Should I start Darren Waller or Ja'Kobi Lane in Week 9?

The market-based projections

Darren Waller's market-based projection is 4.7 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 123rd highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Ja'Kobi Lane's market-based projection is 4.1 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 14 market sources. That is the 131st highest figure of the 224 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Darren Waller, and the board ranks him 139th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Ja'Kobi Lane, and the board ranks him 146th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 8

Through Week 8, Darren Waller has been on the field for 48 percent of CAR snaps, drawn 10 percent of the targets and had 6 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 9 of the offence's 53 third down targets, had 0 of its 13 chances inside the five and seen 7 of its 34 two minute targets.

His 25 targets have averaged 9.4 air yards.

In Week 6 against PHI he caught 0 of 2 targets for 0 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against TB he caught 1 of 2 targets for 50 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 8 against GB he caught 1 of 2 targets for 11 yards and did not score.

Through Week 8, Ja'Kobi Lane has been on the field for 56 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.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Darren Waller played 9 games and scored 88.7 PPR points, 9.9 a game, finishing TE33.

He caught 24 of 34 targets for 283 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 7 red zone targets.

That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 71 percent catch rate and 11.8 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 45 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

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

Side by side

Darren Waller is a tight end and Ja'Kobi Lane a wide receiver, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

Darren Waller is off in Week 5 and Ja'Kobi Lane in Week 13, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.6 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.