Devaughn Vele or Sam LaPorta: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 3 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

Vele’s every-down role offsets LaPorta’s stronger scoring environment

Vele’s locked WR-2 role and rare size give him a dependable volume floor, while his slightly higher projection is too narrow to matter. LaPorta benefits from Detroit’s much stronger scoring environment and mismatch profile, but the Jets’ DvP ranking should not drive the call because it comes from a two-game, zero-confidence sample. Start either; Vele’s risk is a lower team total, while LaPorta’s is needing Detroit’s projected advantage to produce enough passing-game work.

What flips it: A meaningful change to either player’s route or red-zone role before kickoff.

AI editor

Devaughn Vele

Devaughn Vele

WRNOvs LV

Projected Points

Start· medium
Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta

TE8DETvs NYJ

Projected Points

Start· medium

Devaughn Vele’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+280
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Sam LaPorta’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+185
Anytime Touchdown Props →
LV@
NOSun, Sep 27, 4:25 PM ETView the game →
NYJ@
DETSun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →

Why Devaughn Vele

Start· medium

Starting WR with rare size. Big-bodied contested-catch target in the intermediate game.

94% snap share and a locked WR-2 role with 19% target share make Vele a playable PPR flex at 11.5 projected, even against a top-10 DvP unit.

  • His contested-catch skill gives Vele a usable touchdown path even if New Orleans falls short of its scoring expectation.
  • The matchup is less important than his near-every-down role; a thinner game can still support steady PPR volume.

The call

  • Role is not in question: 94% snap share through two games with a 19% target share means he's on the field for everything as the WR-2, and that volume floor is what flex plays live on in PPR.
  • The 11.5-point projection lands him in solid FLEX/WR3 territory — clearly above a typical replacement option in a 12-team league.
  • The matchup grades tough (7 of 32 vs the position), but that composite comes off a 2-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it's not reliable enough to bench a full-time receiver over.
  • Game script is neutral-to-good: 23.0 implied team total as a 3.5-point favorite keeps the offense on schedule without forcing a pass-heavy blowout chase — the main risk is a run-out-the-clock win that caps his targets.

Latest on Vele

Saints QB Tyler Shough expects less jitters vs. Ravens

The 26-year-old starter is the first to say he and his New Orleans team will fight through the adversity.

ESPN · Sep 18, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Sam LaPorta

Start· medium

TE1 and pass-catching mismatch. Reliable seam and intermediate target when healthy.

TE8 with a 90% snap share and 20% target share on a 27.5-point implied total — the scary Jets DvP rank is a 2-game, zero-confidence sample.

  • Detroit’s projected lead creates more chances for LaPorta to cash in as a red-zone mismatch.
  • His seam role can beat the Jets’ early DvP signal, which is too thin to treat as a reliable warning.

The call

  • Role is locked: 90% snap share and a 20% target share through two games make LaPorta the clear pass-game hub, and TE8 consensus with 11.2 projected points beats any realistic 12-team replacement.
  • The Jets' No. 2-of-32 DvP mark vs tight ends looks ugly, but it's built on a 2-game sample with 0.00 confidence — not enough to bench a locked-in starter.
  • Detroit's 27.5 implied total and -9.5 spread mean plenty of offensive snaps; the risk is a blowout script that shifts volume to the run game late.
  • No injury designation, so there's no availability concern attached to the call.

Head-to-head stats

MetricDevaughn VeleSam LaPorta
Projected points
Consensus rank—TE8
Opponent vs positionLV · 7 of 322-game sampleNYJ · 2 of 322-game sample
Receptions2 of 324 of 32
Receiving Yards16 of 323 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 321 of 32
Targets14 of 323 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 321 of 32
Target share19%20%
Reception share19%21%
Implied total · spread23.0-3.527.5-9.5
Depth chartWR2TE1
Snap share94%90%
Start/Sit record1–01–1

Recent form

Devaughn Vele — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs BAL
Week 1vs DET

Sam LaPorta — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs BUF
Week 1vs NO

Signal breakdown

  • 11.5 vs 11.2 projected PPR pointsDevaughn Vele +
  • Consensus position rankeven
  • Opponent DvP rank 7 vs 2 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 23.0 vs 27.5 team pointsSam LaPorta +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 94% vs 90% snap shareDevaughn Vele +

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