Start Sam LaPorta or Cade Otton? Week 8

Our Week 8 call

Start Sam LaPorta over Cade Otton in Week 8.

Market-based projections have Sam LaPorta at 11.9 points and Cade Otton at 8.1, a gap of 3.8. No player market is posted for Cade Otton this week yet, so his 8.1 is the average of his market-based projections in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 (7.7, 7.2 and 9.5); the call is rebuilt when his market posts.

What the market projects

Player markets imply 11.9 fantasy points for Sam LaPorta, with 100 percent of the markets a TE needs posted.

The market-based projection for Sam LaPorta is 52 receiving yards, 4-5 receptions and 0.4 touchdowns (10, 8 and 12 market sources).

No Week 8 player market is posted for Cade Otton yet. His market-based projections were 7.7, 7.2 and 9.5 points in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, an average of 8.1, which stands in until his Week 8 market posts.

That puts Sam LaPorta 3.8 points ahead of Cade Otton on these projections.

Week 8 matchups

Sam LaPorta and DET host MIN on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

MIN allowed 6.9 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 6 games, the fewest in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 39 yards and no touchdowns a game against MIN.

Cade Otton and TB host ATL on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.

ATL allowed 15.8 fantasy points a game to TEs this season over 7 games, the 10th most in the league.

Tight ends caught passes for 63 yards and 0.6 touchdowns a game against ATL.

By points allowed to the position, Cade Otton has the softer matchup.

Injury status

Sam LaPorta is not on the injury report.

Cade Otton is not on the injury report.

Usage before Week 8

Through Week 7, Sam LaPorta played 89 percent of DET snaps, drew 18 percent of the targets, earned 14 percent of the air yards and had 12 percent of the red zone chances.

Sam LaPorta, Week 3 against NYJ: 60 of 65 snaps, 4 targets and 3 catches for 44 yards.

Sam LaPorta, Week 4 against CAR: 56 of 71 snaps, 13 targets and 8 catches for 84 yards, 1 touchdown.

Sam LaPorta, Week 5 against ARI: 59 of 66 snaps, 5 targets and 5 catches for 88 yards, 1 touchdown.

Sam LaPorta, Week 7 against GB: 66 of 68 snaps, 2 targets and 1 catch for 18 yards.

Through Week 7, Cade Otton played 94 percent of TB snaps, drew 15 percent of the targets, earned 13 percent of the air yards and had 4 percent of the red zone chances.

Cade Otton, Week 4 against GB: 60 of 64 snaps, 6 targets and 4 catches for 37 yards.

Cade Otton, Week 5 against DAL: 66 of 72 snaps, 4 targets and 3 catches for 25 yards.

Cade Otton, Week 6 against PIT: 74 of 74 snaps, 2 targets and 1 catch for 4 yards.

Cade Otton, Week 7 against CAR: 56 of 63 snaps, 1 target and 0 catches for 0 yards.

Their 2025 seasons

In 2025, Sam LaPorta played 9 games for DET 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 and 215 air yards.

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

In 2025, Cade Otton played 16 games for TB and scored 122.2 PPR points, 7.6 a game, finishing TE22.

He caught 59 of 81 targets for 572 yards and 1 touchdown, with 5 red zone targets and 261 air yards.

He was on the field for 93 percent of the offense's snaps in the games he played.

Their other Week 8 calls

• Start Sam LaPorta over Brenton Strange.
• Start Brock Bowers over Sam LaPorta.
• Start Colston Loveland over Sam LaPorta.
• Start Cade Otton over AJ Barner.
• Start Brenton Strange over Cade Otton.
• Start Colston Loveland over Cade Otton.