Fannin
TE · CLE vs PIT
Proj pts
13.2pts
market
Likely
TE · NYG vs ARI
Proj pts
12.2pts
market
Harold Fannin Jr. or Isaiah Likely: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Harold Fannin Jr. Bench Isaiah Likely. Harold Fannin Jr. leads at 13.2. Isaiah Likely is the first one out, 1.1 short.
Crowd: started Fannin 75% · Likely 54%
Highlights
Pros
- Alpha TE usage22% target share
- Favorable matchupFavorable · A+ vs TE
- High floor9.2 floor
Cons
- Low team total18.0 team total
Pros
- Favorable matchupFavorable · A vs TE
Cons
- Low TE usage12% target share
- Thin volume3.0 targets/g
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 6:00 AM ET
Why Harold Fannin Jr.
Start Harold Fannin Jr. — projects 13.2, a favorable matchup vs PIT.
Harold Fannin Jr. projects 13.2 points on a 9.2–23.3 range. The matchup grades as favorable against PIT. Usage: targets / game at 6.7. Net: Harold Fannin Jr. is start this week.
Working for Fannin: Alpha TE usage (22% target share), Favorable matchup (Favorable · A+ vs TE), High floor (9.2 floor).
Working against Fannin: Low team total (18.0 team total).
Where Fannin leads the head-to-head: Projection (13.2 vs 12.2); Floor (9.2 vs 5.2); Ceiling (23.3 vs 12.5); Target share (22% vs 12%); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (A+ vs A); Last 5 avg (13.9 vs 13.1); Consistency (51% vs 27%); Bust rate (20% vs 25%); Targets / game (6.7 vs 3.0); Snap share (76% vs 57%); Red zone targets (11 vs 6); Touchdown dependence (19% vs 9%); Grade vs TE (recency weighted) (A+ vs A).
Why Isaiah Likely
Sit Isaiah Likely — projects 12.2, a favorable matchup vs ARI, with a rising role.
Isaiah Likely projects 12.2 points on a 5.2–12.5 range. The matchup grades as favorable against ARI. Usage: targets / game at 3.0. Net: Isaiah Likely is a bench this week.
Working for Likely: Favorable matchup (Favorable · A vs TE).
Working against Likely: Low TE usage (12% target share), Thin volume (3.0 targets/g).
Where Likely leads the head-to-head: Implied team total (21.5 vs 18.0); Last 3 avg (13.1 vs 12.9); vs season (+3.7 vs +0.8); Boom rate (25% vs 20%); Implied total (21.5 vs 18.0).
Recent form
Harold Fannin Jr.'s last 5 games: PPR points 20, 11, 4.1, 10.4, 24.1 (oldest to newest).
Isaiah Likely's last 3 games: PPR points 3.3, 8.3, 27.8 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).
Fannin has already beaten Likely's 12.2 projection in 2 of his 5; Likely has beaten Fannin's 13.2 in 1 of his 3.
At least 1 of these 5 were played before the 2026 season — the card does not date them.
Matchup
Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE) faces PIT, kickoff Thu 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 18.0, spread +2.5.
Isaiah Likely (NYG) faces ARI, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated favorable. Betting line: implied team total 21.5, spread +1.5.
What flips it
Fannin's edge is 1 points (13.2 to 12.2). Fannin's floor (9.2) sits under Likely's projection, so a quiet game from Fannin flips it. Confidence in the call: moderate.
How to read these numbers
- Confidence in the call
- How clear-cut this start/sit call is — how decisively the player beats the alternative he competes with (for a starter, the best player on your bench; for a bench player, the last one in your lineup), on both projected points and the overlap of their likely ranges. A clear play reads high; a genuine toss-up reads lower. It rates the decision, not the player’s own volatility, and is not a measured accuracy rate.
- Floor
- The 20th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Ceiling
- The 90th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Matchup grade
- The opponent’s points allowed to this position per game, weighted toward recent games, then graded on a curve across the 32 defenses.
- Implied team total
- The points the betting market expects this team to score, derived from the game total and the spread. Market-derived, not modelled by Nuvela.
- Trend
- The direction of his scoring across the trailing window, classified as heating, steady or cooling.
- Consistency
- The share of his games that landed within a set band of his own per-game average.
- Boom rate
- The share of his games that finished inside the top 12 scorers at his position for that week.
- Bust rate
- The share of his games that came in under half of what he was projected for that week.
- Defense funnel
- Whether the opponent’s rush defense and pass defense are far enough apart to push offenses one way. A gap inside the band reads Neutral.
- Game script projection
- The expected state of the game for his team — favoured, level or trailing — taken from the closing spread.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.