Sam LaPorta or Travis Kelce: Who Should You Start?

2026 Week 1 · deterministic head-to-head · Verdicts based on PPR scoring.

Start LaPorta — the game script and projection edges are too wide to ignore.

Sam LaPorta plays in the better game script (27.8 implied team points to 22.5) and projects 11.0 to Kelce's 9.8. Kelce's edge is availability, a clean report to LaPorta's Q. The gap is narrow.

Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta

TE6DETvs NO

Projected Points

Start· medium
Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce

TE10KCvs DEN

Projected Points

Start· medium

Why Sam LaPorta

Start· medium

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

TE8 with a 91% snap share and 17% target share in a 27.8-point implied offense — start him if the questionable tag clears by kickoff.

  • Carries a Questionable tag — usually plays, but monitor the final report.
  • NO ranks 13 of 32 against TEs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 0-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 27.8 team points as 7.0-point favorites.
  • Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 91% snap share in 2025.

The call

  • LaPorta is the locked-in every-down tight end: 91% snap share and a 17% target share over nine games, which is elite volume at a thin position.
  • Detroit's 27.8 implied total as a 7-point favorite means plenty of red-zone and scoring chances, and LaPorta is a primary target in that offense.
  • The New Orleans matchup is neutral at 13 of 32 on the DvP composite, but that's a 0-game sample with zero confidence — role and team total drive this call, not matchup.
  • Only real risk is the questionable designation; if he's limited or inactive you need a pivot, so confirm status before lineups lock.

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 Travis Kelce

Start· medium

TE1 and future Hall of Fame-caliber pass catcher. Elite route craft from the seam and slot, still a volume target.

20% target share and an 82% snap rate keep Kelce a locked-in TE1; TE11 projection is fine in a tight 22.5-point game he'll be busy in.

  • DEN ranks 17 of 32 against TEs (a middle-of-the-road matchup, 0-game sample).
  • Vegas implies 22.5 team points as 2.5-point favorites.
  • Listed TE on the latest depth chart with a 82% snap share in 2025.

The call

  • Role is the whole case: 82% snap share and a 20% target share over 17 games mean Kelce is on the field and targeted like a featured option regardless of matchup.
  • Denver rates a middling 17 of 32 on the DvP composite, and the sample confidence is 0.00 — there's nothing here scary enough to bench a TE with this volume.
  • A 2.5-point spread with a 22.5 implied total points to a competitive, pass-balanced script rather than a run-out-the-clock blowout, which protects his target floor.
  • The 9.8 projection and TE11 rank are modest, so this is a solid TE1 start rather than a league-winner — the only real risk is a touchdown-dependent week where a big-play TE outscores him.

Latest on Kelce

Travis Kelce purchased $5.35 million Ohio home months before marrying Taylor Swift

Kelce closed on the home long before his July wedding to the pop superstar.

ESPN · Sep 2, 2026

Travis Kelce reveals his and Taylor Swift's dog to the world

The dog, a female Samoyed, starred alongside Kelce in an ad campaign for Tommy Hilfiger.

ESPN · Sep 1, 2026

How Chiefs offense is working to solve one of 2025's biggest issues

Kansas City had one of the NFL's worst play-action passing attacks last season. Expect that to change in 2026.

ESPN · Aug 27, 2026

Reported by the sources listed — not independently verified.

Head-to-head stats

MetricSam LaPortaTravis Kelce
Projected points
Consensus rankTE6TE10
Opponent vs positionNO · 13 of 320-game sampleDEN · 17 of 320-game sample
Receptions14 of 3220 of 32
Receiving Yards14 of 3223 of 32
Receiving TDs9 of 329 of 32
Targets18 of 3224 of 32
Anytime TD9 of 329 of 32
Target share17%(2025)20%(2025)
Reception share19%(2025)21%(2025)
Implied total · spread27.8-7.022.5-2.5
Depth chartTE1TE1
Snap share91%(2025)82%(2025)
Injury designationQ

Signal breakdown

  • 11.0 vs 9.8 projected PPR pointsSam LaPorta +
  • Rank 6 vs 10Sam LaPorta +
  • Opponent DvP rank 13 vs 17 (32 = softest)even
  • Implied 27.8 vs 22.5 team pointsSam LaPorta +
  • Q vs no designationTravis Kelce +
  • 91% vs 82% snap shareSam LaPorta +

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