Drew Sample · Michael Mayer · 2026 week 3

Drew Sample or Michael Mayer?

Wondering who you should start this week — Drew Sample or Michael Mayer? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start Michael Mayer — barelyThis one is a coin flip — the projections are within 1 points. The matchup leans Michael Mayer (NO allow the 26th-most TE points), but you can defend either call.
PlayerWk 3Proj (PPR)MatchupForm L3Trade valueStatus
Drew Sample @ PIT 3.4 18th 4.9 – healthy
Michael Mayer START @ NO 4.4 26th · tough 7.3 45 healthy

TEs vs PIT recently: Hunter Henry 4 pts (W2).

TEs vs NO recently: Sam LaPorta 4.8 pts (W1) · Mark Andrews 4.9 pts (W2).

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Michael Mayer carries the higher trade value — 45 against 0. In a one-for-one, the side receiving Michael Mayer gets the most.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

Drew Sample or AJ Barner?Drew Sample or Zach Ertz?Michael Mayer or Darren Waller?Michael Mayer or Brenton Strange?Michael Mayer or Kenyon Sadiq?
All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.