Should I start Sam LaPorta or Devaughn Vele in Week 7?

The market-based projections

Sam LaPorta's market-based projection is 12.1 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 56th highest figure of the 200 players with a market-based projection.

Devaughn Vele's market-based projection is 10.2 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 13 market sources. That is the 69th highest figure of the 200 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 50th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Devaughn Vele, and the board ranks him 49th overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season so far

Through Week 5, Sam LaPorta has been on the field for 88 percent of DET snaps, drawn 20 percent of the targets and had 13 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 7 of the offence's 45 third down targets, had 2 of its 21 chances inside the five and seen 4 of its 21 two minute targets.

His 37 targets have averaged 6.3 air yards.

In Week 3 against NYJ he caught 3 of 4 targets for 44 yards and did not score.

In Week 4 against CAR he caught 8 of 13 targets for 84 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

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

Through Week 6, Devaughn Vele has been on the field for 91 percent of NO snaps, drawn 19 percent of the targets and had 11 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 15 of the offence's 59 third down targets, had 2 of its 19 chances inside the five and seen 6 of its 37 two minute targets.

His 43 targets have averaged 10.3 air yards.

In Week 4 against ATL he caught 6 of 9 targets for 54 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 5 against MIN he caught 4 of 6 targets for 26 yards and did not score.

In Week 6 against NYG he caught 3 of 6 targets for 42 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.

In 2025 Devaughn Vele played 13 games and scored 66.3 PPR points, 5.1 a game, finishing WR95.

He caught 25 of 39 targets for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 4 red zone targets.

That came to 3.0 targets a game, a 64 percent catch rate and 11.7 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 51 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Devaughn Vele was available for 4 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Sam LaPorta scored 11.9 PPR points a game and Devaughn Vele 5.1, 6.8 a game between them.

Sam LaPorta finished TE27 and Devaughn Vele WR95, which are two different ladders.

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

Byes and availability

Sam LaPorta is off in Week 6 and Devaughn Vele in Week 8, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

1.9 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.