Sam LaPorta
23-Year-Old
2023 Receiving Stats
REC
86
YDS
889
TD
10
AVG
10.3
TAR
120
2024 Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Young tight ends often take a year or two to find their footing in the NFL, but LaPorta bucked that trend with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns on 120 targets as a rookie in 2023. The second-round draft pick out of Iowa couldn’t quite catch up to Mike Ditka’s rookie tight end records of 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, but LaPorta’s 86 receptions were the most by a first-year TE in NFL history. No other tight end scored more than six touchdowns last year, and LaPorta also ranked top-five at the position in catches, targets and receiving yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown is likely to lead the Lions in targets again in 2024, but the 44-target gap between St. Brown and LaPorta in 2023 was smaller than the 49-target gap between LaPorta and Jared Goff's third-favorite target, Jahmyr Gibbs, which suggests LaPorta has the inside track to once again work as the second option in Detroit's passing game in 2024. LaPorta finished fourth among TEs with 16 red-zone targets and tied for second with 10 targets inside the 10-yard line, so he's unlikely to outscore all other TEs by at least four TDs again, but the ingredients are there for LaPorta to follow up his superb rookie season with another strong campaign. Read Past Outlooks
Impressive in postseason loss
LaPorta recorded nine receptions (on 13 targets) for 97 yards in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
LaPorta led the team in targets, receptions and yards, and it was also his second consecutive contest with nine receptions and double-digit targets. Though he didn't find the end zone, LaPorta was a consistent big-play threat as he recorded a pair of catches for 16 yards, and two more of his receptions went for double-digit gains. It was a strong close to an impressive rookie season, and LaPorta should be a strong second option in Detroit's passing attack behind wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2024.
LaPorta led the team in targets, receptions and yards, and it was also his second consecutive contest with nine receptions and double-digit targets. Though he didn't find the end zone, LaPorta was a consistent big-play threat as he recorded a pair of catches for 16 yards, and two more of his receptions went for double-digit gains. It was a strong close to an impressive rookie season, and LaPorta should be a strong second option in Detroit's passing attack behind wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2024.
NFL Stats
Loading NFL Stats...
Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
Loading Fantasy/Red Zone Stats...
Advanced NFL Stats
How do Sam LaPorta's 2023 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank.
The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Air Yards Per Game
48.6Air Yards Per Snap
0.87% Team Air Yards
20.9%% Team Targets
20.9%Avg Depth of Target
6.9 YdsCatch Rate
71.7%Drop Rate
4.2%Avg Yds After Catch
4.2% Targeted On Route
26.6%Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.97Loading Advanced NFL Stats...
2023
2023 NFL Game Log
Loading Game Log...
Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
How often does Sam LaPorta run a route when on the field for a pass play?
This data will let you see how Sam LaPorta and the other tight ends for the Lions are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.
Sam LaPorta
451 routes 120 targets
2 routes 0 targets
26 routes 2 targets
44 routes 2 targets
114 routes 14 targets
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Sam LaPorta lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
Loading Alignment Breakdown...
Loading Alignment Breakdown...
Loading Alignment Breakdown...
Loading Team Alignment Breakdown...
2023 Sam LaPorta Split Stats
Loading NFL Split Stats...
Measurables Review
View College Player Page
How do Sam LaPorta's measurables compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 3"Weight
245 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.59 secShuttle Time
4.25 secCone Drill
6.91 secVertical Jump
35.0 inBroad Jump
123 inHand Length
10.25 inArm Length
32.13 in
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Sam LaPorta See More
Ezekiel Elliott is back in Dallas, boosting his ADP by a league-high 80 spots compared to April. RW's Jerry Donabedian discusses Zeke and the other big ADP movers from April to May.
Bucs RB Rachaad White is one of the many players whose ADP varies considerably across different best ball platforms. RW's Jerry Donabedian highlights other examples and analyzes positional trends on each site.
Early ADP results on DraftKings provide numerous opportunities for value, including Falcons WR Drake London falling to the third round at times.
The NFL Draft sent best ball drafters scrambling as new talent landed on NFL depth charts, including Ladd McConkey in a weak Chargers wideout rotation.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Back to practice Thursday
LaPorta was able to get back to a limited practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's walkthrough session, the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
LaPorta's off day Wednesday appears to have been maintenance-related, considering he's still trying to fully recover from the hyperextended knee and bone bruise he suffered in Week 18. The rookie has been able to log a total of 106 snaps over the Lions' first two postseason games, so he's still fully expected to fill his usual role in Sunday's conference title game against the 49ers.
LaPorta's off day Wednesday appears to have been maintenance-related, considering he's still trying to fully recover from the hyperextended knee and bone bruise he suffered in Week 18. The rookie has been able to log a total of 106 snaps over the Lions' first two postseason games, so he's still fully expected to fill his usual role in Sunday's conference title game against the 49ers.
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The Lions surprisingly made LaPorta the second tight end off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting him 34th overall despite a few more highly touted prospects at the position being available. LaPorta will look to follow in the footsteps of fellow Iowa alumni George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, all of whom developed into fantasy-relevant tight ends. He should get plenty of playing time as a rookie on a team with no other TEs drafted before Round 5, but LaPorta’s college production pales in comparison to that of the aforementioned players out of Iowa. Each of those guys scored at least nine touchdowns over their last two college seasons, while the 6-foot-4 LaPorta found the end zone only five times total in four seasons. Even if he plays a lot, he'll likely take a back seat to Detroit’s other playmakers on offense, namely WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
More Fantasy News
Good to go
LaPorta (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in San Francisco, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Gets back to limited Thursday
LaPorta (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Listed as non-participant Wednesday
LaPorta (knee) didn't take part in Wednesday's walkthrough practice.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Team-high nine grabs in win
LaPorta caught nine of 11 targets for 65 yards in Sunday's 31-23 divisional-round win over the Buccaneers.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Suiting up Sunday
LaPorta (knee) is listed as active for Sunday's divisional-round playoff game against the Buccaneers.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.