Mark Andrews or Sam LaPorta: Who Should You Start?

The call

• Availability is clean (no designation) and the role is locked: 62% snap share with a 17% target share is starter-level volume at a position where most streamers see single-digit target shares.
• A 26.5 implied team total and a -3.5 spread point to a positive-but-competitive script — enough scoring to feed touchdown equity without a run-out clock blowout that erases pass volume.
• The 20-of-32 DvP composite is middling-to-soft, but it comes off a 0-game sample at 0.00 confidence, so lean on the role and game environment rather than the matchup grade.
• Risk is the ceiling: 10.1 projected points and a TE15 consensus rank make him a floor play, not a difference-maker — if you have a top-8 TE alternative, use it.

The call

• Role is locked in: 91% snap share across nine games with a 17% target share makes him Detroit's clear pass-game hub at tight end, and TE8 consensus with 11.0 projected points reflects that.
• Vegas loves this offense — a 27.8 implied team total as a 7-point favorite means plenty of scoring chances, and LaPorta's red-zone role travels even if the Lions get out front and lean run.
• The NO matchup grades middling (13 of 32) on a 0-game sample with 0.00 confidence, so it's noise, not a reason to bench a locked-in starter.
• Only real risk is the questionable tag — confirm he's active pregame; if he's limited or downgraded, this drops to a toss-up against a healthy streaming TE.