Should I start Michael Mayer or Drew Sample in Week 10?

The market-based projections

Michael Mayer's market-based projection is 5.6 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 5 market sources. That is the 46th highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

Drew Sample's market-based projection is 2.8 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 11 market sources. That is the 80th highest figure of the 210 players with a market-based projection.

Where the draft room stands

Live drafts hold no current pick on Michael Mayer, and the board ranks him 46th overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Drew Sample, and the board ranks him 81st overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 9

Through Week 9, Michael Mayer has been on the field for 81 percent of LV snaps, drawn 15 percent of the targets and had 3 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 8 of the offence's 84 third down targets, had 2 of its 27 chances inside the five and seen 9 of its 43 two minute targets.

His 46 targets have averaged 5.2 air yards.

In Week 7 against LAR he caught 3 of 3 targets for 32 yards and did not score.

In Week 8 against NYJ he caught 5 of 6 targets for 53 yards and did not score.

In Week 9 against SF he caught 3 of 3 targets for 37 yards and did not score.

Through Week 9, Drew Sample has been on the field for 51 percent of CIN snaps, drawn 3 percent of the targets and had 3 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 1 of the offence's 68 third down targets, had 0 of its 20 chances inside the five and seen 0 of its 47 two minute targets.

His 8 targets have averaged 0.9 air yards.

In Week 7 against BAL he caught 2 of 2 targets for 24 yards and scored 1 touchdown.

In Week 8 against TEN he was not given the ball.

In Week 9 against ATL he was not given the ball.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025 Michael Mayer played 13 games and scored 73.8 PPR points, 5.7 a game, finishing TE38.

He caught 35 of 50 targets for 328 yards and 1 touchdown, with 6 red zone targets.

That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 70 percent catch rate and 9.4 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 57 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

In 2025 Drew Sample played 17 games and scored 31.9 PPR points, 1.9 a game, finishing TE64.

He caught 15 of 20 targets for 106 yards and 1 touchdown, with 1 red zone target.

That came to 1.2 targets a game, a 75 percent catch rate and 7.1 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 52 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Drew Sample was available for 4 games more.

Head to head

In 2025 Michael Mayer scored 5.7 PPR points a game and Drew Sample 1.9, 3.8 a game between them.

Michael Mayer finished TE38 that year and Drew Sample TE64.

Michael Mayer had 30 more targets than Drew Sample, 50 to 20.

Michael Mayer had 222 more receiving yards than Drew Sample, 328 to 106.

This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger snap share, 81 percent against 51 percent.

This season Michael Mayer holds the bigger target share, 15 percent against 3 percent.

Byes and availability

Michael Mayer is off in Week 13. No bye is listed for Drew Sample.

What would change the answer

2.8 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.