No and no. Sweet potatoes ((Ipomoea batatas) are best propagated by half immersing the root (it is a root not a tuber like an Irish potato) in a jar of water or wet sand root end down. The sprouts (slips) are pulled off and transplanted. Yams (Dioscorea) are a tropical plant that will only grow in the deep zones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet potato culture