As expected, Lions incredibly concentrated for such a good offense. There is no more RB2 usage. The WR3 can't earn targets. There is no TE2 usage. Gibbs, ARSB, LaPorta, Jamo accounted for 65 of DET's 70 offensive opportunities yesterday (93%).

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NegativeBustSep 14, 2026RotoWire NFL Articles

LaPorta had a step on a play-action pass from the one-yard line but was overthrown in Week 1, representing a missed touchdown opportunity.

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PositiveRoleSep 14, 2026RotoWire NFL Articles

Handled an 81% snap share and 80% route share in his first game back from back surgery, with eight targets on his 33 routes (24% TPRR) and 5-48-0 receiving. The source notes his growth as a blocker continues to impress, with his work on a TD block demonstrating why the team wants him around long-term.

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PositiveNewsSep 14, 2026SleeperNFL

SleeperNFLon X

Imagine telling someone that David Montgomery would have more fantasy points than: James Cook De’Von Achane Drake London Ja’Marr Chase Colston Loveland Kyle Pitts Davante Adams COMBINED.

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PositiveNewsSep 14, 2026Hayden Winks

Hayden Winkson X

Week 1 expected half PPR points at TE: 1. Trey McBride (looks exactly like 2025) 2. Isaiah Likely 3. Mike Gesicki 4. Juwan Johnson (almost all in 4th/OT) 5. Sam LaPorta ... 19. George Kittle 25. Colston Loveland

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NegativeUsageSep 14, 2026Pride Of Detroit

LaPorta played 62 snaps (81%) in Week 1, leading the Lions' tight end rotation. The source notes no real surprises in the distribution of snaps among the three top tight ends, consistent with previous years' usage patterns.

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NegativeUsageSep 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta played 62 snaps (81% of offensive snaps) in Week 1, maintaining his role as the primary tight end in the Lions' three-tight-end rotation, consistent with previous years' usage patterns.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Canal Street Chronicles

LaPorta caught a 19-yard pass from Goff on the Lions' opening possession that preceded a pair of big bursting runs from Jahmyr Gibbs, helping set up the red zone for Detroit's opening 89-yard touchdown drive.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta was a key target for Jared Goff early in the game, with a 19-yard connection on Detroit's second possession that helped set up the Lions' opening touchdown drive.

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PositiveProjectionSep 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta earned a B+ grade with a decent Week 1 showing; he hauled in 5 of 8 targets for 48 yards and looked pretty impressive as a blocker, including on the goal line. Beyond that, it was a ho-hum day, which is certainly not a bad thing.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Pride Of Detroit

Solid Week 1 showing with 5 catches on 8 targets for 48 yards and impressive blocking performance. LaPorta looked particularly impressive as a blocker on goal-line situations, contributing to the Lions' strong offensive line performance (A- grade). Overall a ho-hum day beyond the receiving stats, which is not a bad thing.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Jacob Gibbs

Jacob Gibbson X

Week 1 route rate leaders at TE: 90% - Colston Loveland 88% - Tyler Warren 87% - Trey McBride 86% - Cade Otton 83% - Sam LaPorta 82% - Juwan Johnson 81% - Kyle Pitts 79% - Mark Andrews 79% - Dallas Goedert 77% - Michael Mayer 77% - Harold Fannin Jr.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta was impactful as both a receiver and blocker in Week 1 against the Saints, contributing to the Lions' offensive output.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Pride Of Detroit

Was impactful as both a receiver and blocker in Week 1 against New Orleans; contributed to the Lions' offensive performance despite overall second-half stagnation.

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PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026Jared Smola

Jared Smolaon X

Saints Week 1 RB opportunities Travis Etienne: 9 carries, 9 targets Kendre Miller: 9 carries, 0 targets CJ Donaldson: 2 carries, 2 targets

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NegativeUsageSep 13, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta was involved in the Lions' overtime drive as part of the team's pass-catching arsenal, contributing to Detroit's ability to re-take the lead in the extra period.

