Should I start Sam LaPorta or Malik Washington in Week 8?

The market-based projections

Sam LaPorta's market-based projection is 11.7 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 12 market sources. That is the 43rd highest figure of the 200 players with a market-based projection.

Malik Washington's market-based projection is 9.6 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 7 market sources. That is the 55th 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 31st overall on the rest of his evidence.

Live drafts hold no current pick on Malik Washington, and the board ranks him 33rd overall on the rest of his evidence.

This season through Week 7

Through Week 7, Sam LaPorta has been on the field for 89 percent of DET snaps, drawn 18 percent of the targets and had 12 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 7 of the offence's 52 third down targets, had 2 of its 21 chances inside the five and seen 4 of its 26 two minute targets.

His 39 targets have averaged 6.2 air yards.

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.

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

Through Week 7, Malik Washington has been on the field for 84 percent of MIA snaps, drawn 26 percent of the targets and had 10 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 6 of the offence's 41 third down targets, had 0 of its 15 chances inside the five and seen 6 of its 19 two minute targets.

His 39 targets have averaged 11.2 air yards.

In Week 4 against MIN he carried 2 times for 3 yards, caught 5 of 5 targets for 67 yards and did not score.

In Week 5 against CIN he carried 1 time for 18 yards, caught 6 of 8 targets for 43 yards and did not score.

In Week 7 against NYJ he carried 2 times for 8 yards, caught 3 of 3 targets for 27 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 Malik Washington played 17 games and scored 116.7 PPR points, 6.9 a game, finishing WR54.

He caught 46 of 65 targets for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 11 red zone targets.

That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 71 percent catch rate and 6.9 yards a catch.

He was on the field for 56 percent of the snaps in the games he played.

Malik Washington was available for 8 games more.

Side by side

In 2025 Sam LaPorta scored 11.9 PPR points a game and Malik Washington 6.9, 5.0 a game between them.

Sam LaPorta finished TE27 and Malik Washington WR54, which are two different ladders.

Sam LaPorta is a tight end and Malik Washington 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

2.2 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.