Sam LaPorta or Stefon Diggs: Who Should You Start?

Preliminary board

2026 Week 2 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Verdicts sharpen as practice reports land.

LaPorta's every-down role beats Diggs' tougher path to volume

Start Sam LaPorta: his TE1 role and 81% workload give him a sturdier floor than Diggs' WR2 deployment. The 0.2-point projection edge understates the separation, because TE8 versus WR38 reflects a much stronger market expectation for LaPorta. Diggs' 31% target share and proven route-winning ability can still produce a spike week, but his lower snap rate and Dallas matchup make that outcome more dependent on efficiency. LaPorta's risk is a neutral matchup limiting his touchdown ceiling, not a lack of opportunity.

What flips it: A clear expansion of Diggs' snap role.

AI editor

Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta

TE8DETvs BUF

Projected Points

Start· high
Stefon Diggs

Stefon Diggs

WR38WSHvs DAL

Projected Points

Toss-Up

Sam LaPorta’s market

REC
O/U 4.5
+112 / -143
Receptions Props →
REC YDS
O/U 46.5
-114 / -114
Receiving Yards Props →
ATD
Anytime TD
+215
Anytime Touchdown Props →

Stefon Diggs’s market

ATD
Anytime TD
+180
Anytime Touchdown Props →
DET@
BUFThu, Sep 17, 8:15 PM ETView the game →
WSH@
DALSun, Sep 20, 4:25 PM ETView the game →

Why Sam LaPorta

Start· high

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

TE8 with a 21% target share and 81% snaps in a 24.8-point implied offense — LaPorta is a locked-in weekly starter regardless of a neutral matchup.

  • His mismatch role supports steady intermediate volume instead of requiring a touchdown to pay off.
  • The high team total amplifies LaPorta's red-zone and chain-moving role.

The call

  • Role is everything at tight end and LaPorta's is elite: 81% snap share with a 21% target share makes him the clear No. 1 receiving option pattern in this offense.
  • Consensus has him TE8 at 11.1 projected points — that clears the bar for the TE slot in a 12-team PPR league without needing matchup help.
  • Buffalo grades middle of the pack against the position (16 of 32) on a one-game sample with zero confidence, so there is no matchup reason to fade him.
  • Detroit's 24.8 implied total with a 3-point spread points to a competitive, scoring game — the kind of script where LaPorta stays involved whether the Lions are chasing or protecting a lead.

Latest on LaPorta

Lions safeties Branch, Joseph expected to return after PUP stints

Lions starting safeties Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee), who will both miss the first four games of the season, are expected to return at some point, according to GM Brad Holmes

ESPN · Sep 2, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Why Stefon Diggs

Toss-Up

Veteran WR2 and high-volume separator. Crisp route technician who wins on option routes and intermediate targets.

Toss-up — WR38 by consensus and projection: DAL is the 8th-toughest matchup vs WRs, 31% target share.

  • Diggs' target concentration gives him a clear path to outscore his projection if Dallas coverage breaks down.
  • His route craft can overcome the WR2 label, but the lower snap role narrows his margin for error.

Latest on Diggs

Commanders back Stefon Diggs after costly unsportsmanlike flag

Commanders WR Stefon Diggs knew the moment he hugged the goalpost to celebrate a fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday that he had committed a penalty that cost his team.

ESPN · Sep 13, 2026
Why Commanders are believing in a Jayden Daniels rebound

Washington offensive coordinator David Blough said Daniels has had his best NFL camp so far.

ESPN · Sep 12, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricSam LaPortaStefon Diggs
Projected points
Consensus rankTE8WR38
Opponent vs positionBUF · 16 of 321-game sampleDAL · 8 of 321-game sample
Receptions29 of 3212 of 32
Receiving Yards21 of 3213 of 32
Receiving TDs1 of 321 of 32
Targets30 of 3211 of 32
Anytime TD1 of 321 of 32
Target share21%31%
Reception share19%22%
Implied total · spread24.8+3.023.5+4.5
Depth chartTE1WR2
Snap share81%63%
Start/Sit record0–1—

Recent form

Sam LaPorta — last 1 week

Week 1vs NO

Stefon Diggs — last 1 week

Week 1vs PHI

Signal breakdown

  • 11.1 vs 10.9 projected PPR pointsSam LaPorta +
  • Rank 8 vs 38Sam LaPorta +
  • Opponent DvP rank 16 vs 8 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 24.8 vs 23.5 team pointsSam LaPorta +
  • No injury designationseven
  • 81% vs 63% snap shareSam LaPorta +

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