Isaiah Likely Injury Update: When Will TE Return to Ravens?

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is recovering from a small fracture in his foot. It was a non-contact injury on the last play of practice on July 29, and required surgery. Ravens fans and fantasy football owners are now wondering when Likely will be back. Below, we will outline a potential return date for the Ravens TE.

🚑 When will Isaiah Likely return and be back with Ravens?

Likely is currently playing a game of beat the clock when it comes to recovery from the fracture in his foot. All recent indications are that Likely is on track in his rehabilitation process. 

On Aug. 1, he tweeted: “Now the clock begins, see y’all soon. Glory to God.”

And Aug. 3, he retweeted a post that read: “You’re getting close. That’s why it’s getting tough.”

When Likely was initially injured the timeline for his return was set at 6-8 weeks.

“We’ve got a shot to get him back there right away,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of Likely right after the injury took place, according to The New York Times. “We’ll see. That’s the good news. It was early in camp and it’s not one of those major type of deals, but it’s something. It’s multiple weeks."

Exactly six weeks from when the injury occurred is Tuesday, Sept. 9. That is two days after the Ravens open the regular season with a game at the Buffalo Bills.

The Ravens have not ruled out the possibility of rushing Likely back for the opener, but it is much more probable that they will wait until Week 2 or Week 3 to bring him back into the fold.

Here is a look at the Ravens’ schedule to open the season.

• Sunday, September 7: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
• Sunday, September 14: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
• Monday, September 22: Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
• Sunday, September 28: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
• Sunday, October 5: Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens

⏳ How long will Isaiah Likely be out for?

This injury is also known as a non-displaced fracture. It usually takes around 6-8 weeks to heal, but can sometimes take up to 10-12 weeks.

If it was January and the Ravens had a playoff game tomorrow, you can bet that Likely would be out on the field. The Ravens may proceed with extra caution over the course of the next month given that the NFL season is a Marathon. It is unlikely that they will rush Likely back before he is fully healed at this juncture in the calendar. 

🏈 Isaiah Likely fantasy football draft position

Likely is currently rostered in 34 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. He is going undrafted in many fantasy drafts given the injury and that he will again be sharing Ravens tight end duties with Mark Andrews. 

Likely’s arrow is pointing up, however, as he is younger than Andrews and has improved statistically in all three of his NFL seasons. Last season, Likely caught 42 balls for 477 yards and 6 TDs.

🏆 Ravens betting odds

The Ravens are again near, or at the top of Super Bowl odds boards. Baltimore is currently around +700 at most of the best NFL betting sites.

The latest NFL Playoff odds have the Ravens with a -590 price to make the postseason. They are +410 to miss the playoffs.

Baltimore’s win total has been set at 11.5 victories at most sportsbooks.