Should I start Ja'Kobi Lane or Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 9?

The market-based projections

Ja'Kobi Lane's market-based projection is 4.0 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 11 market sources. That is the 45th highest figure of the 175 players with a market-based projection.

Brian Thomas Jr.'s market-based projection is 3.5 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 11 market sources. That is the 54th highest figure of the 175 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Ja'Kobi Lane, and the board ranks him 68th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Brian Thomas Jr., and the board ranks him 72nd overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 8

Through Week 8, Ja'Kobi Lane has been on the field for 54 percent of BAL snaps, drawn 12 percent of the targets and had 15 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 9 of the offence's 39 third down targets, had 1 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 3 of its 16 two minute targets.

His 14 targets have averaged 10.6 air yards.

In Week 6 against CLE he caught 4 of 5 targets for 40 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against CIN he caught 3 of 5 targets for 25 yards and did not score.

In Week 8 against BUF he caught 1 of 1 target for 13 yards and did not score.

Through Week 8, Brian Thomas Jr. has drawn 12 percent of the targets and had 25 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 1 of the offence's 5 third down targets.

His 2 targets have averaged 19.0 air yards.

In Week 8 against IND he caught 1 of 2 targets for 12 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

Their 2025 seasons

Ja'Kobi Lane is a rookie, so there is no NFL season behind him to price him against.

In 2025 Brian Thomas Jr. played 14 games and scored 138.8 PPR points, 9.9 a game, finishing WR42.

He caught 48 of 91 targets for 707 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 6 red zone targets.

That came to 6-7 targets a game, a 53 percent catch rate and 14.7 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 79 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Head to head

Their target share this season is the same, 12 percent each.

Byes and availability

Ja'Kobi Lane is off in Week 13 and Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 7, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.5 points a game is the entire case. The market restates it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when live drafts hold these two again they can order them differently from the projection, and this page will follow the drafts rather than the market-based projection when they do.