Should I start Michael Penix Jr. or Isaiah Likely in Week 7?

Updated Oct 20, 4:16 PM ET. Week 8 answers post Tuesday.

Start Michael Penix Jr.: 98 percent of the snaps and 0 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Isaiah Likely's 79 percent of the snaps and 29 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.

Should I drop Isaiah Likely for Michael Penix Jr.?

Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Penix Jr. projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.0 a game over 10 games), Isaiah Likely 95 (9.5 a game over 10 games). Michael Penix Jr. is listed questionable.

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Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.

Michael Penix Jr.

QB13 · ATL · bye 11

2026 vs pass yds line 2-2

Market-based projection: 15.3 pts a game Wk 6 price
Overall rank: 117

Isaiah Likely

TE16 · NYG · bye 8

2026 vs anytime td line 3-3

Market-based projection: 13.5 pts a game Wk 6 price
Overall rank: 118

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The gap

Board size299 draftable players

Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Michael Penix Jr., and the board ranks him 117th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Isaiah Likely, and the board ranks him 118th overall on the rest of his evidence.

The market-based projections

No season market is posted for Michael Penix Jr., so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.

The market-based projection for Isaiah Likely is 2.5 PPR points a game off 1 market across 8 market sources. That is 30 percent of what a tight end's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.

This season through Week 6

Through Week 6, Michael Penix Jr. has been on the field for 99 percent of ATL snaps, dropped back 122 times and thrown 7.4 air yards an attempt.

He has been sacked or hit on 15 of 122 dropbacks and scrambled 3 times.

In Week 4 against NO he completed 15 of 20 passes for 223 yards and threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.

In Week 5 against BAL he completed 19 of 32 passes for 240 yards, threw 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions and ran 2 times for 8 yards.

In Week 6 against CHI he completed 19 of 33 passes for 225 yards, threw 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions and ran 1 time for 1 yards.

Through Week 6, Isaiah Likely has been on the field for 74 percent of NYG snaps, drawn 29 percent of the targets and had 19 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 16 of the offence's 55 third down targets, had 2 of its 10 chances inside the five and seen 8 of its 27 two minute targets.

His 59 targets have averaged 8.1 air yards.

In Week 4 against ARI he caught 7 of 12 targets for 66 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against WAS he caught 11 of 13 targets for 94 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 6 against NO he caught 6 of 11 targets for 99 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. played 9 games and scored 123.3 PPR points, 13.7 a game, finishing QB33.

He threw for 1982 yards on 276 attempts with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and ran for 70 yards and 1 touchdown.

That came to 30.7 attempts a game at 7.2 yards an attempt.

He was on the field for 93 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Isaiah Likely played 14 games and scored 61.7 PPR points, 4.4 a game, finishing TE45.

He caught 27 of 36 targets for 307 yards and 1 touchdown, with 6 red zone targets.

That came to 2.6 targets a game, a 75 percent catch rate and 11.4 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 58 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Isaiah Likely was available for 5 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Michael Penix Jr. scored 13.7 PPR points a game and Isaiah Likely 4.4, 9.3 a game between them.

Michael Penix Jr. finished QB33 and Isaiah Likely TE45, which are two different ladders.

Michael Penix Jr. is a quarterback and Isaiah Likely a tight end, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Michael Penix Jr. is off in Week 11 and Isaiah Likely in Week 8, so either can cover the other's bye.

Michael Penix Jr. is listed as questionable on the injury report.

Drop or keep

Should I drop Isaiah Likely for Michael Penix Jr.?
Yes, on the rest of the season. Michael Penix Jr. projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.0 a game over 10 games), Isaiah Likely 95 (9.5 a game over 10 games). Michael Penix Jr. is listed questionable.
Should I drop Michael Penix Jr. for Isaiah Likely?
No. Keep Michael Penix Jr.: he projects 150 market-implied PPR points from Week 7 through Week 17 (15.0 a game over 10 games), Isaiah Likely 95 (9.5 a game over 10 games). Michael Penix Jr. is listed questionable.