A second-round pick, LaPorta is expected to start right away in the Lions offense and contribute much in the same way T.J. Hockenson did. In seven games before he was traded last year, Hockenson averaged 6.1 targets per game, but caught only 3.7 per for 56.4 yards on average and three scores. That came out to an average of 12.2 PPR points per game, which isn't far off from Hockenson's 11.7 PPR points per game in 2021. Unfortunately, LaPorta isn't a replica of Hockenson -- he was a strong tight end for Iowa but only scored once over 58 receptions in 2022 and totaled five touchdowns while averaging 11.7 yards per catch over 46 career games. LaPorta is agile, but not fast, so he'll need really good volume to make an impact. Typically rookie tight ends do not make an impact, plus the Lions offense will be more explosive than ever this year. Don't get too excited about LaPorta -- he's worth a late-round flier at best in seasonal leagues but does have long-term appeal in rookie-only drafts after 15th overall.
LaPorta caught five of eight targets for 47 yards with one touchdown and one two-point conversion during Thursday's 29-22 loss to the Packers.
Coming off a pair of subpar performances, LaPorta hadn't seen a red-zone target since Detroit exited its Week 9 bye with a fully-healthy backfield. Not only did the rookie find pay dirt with one of the two looks he saw near the goal line, but he also got open on a two-point conversion to aid Detroit's comeback effort. However, a number of miscues, including three fumbles and five failed fourth-down conversion attempts, cut short the majority of the Lions' offensive drives, which prevented LaPorta from doing much more. The Iowa product will look to keep rolling in a Week 12 matchup with a Saints defense that is tied for the most touchdowns allowed to tight ends (six) in 2023.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Little production against Bears
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LaPorta caught three of five targets for 18 yards during Sunday's 31-26 win over the Bears.
Despite facing soft pass defenses of late, LaPorta hasn't seen any work in the red zone since Detroit came out of a Week 9 bye with its two-headed monster (David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs) at running back fully healthy. The rookie tight end has also gotten less work in general, as LaPorta saw just five targets each of the past two weeks after averaging 7.4 per game in eight games before the bye. He will look to get back on track during a Thanksgiving Day game against a middling Packers defense that's allowing 48.2 receiving yards per game to tight ends.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Four grabs in Sunday's win
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LaPorta caught four of five targets for 40 yards in Sunday's 41-38 win over the Chargers.
It was a somewhat disappointing performance for LaPorta considering Detroit's total output, but that just indicates how quickly the rookie tight end has recalibrated expectations for his production. The five targets were his lowest volume since Week 5, and the 40 yards were his third-lowest total of the season. LaPorta will look to ramp things up again Week 11 against the Bears.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: TEs to Start
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LaPorta should stay hot coming off Detroit's bye in Week 9, and I like his matchup against the Chargers in Week 10. Prior to the bye, LaPorta had scored at least 11.2 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he had eight catches for 57 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets in Week 8 against Las Vegas. The Chargers are No. 7 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and LaPorta has top-five upside in all leagues with this matchup.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Team-high catch tally in win
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LaPorta brought in eight of 10 targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' 26-14 win over the Raiders on Monday night.
LaPorta led the Lions in receptions and targets while checking in second to Amon-Ra St. Brown in receiving yards. The rookie tight end also hauled in his fourth touchdown on an 18-yard grab just before halftime, snapping a brief two-game drought in that department. LaPorta's involvement in the air attack has been solid right from the onset of his career, as he's now logged at least five targets in all but one contest. He'll have a Week 9 bye to further immerse himself in the playbook before a Week 10 matchup against the Chargers when he should once again be busy.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Clear for Sunday
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LaPorta (calf) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's contest in Baltimore.
LaPorta has been dealing with a calf strain that flared up in the middle of last week, capping him to limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday before practicing in full Friday. The rookie second-round pick thus will enter the weekend without an injury designation for Week 7 action as he looks to build upon the 29-325-3 line on 42 targets that he's put up through six outings to kick off his career.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Remains limited Thursday
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LaPorta (calf) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.
LaPorta continues to deal with a strained calf that flared up in the middle of last week, but he was able to play through it this past Sunday in Tampa Bay and log a typical 84 percent of snaps en route to four catches (on 11 targets) for 36 yards and no touchdowns. He'll have one more session this week to prove his health before the Lions potentially tag him with a designation for Sunday's contest at Baltimore.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Does little with 11 targets
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LaPorta recorded four receptions on 11 targets for 36 yards in Sunday's 20-6 win over Tampa Bay.
LaPorta was questionable with a calf injury ahead of Sunday's matchup, though he managed to play through the issue. While he played a full role in the offense, he struggled to turn that into production as he turned in his lowest yardage total of his rookie year. Despite the uninspiring outcome, the positive takeaway is that LaPorta maintained a key role in the offense even with Detroit's full allotment of pass catchers available.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Active in Week 6
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LaPorta (calf) is listed as active Sunday in Tampa Bay.
