Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta

23-Year-Old Tight EndTE
Detroit Lions
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Young tight ends often take a year or two to find their footing in the NFL, but LaPorta bucked that trend last season with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns on 120 targets. While he couldn’t quite catch up to Mike Ditka’s rookie-TE records of 1,076 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, LaPorta’s 86 receptions became the new standard. No other tight end scored more than six touchdowns last year, and the second-round pick out of Iowa also ranked top five at his position for catches, targets and yards. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is likely to lead the Lions in receiving volume again in 2024, but the 44-target gap between St. Brown and LaPorta last year was smaller than the 49-target gap between LaPorta and Jared Goff's third-favorite target, RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Being the clear second option in a top-notch offense should work out just fine, even leaving the 23-year-old tight end some room for volume growth relative to last year. While he's unlikely to outscore all other TEs by four TDs again, the ingredients are there for LaPorta to follow up his superb rookie season with another strong campaign. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a four-year, $9.47 million contract with the Lions in June of 2023.
Four catches in Week 4 win
TEDetroit Lions
September 30, 2024
LaPorta brought in all four targets for 53 yards in the Lions' 42-29 win over the Seahawks on Monday night.
ANALYSIS
LaPorta finished second in both receptions and receiving yards on the night, with the latter total also serving as a season high. The second-year tight end's catch tally also tied the total he'd recorded against the Rams in Week 1, but he still remains well below the pace he set during a spectacular 2023 rookie season. LaPorta has topped out at five targets (Week 1) as far as a single-game high this season, but he could be poised for more opportunities against an inconsistent Cowboys defense in a Week 6 road battle on Sunday, Oct. 13 following a Week 5 bye.
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NFL Stats
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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.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Sam LaPorta's 2024 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. 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. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Air Yards Per Game
13.0
 
Air Yards Per Snap
0.25
 
% Team Air Yards
6.4%
 
% Team Targets
11.5%
 
Avg Depth of Target
3.7 Yds
 
Catch Rate
85.7%
 
Drop Rate
0.0%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
8.1
 
% Targeted On Route
14.6%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
1.53
 
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2024
2023
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2023 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Detroit LionsLions 2024 TE Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

20779%
13150%
3513%
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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
96 routes   14 targets
← More Blocking
% Routes Run
More Receiving →
46%
8 routes   0 targets
23%
30 routes   8 targets
23%
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Sam LaPorta lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2024 Sam LaPorta Split Stats
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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 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.59 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.25 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.91 sec
 
Vertical Jump
35.0 in
 
Broad Jump
123 in
 
Hand Length
10.25 in
 
Arm Length
32.13 in
 
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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
Full practice participant Friday
TEDetroit Lions
September 27, 2024
LaPorta (ankle) was a full participant in practice Friday, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returns to practice
TEDetroit Lions
Ankle
September 27, 2024
LaPorta (ankle) returned to practice Friday, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Sits out Thursday's practice
TEDetroit Lions
Ankle
September 26, 2024
LaPorta (ankle) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with low-ankle sprain
TEDetroit Lions
Ankle
September 23, 2024
LaPorta was diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain Monday after suffering the injury in Sunday's 20-13 win over the Cardinals, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Sprains ankle Sunday
TEDetroit Lions
Ankle
September 22, 2024
Coach Dan Campbell said LaPorta suffered an ankle sprain during Sunday's 20-13 win at Arizona, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Back to practice Thursday
TEDetroit Lions
January 25, 2024
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.
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