Should I start Sam LaPorta or Caleb Douglas in Week 9?

The market-based projections

Sam LaPorta's market-based projection is 10.2 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 70th highest figure of the 219 players with a market-based projection.

Caleb Douglas's market-based projection is 8.4 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 11 market sources. That is the 89th highest figure of the 219 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Sam LaPorta, and the board ranks him 73rd overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Caleb Douglas, and the board ranks him 71st overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 8

Through Week 8, Sam LaPorta has been on the field for 90 percent of DET snaps, drawn 18 percent of the targets and had 12 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 8 of the offence's 60 third down targets, had 2 of its 22 chances inside the five and seen 4 of its 30 two minute targets.

His 44 targets have averaged 6.1 air yards.

In Week 5 against ARI he caught 5 of 5 targets for 88 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 7 against GB he caught 1 of 2 targets for 18 yards and did not score.

In Week 8 against MIN he carried 1 time for 2 yards, caught 3 of 5 targets for 33 yards and did not score.

Through Week 8, Caleb Douglas has been on the field for 82 percent of MIA snaps, drawn 19 percent of the targets and had 7 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 8 of the offence's 30 third down targets, had 0 of its 8 chances inside the five and seen 5 of its 14 two minute targets.

His 19 targets have averaged 12.3 air yards.

In Week 2 against SF he caught 2 of 3 targets for 19 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against NYJ he caught 2 of 3 targets for 70 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

In Week 8 against NE he caught 4 of 6 targets for 43 yards and did not score.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Sam LaPorta played 9 games and scored 106.9 PPR points, 11.9 a game, finishing TE27.

He caught 40 of 49 targets for 489 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 4 red zone targets.

That came to 5.4 targets a game, a 82 percent catch rate and 12.2 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 90 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Caleb Douglas is a rookie, so there is no NFL season behind him to price him against.

Side by side

Sam LaPorta is a tight end and Caleb Douglas a wide receiver, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Both are off in Week 6, so a roster holding the pair has that one week to cover twice.

What would change the answer

1.8 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.