LaPorta made a sudden appearance on the Lions' practice report Thursday, sitting out that session due to a calf injury. Coach Dan Campbell revealed Friday that LaPorta was dealing with a calf strain, which the rookie second-round pick said he likely suffered last Sunday against the Panthers before it flared up at Wednesday's practice, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, LaPorta's status for Sunday was subject to a pregame workout, and after checking out OK, he'll be available versus a Buccaneers defense that has contained opposing TEs to a 21-152-0 line on 29 targets through four games on the campaign.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Trending toward playing Sunday
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LaPorta (calf), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, appears to be trending in the right direction as the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff approaches, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Before finalizing a decision on LaPorta's status, the Lions will put the rookie tight end through a pregame workout to see how his strained calf responds. LaPorta sat out Thursday's practice with the injury before returning to the field Friday in a limited fashion, and he's seemingly made some progress since that time. Though the Lions will know after the workout whether LaPorta will play, fantasy managers may not hear word on his status one way or the other until the team releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Brock Wright would step in as the Lions' starting tight end if LaPorta is unable to go.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Questionable for Sunday
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LaPorta (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.
Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, LaPorta said Friday that he expects to play, also noting that his calf injury was probably from last week's game and flared up toward the end of Wednesday's practice. He then sat out Thursday before returning Friday as a limited participant, and fantasy managers should probably treat him as truly questionable ahead of a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, despite the tight end's stated optimism.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Dealing with calf strain
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Coach Dan Campbell said that LaPorta (calf) took part in Friday's walk-through practice and that his status for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers is uncertain, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Campbell also clarified that LaPorta is dealing with a calf strain. The rookie tight end will be tagged with an official game designation when Friday's injury report is released, but at this point it looks likely that he's destined for 'questionable' status. LaPorta didn't show up on Wednesday's injury report before being sidelined Thursday, so his calf strain may have been sustained during practice. No. 2 tight end Brock Wright would likely start versus Tampa Bay if LaPorta were to miss time, especially with James Mitchell (hamstring) also nicked up.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: TEs to Start
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LaPorta had his first game with fewer than five catches in Week 4 at Green Bay when he had four receptions for 56 yards on five targets. I'm expecting a better outing in Week 5 against the Panthers, and LaPorta has 13 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets in two home games this season. Carolina just held T.J. Hockenson to two catches for 24 yards on three targets in Week 4, but I'll still trust LaPorta in this matchup at home. I like him as a top-five Fantasy tight end in Week 5.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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With at least 11 PPR points in each of his past two, there's no sense in overthinking it on LaPorta. The rookie has evolved into Goff's second-most trusted target in the offense and should have a size advantage every week. He has become a must-start Fantasy tight end until further notice. He could even be considered a flex in PPR over D.J. Moore, Miles Sanders and Kyren Williams.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Continues to impress
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LaPorta caught eight of 11 targets for 84 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-6 win over the Falcons.
LaPorta got wide open for a 45-yard touchdown during the second quarter, marking the first end-zone trip of his bright young career. The rookie second-rounder has increased his targets and yardage in each week this season, emerging as an immediate contributor behind top wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown in the passing game. With his stock on the rise, LaPorta faces a quick turnaround ahead of Thursday night's game at the Packers.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: TEs to Start
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LaPorta is off to a good start through two games with 10 catches for 102 yards on 11 targets, and he scored 11.3 PPR points in Week 2 against Seattle. He should continue to improve as the year goes on, and it's time to consider him a weekly starter in PPR heading into Week 3 against Atlanta. The Falcons clamped down on Luke Musgrave in Week 2, holding the Packers tight end to two catches for 25 yards. But in Week 1, Hayden Hurst had five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and I like this matchup for LaPorta.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Operates as clear No. 1 tight end
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LaPorta caught five of five targets for 39 yards during Thursday's 21-20 win over the Chiefs.
Although he may not be a significant fantasy factor yet, LaPorta looked like a natural receiver in his first career regular-season game. It could be an issue for fantasy purposes if he has more blocking responsibilities than most stars at the tight end position considering LaPorta only ran a route on about 70 percent of his snaps, but the Iowa product drew a target on about a fifth of them en route to finishing fourth in targets behind Amon-Ra St. Brown (nine), Josh Reynolds (seven) and Marvin Jones (six). If his volume improves just a little bit one way or another, LaPorta could easily enter the conversation as a low-end fantasy starter.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It might not be the best idea to trust a rookie tight end on the road in his first NFL game, but I'll use LaPorta as a starter in deeper formats this week at Kansas City. This game is expected to be a high-scoring affair with an over-under of 54.5, and the Lions could use LaPorta with a thin receiving corps behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. It helps that Jared Goff will have time to throw in this matchup with Chris Jones out for the Chiefs, and Kansas City was tied for fifth last season with nine touchdowns allowed to opposing tight ends.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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I love the upside for LaPorta in Detroit this year, and he has the chance to be a breakout candidate in all leagues. If he's still available on waivers then add him for up to 10 percent of your remaining FAB. He should see a healthy amount of targets to open the season with Jameson Williams (suspended) out, and he could prove to be a starter in all formats throughout his rookie campaign. It wouldn't be a surprise if LaPorta finished the season No. 2 in targets for the Lions behind Amon-Ra St. Brown.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Should contribute in Year 1
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LaPorta has made the most of his first-team reps with quarterback Jared Goff this summer and is projected to be an immediate starter as a rookie, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
LaPorta having emerged as Detroit's top option at tight end is a notion echoed by Kyle Meinke of Mlive.com, who previously suggested that the second-rounder out of Iowa has claimed the starting job and thus should be a featured weapon in the team's passing game in 2023. While it remains to be seen how much volume LaPorta sees out of the gate, the 6-foot-3, 245-pounder has a chance to make a fantasy splash as a first-year pro if things continue to click with him and Goff as the campaign progresses.
