Isaiah Likely or Sam LaPorta: Who Should You Start?

The call

• Consensus has him TE12 at 9.4 PPR points, literally the last starting tight end in a 12-team league — no margin over a typical waiver TE.
• Role is real but not dominant: 59% snap share and a 14% target share over 11 games means he needs volume or a red-zone look to clear his projection.
• Matchup leans the wrong way — Dallas grades 10 of 32 on the DvP composite (32 = softest), though the 0-game sample means low confidence in that read.
• Reported plan to use him as a 'big slot receiver' with only five wide receivers available is the tipping point: if that materializes and Nabers is limited, his target share jumps and he becomes a start; if he's back to a standard TE snap count, sit him.

The call

• Role is locked in: 91% snap share and a 17% target share over nine games make him Detroit's clear No. 1 tight end, and the depth chart confirms the starting job.
• Game environment is a plus — 27.8 implied team total as a 7-point favorite means plenty of scoring chances, and LaPorta is a red-zone piece in that offense.
• The DvP composite of 13 of 32 comes off a 0-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it carries no real weight against a TE6 consensus rank.
• Only real risk is the questionable designation; if he's downgraded or limited in warmups, pivot, but an active LaPorta is a clear starter over replacement TEs.