Did somebody forget to send the memo to Sam LaPorta that he’s supposed to be the fantasy football TE1? All I was told all offseason was that there was a “changing of the guard” at tight end. Out with the old (Travis Kelce & Mark Andrews) and in with the new (LaPorta, Trey McBride, Dalton Kincaid, Brock Bowers and so on.)
Then I kept hearing about how this was the Detroit Lions’ time. They’d finally arrived. Between Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Jameson Williams and LaPorta, they were all going to feast. Hadn’t I heard that Jared Goff would dominate because 14 of his first 15 games were being played in a dome? Did you know that quarterbacks playing in domes always played well? Big, if true.
All sarcasm aside, LaPorta is the TE14 in PPR. With all due respect to Elijah Higgins on the Arizona Cardinals, whose game I’m not familiar with, he has more fantasy points than LaPorta.
Is it time to worry? No. Is he cooked? Probably not. Well, what’s going on?
The Year-Over-Year Parity of Tight Ends
It’s been said before, and it bears repeating: tight end production, like any position, varies significantly every year. There are surprises every year, but we tend to focus on the top handful of producers like Kelce, Andrews, George Kittle and so on. It’s the Tier 2 tight ends and further down where production fluctuates.
Let’s talk about Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, who had a big Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks with eight receptions on 12 targets for 109 yards. That stat line was good enough to make Henry the TE2 this week and the PPR TE4 overall. Henry is also featured by Zach Thompson as part of our Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire.
My fellow fantasy football veteran brethren should know Henry well. Many moons ago, he was supposed to be the next big thing playing behind Antonio Gates. To the point that the Los Angeles Chargers were actually willing not to bring back Gates, and Henry was going to be their starter in 2018. Then he got hurt and had some good, but never great seasons.
So, what’s remarkable about this story in regard to LaPorta? Nothing. This happens all the time. Dalton Schultz was the TE3 in 2021; the next year, he was the TE10. In 2020, Logan Thomas was the TE3, and he’s fallen off the map since then. Players come and go and all the preseason predictions go out the window once the regular season begins.
Not every player is destined to be Travis Kelce, that’s what makes him Travis Kelce. While skepticism about LaPorta is valid, it’s not just him as a player that has appeal.
The Reasons to Buy Low on Sam LaPorta
Everything said before about the Lions, and LaPorta is still true. This is a loaded offense and after a quiet Week 1, ARSB got back on track with 11 catches on 19 targets for 119 yards. That upswing demonstrates what will happen when LaPorta gets his turn.
When these Lions’ playmakers eat, they eat: Williams in Week 1 and ARSB in Week 2. But this is the problem for an offense with so many options. LaPorta managers will have to endure the feast and famine between the good and bad weeks. Fantasy football managers have to differentiate between bad luck (what’s happening) and average players performing as such (what’s not happening).
Despite the 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Goff made 55 pass attempts, 30 of which were split between ARSB and Williams. It stands to reason we’ll see some variance as the Lions get Gibbs, Montgomery and LaPorta more involved in the future.
The Lions were 1-for-7 in the red zone, and that type of inefficiency isn’t like them. They’ll hopefully pivot to their best bet in the red zone: Sam LaPorta.
His 16 red zone targets last year ranked fourth at the position. He may not so easily score 10 touchdowns again as he did in 2023, but the big-bodied playmaker makes for a safe target for Goff. Kick the tires with the LaPorta manager in your fantasy football league and see if he wants out. It’s the ideal time to take advantage.
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