We’re getting to the point where some fantasy football drafts will be starting soon. If you’re a Detroit Lions fan hoping to land TE Sam LaPorta on your fantasy team, you’re probably going to want to pick him early.
In Pro Football Focus’ initial fantasy football rankings for 2024, LaPorta is the top-ranked tight end in the league.
That’s right; in a league with Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, George Kittle and several other impressively productive tight ends, the recommendation is that LaPorta will top them all in fantasy football in 2024.
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Fantasy football is not reality, of course. However, LaPorta’s record-setting rookie year set the bar very high. The second-rounder from Iowa caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro honors in his first NFL season. He was also the top fantasy football producer amongst TEs in PPR leagues. PFF believes that will continue, noting:
His 118 targets and 7.6 targets per game were top-five marks for the position as well. LaPorta’s 23 red zone targets were also a top-five mark and resulted in nine of his 10 total touchdowns in the regular season. Expect LaPorta’s high-end usage in the Lions offense to continue into 2024 while gaining another year of NFL experience, making him a strong candidate for a repeat TE1 season.
Considering the diversity of work LaPorta got in the spring workout season in Detroit’s powerful offense, that seems like a pretty safe bet.