week 1vs DAL

Tee Higgins — last 1 week

Week 1vs TB

Signal breakdown

  • 11.5 vs 12.3 projected PPR pointsTee Higgins +
  • Rank 14 vs 21Isaiah Likely +
  • Opponent DvP rank 7 vs 21 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 20.0 vs 22.0 team pointsTee Higgins +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 49% vs 72% snap shareTee Higgins +

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