Rashee Rice or Sam LaPorta: Who Should You Start?

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

Rice’s WR1 role meets LaPorta’s stronger target concentration

Rice gets a small projection edge, but it doesn’t create much separation: LaPorta is more involved in Detroit’s passing game and has the stronger team scoring environment. Miami’s tougher-looking receiver matchup and the Jets’ tougher-looking tight end matchup both come from a two-game sample with zero confidence, so neither should drive the call. Both are starts; the choice comes down to Rice’s after-catch ability versus LaPorta’s steadier share of the offense.

What flips it: Rice claiming a larger share of Kansas City’s passing game.

AI editor

Rashee Rice

Rashee Rice

WR11KCvs MIA

Projected Points

Start
Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta

TE8DETvs NYJ

Projected Points

Start· medium

Rashee Rice’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
+124 / -158
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 48.5
-110 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+130
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Sam LaPorta’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
-117 / -109
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 44.5
-114 / -110
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+185
Anytime Touchdown Props →
KC@
MIASun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →
NYJ@
DETSun, Sep 27, 1:00 PM ETView the game →

Why Rashee Rice

Start

WR1 and primary target. Physical yards-after-catch separator with heavy in-breaking route usage.

Start — every-week WR start at consensus WR11: MIA is the 6th-toughest matchup vs WRs, 26.0 implied team total.

  • Rice’s in-breaking routes and yards-after-catch skill give him a way to turn routine looks into chunk gains.
  • The concern is volume: his primary-target label hasn’t translated into a large share of targets so far.

Latest on Rice

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.

  • LaPorta’s every-down role and seam work give him a dependable path to catches in Detroit’s productive offense.
  • Don’t let the Jets’ intimidating matchup rank outweigh a sample too small to carry real confidence.

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

MetricRashee RiceSam LaPorta
Projected points
Consensus rankWR11TE8
Opponent vs positionMIA · 6 of 322-game sampleNYJ · 2 of 322-game sample
Receptions7 of 324 of 32
Receiving Yards6 of 323 of 32
Receiving TDs7 of 321 of 32
Targets2 of 323 of 32
Anytime TD7 of 321 of 32
Target share12%20%
Reception share13%21%
Implied total · spread26.0-7.527.5-9.5
Depth chartWR1TE1
Snap share81%90%
Start/Sit record—1–1

Recent form

Rashee Rice — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs IND
Week 1vs DEN

Sam LaPorta — last 2 weeks

Week 2vs BUF
Week 1vs NO

Signal breakdown

  • 12.7 vs 11.2 projected PPR pointsRashee Rice +
  • Rank 11 vs 8Sam LaPorta +
  • Opponent DvP rank 6 vs 2 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 26.0 vs 27.5 team pointsSam LaPorta +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 81% vs 90% snap shareSam LaPorta +

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