SamLaPorta

News: 2 days agoLaPorta (hip) is not listed on the Lions' Week 1 injury report Wednesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Spin: LaPorta missed the Lions' final eight games last season with a back injury and then dealt with a hip issue this summer. He returned to practice in late August and is ready to go for Sunday's season opener against the Saints. LaPorta is expected to compete with Jameson Williams for targets behind alpha WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown this season, and the tight end will likely be a big a presence in the red zone.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: LaPorta has settled in as one of the league's top tight ends, but the 2023 second-round pick simply hasn't been able to match the fantasy success he enjoyed as a rookie. Since posting an 86-889-10 receiving line in 17 games that first season, LaPorta has totaled a 100-1,215-10 line in 25 games over the past two seasons. LaPorta's 2025 campaign was cut short by a back injury, otherwise he was well on his way to his third straight top-10 fantasy campaign (he finished seventh in PPG). The 25-year-old joins Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs as the clear "Core Four" targets in a good, pass-friendly Detroit offense, and is thus a solid fantasy TE1.