Fantasy Upside
Sam LaPorta was seen as one of the top tight end prospects in April's draft and Detroit grabbed him in the second round. There is really nothing standing in his way to being the TE1 for the Lions. He caught 58 passes for 657 yards despite playing in a dreadful Iowa offense. Now he gets to play in a strong offense in Detroit. He should be involved early. He also could be the No. 2 option up the field in the passing game with Jameson Williams suspended for the first six games of the season.
Fantasy Downside
Rookie tight ends are typically tough to trust. More often than not, they take time to get up to speed and truly get involved in the offense, so it's understandable to be wary of LaPorta for that reason. He also is clearly behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and maybe also Jahmyr Gibbs in the pecking order in the passing game.
2023 Bottom Line
LaPorta may be a rookie tight end, but he could also see plenty of opportunities in the Lions' offense. Let's just hope LaPorta can stick as Detroit hasn't had much luck recently with tight ends they have drafted.
