Andrews
TE · BAL vs TEN
Proj pts
12.9pts
market
Likely
TE · NYG vs ARI
Proj pts
12.2pts
market
Isaiah Likely or Mark Andrews: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Mark Andrews. Bench Isaiah Likely. Mark Andrews leads at 12.9. Isaiah Likely is the first one out, 0.7 short.
Crowd: started Andrews 42% · Likely 54%
Highlights
Pros
- High-scoring spot27.5 team total
- Spike upside16.8 ceiling
Cons
- Rotational role62% of snaps
- Shaky floor3.7 floor
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 Mark Andrews
Start Mark Andrews — projects 12.9, an even matchup vs TEN, with a rising role.
Mark Andrews projects 12.9 points on a 3.7–16.8 range. The matchup grades as neutral against TEN. Usage: targets / game at 4.1. Net: Mark Andrews is start this week.
Working for Andrews: High-scoring spot (27.5 team total), Spike upside (16.8 ceiling).
Working against Andrews: Rotational role (62% of snaps), Shaky floor (3.7 floor).
Where Andrews leads the head-to-head: Projection (12.9 vs 12.2); Ceiling (16.8 vs 12.5); Target share (17% vs 12%); Implied team total (27.5 vs 21.5); Targets / game (4.1 vs 3.0); Snap share (62% vs 57%); Red zone targets (15 vs 6); Touchdown dependence (23% vs 9%); Implied total (27.5 vs 21.5).
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: Floor (5.2 vs 3.7); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (A vs B); Last 3 avg (13.1 vs 8.4); Last 5 avg (13.1 vs 7.1); vs season (+3.7 vs +1.5); Consistency (27% vs 16%); Boom rate (25% vs 18%); Bust rate (25% vs 35%); Grade vs TE (recency weighted) (A vs B).
Recent form
Mark Andrews's last 5 games: PPR points 6.8, 3.4, 8.9, 10.9, 5.4 (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).
Andrews has already beaten Likely's 12.2 projection in 0 of his 5; Likely has beaten Andrews's 12.9 in 1 of his 3.
At least 1 of these 5 were played before the 2026 season — the card does not date them.
Matchup
Mark Andrews (BAL) faces TEN, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated neutral. Betting line: implied team total 27.5, spread -11.5.
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
Andrews's edge is 0.7 points (12.9 to 12.2). Andrews's floor (3.7) sits under Likely's projection, so a quiet game from Andrews 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.