The Detroit Lions broke a 30+ year playoff win drought at the end of the 2023 season, making it all the way to the NFC Championship game. The entire nation seemed to be rooting for them in 2024. They delivered an incredible regular season performance on their way to a #1 NFC seed in the playoffs. At that point, the injuries on the defense were too much for them to overcome. They were upset in the Divisional round by the up-and-coming Washington Commanders.
After a shocking end, the Lions are ready to dust off last season and continue their dominance of the NFC going into 2025. They will need to be firing on all cylinders to achieve their ultimate goal of bringing the Motor City its first Lombardi Trophy. A key contributor will be their young star tight end, Sam LaPorta. LaPorta’s inconsistent 2024 has left fantasy managers uncertain about his value. Let’s dive into his performance last year and what to expect for the upcoming season.
Sam LaPorta 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
Hot Start for the Rookie
We don’t often see rookie TEs produce for fantasy, but in 2023, Sam LaPorta wasted no time establishing himself as a high-end option for fantasy managers. He paid off immediately for drafters, finishing as a Top 10 TE in 4 out of his first 5 NFL games (including a TE1 overall finish in Week 3). With 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 TDs, LaPorta was THE TE1 as a rookie. He skyrocketed up draft boards going into the 2024 season, as we were all certain that we’d found a new top dog to unseat Travis Kelce.
Sophomore Slump?
Unfortunately, LaPorta was not able to repeat his performance in 2024. His sophomore campaign was compromised by a nagging ankle injury that he sustained going into the season. After setting a new rookie record for receptions the previous year, LaPorta averaged just 2.3 catches per game through the first seven weeks of 2024. On a positive note, he seemed to move past his health issues in the second half of the season.
From Week 8 on, he was the sixth-best TE in fantasy. Despite the overall disappointing season, LaPorta’s efficiency actually improved from his rookie season. According to Player Profiler, his 8.7 yards per target and 12.1 yards per reception ranked 7th and 6th, respectively, among all TEs. So, how should we view him as we enter the 2025 season?
Sam LaPorta is PFF’s 3rd highest-graded tight end since Week 8 with an 85.4 PFF Offensive Grade.
— Al Karsten (@FootballGuy_Al) November 12, 2024
2025 Outlook
While it’s clear that Sam LaPorta is highly talented, some factors are working against him this season. First of all, the emergence of wide receiver Jameson Williams. Williams had a breakout year in 2024, earning 91 targets and going over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. Adding his presence to an already established star in Amon-Ra St. Brown makes for tough target competition. LaPorta’s target share dropped from 19.8% to 15.1% in 2024. The Lions also lost their highly coveted offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson. Johnson accepted a head coaching position with their divisional rival, the Chicago Bears. We have yet to see if this offense can remain high-powered without him.
The positive case for LaPorta relies on two factors: His health and the Lions’ pass volume. As of right now, LaPorta seems to be 100% healthy, with no signs of any setbacks since his midseason resurgence. It was clear that the ankle injury held him back for the early portion of last season, so we should expect a much stronger start for him in 2025. One other point to consider is that the Lions were bottom-10 in pass rate last season. This was due, in part, to the large leads they would often have in their games. Detroit’s 2025 schedule ranks as the 3rd-most difficult (based on opponents’ 2024 win%). This strength of the schedule could lead to more pass-heavy game scripts and more opportunities for LaPorta.
After exploding to TE1 as a rookie, Sam Laporta fell to TE7 in 2024 #OnePride TE was Hampered by August hamstring injury, starting slowly but
In final 13 games:
💥16.8% 🎯 share
💥54 Rec.
💥630 Rec yards
💥9 TDsWho else is buying a 2025 BOUNCE BACK?🚀pic.twitter.com/BcBmshgFEm https://t.co/CkjOeHUaKS
— Dynasty Dad (@DynastyDadFF) July 7, 2025
Conclusion
Based on FantasyPros ADP, LaPorta comes off the board as the TE4 on average in 2025 drafts. It’s a decent discount based on his 2024 price, but certainly not “cheap”. He’s going earlier than older players who have a better chance of being the number 1 or 2 target in their offenses, like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and Evan Engram. While I fully believe in LaPorta as a Top 5 talent at TE, I tend to avoid him in 2025 drafts in favor of better value options that we can take later.
We cover LaPorta and the Lions in our latest episode!
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A Look Inside the Detroit Lions
Editor’s Note: While this article focuses on Sam LaPorta in fantasy football, we don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. Here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Lion from Josh Hudson.
Jared Goff
When he hasn’t had Sean McVay or Ben Johnson in his ear, he’s been a terrible QB. With Ben Johnson now in Chicago, Goff will be put to the test to keep the offense afloat. I’m not expecting 30+ TDs in 2025 despite the talent around him, and his ADP feels like a result of last year’s top 9 finish in PPG.
Jahmyr Gibbs
In my latest rankings refresh, Gibbs is now my RB2. His usage at the end of the season without David Montgomery just further proves the Lions haven’t fully unleashed Gibbs. Even with the expected regression for the Lions’ offense — at least I’m expecting regression — Gibbs is one who will rise above the rest. Draft with confidence.
David Montgomery
Without Ben Johnson, his role of scoring a ton of rushing TDs might be in jeopardy. That said, he’s still going to see 180+ carries and likely 7+ TDs. But his 30+ targets might be what’s in jeopardy. His ceiling is an RB2, and he should still be drafted as such. But I’m not going to lie, I’d rather take a chance on some of the rookies over Monty.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
I might be the only person in the industry who thinks ARSB is in for a collapse after his overall WR3 finish from a year ago. All the camp talk about the ascension of Jameson Williams and some expected regression from a career-high 81.6% catch rate tells me St. Brown is coming back down to earth. I still have him as a WR1, but he’s closer to WR12 than he is WR5.
Jameson Williams
When Dan Campbell and the Lions staff hyped up Jameson Williams heading into 2024, it happened, and it was at the cost of targets for Sam LaPorta. Well, Campbell and staff are at it again after Jamo’s 1,000-yard season on only 91 targets. So, who is yielding targets this year? All I know is, it’s Jameson Williams SZN, and I’m fine taking him at his ADP of WR26.
Tim Patrick
He’ll be good for a random spike week or two, which makes him a fine dart throw at the back of best ball drafts. As for redraft, he’s not worth drafting.
Kalif Raymond/Isaac TeSlaa
Raymond is the mainstay, and TeSlaa is the rookie. If you’re not drafting Patrick, you’re definitely not drafting Raymond or TeSlaa. The only way they have value is if ARSB or Jamo miss extended time.
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Also, check out where Sam LaPorta falls in our 2025 Fantasy Football Rankings!