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PositiveUsageSep 13, 2026Jacob Gibbs

Jacob Gibbson X

TE snap rate leaders in the first half of the Week 1 morning games: 100% - Cade Otton 97% - Tyler Warren 89% - Colston Loveland 88% - Gunnar Helm 87% - Harold Fannin Jr. 83% - Sam LaPorta 79% - Juwan Johnson 78% - Mark Andrews 78% - Kyle Pitts 76% - Pat Freiermuth 75% - Dalton Kincaid 72% - Brenton Strange

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PositiveUsageSep 13, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Through early Week 1 action against the Saints, LaPorta has caught both passes thrown to him by Jared Goff for 27 yards, showing early target volume and efficiency in the Lions' opening game.

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PositiveUsageSep 13, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta was targeted early in Detroit's opening drive, catching a 19-yard pass from Goff as the Lions moved the ball downfield efficiently.

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PositiveUsageSep 13, 2026Pride Of Detroit

LaPorta caught a 19-yard pass from Goff early in Detroit's first scoring drive, contributing to the Lions' efficient offensive opening.

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PositiveProjectionSep 13, 2026Pride Of Detroit

LaPorta anytime touchdown at +160 is recommended. His return is expected to be a major factor for the Lions offense; the source notes that his return was slightly overlooked during the offseason despite improvements to the offensive line. The Saints will focus heavily on stopping the run and Gibbs, which should open up passing game opportunities. LaPorta's size makes him a red-zone target when Detroit needs a big body to snag a ball.

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PositiveProjectionSep 13, 2026FantasyPros Articles

Ranked 4th among tight ends in Week 1 expert consensus rankings with perfect consensus (best rank 4, worst rank 5, average rank 4, standard deviation 0), indicating unanimous expert agreement for starting in Week 1.

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NegativeDepth ChartSep 13, 2026Pride Of Detroit

Sam LaPorta is listed as the projected starter at tight end for the Lions' Week 1 matchup against the Saints.

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NegativeValueSep 13, 2026Daily Norseman

Christopher Gates questions whether LaPorta belongs in the 'elite' tier of tight ends despite his solid start in his first couple of seasons. Gates cites back issues from the prior year as a concern that could cause decline, though acknowledges LaPorta's youth may mitigate the impact. This suggests LaPorta's current draft ranking may overvalue his tier relative to his actual production and health trajectory.

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NegativeBustSep 13, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Christopher Gates identifies LaPorta as overrated among the Lions' highly-rated players, questioning whether he belongs in the 'elite' tier of tight ends and expressing concern about potential decline following a year dealing with back issues, though acknowledging his youth may mitigate the impact.

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NegativeInjurySep 12, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta is expected to play Week 1 after suffering a hip injury during the preseason; the Lions have freed up cap space that could be allocated toward a contract extension for the tight end, who is set to hit free agency in 2027, though the team may want to see him back in action before committing to a big-money deal.

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NegativeMatchupSep 12, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

The Lions tight end is one of Jared Goff's key weapons, but the Saints' defensive strategy will focus on slowing down the run game and forcing the Lions to beat them through the air.

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PositiveInjurySep 11, 2026Fantasy Football with Ian Hartitz

Sam LaPorta is confirmed to be good to go for Week 1, as he is not listed on the injury report.

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PositiveValueSep 11, 2026NFL DFS Deep Dive

Sam LaPorta at $4,400 is a strong value with significant touchdown upside; he leads all main-slate tight ends in expected touchdowns since 2023 and is a core piece for two-tight-end builds.

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PositiveMatchupSep 11, 2026Pride Of Detroit

LaPorta is positioned as an elite slot weapon who will be heavily targeted by Jared Goff in the Lions' game plan against the Saints' Cover-3 scheme. The Saints run a base 3-4 front with a modified Vic Fangio zone-match coverage that keeps bodies up front and jams passing lanes, creating intermediate-range vulnerabilities. Goff, known for his accuracy, will look to get the ball to LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the slot and let them win with yards after the catch (YAC).

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PositiveRoleSep 11, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta is identified as one of the Lions' elite weapons in the slot who will be a primary target for Jared Goff in the Week 1 matchup against the Saints. Against the Saints' base 3-4 front with Cover-3 coverage (nearly half their defensive snaps in 2025) and multiple linebackers in the intermediate range, LaPorta will be positioned to win with yards after the catch (YAC) as the Lions take what's available to them in the passing game.

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PositiveRoleSep 11, 2026Canal Street Chronicles

Field-stretching tight end in Detroit's elite offense; capable of creating mismatches against linebackers; positioned as a key offensive playmaker in a top-five Lions offense that averaged just under 375 yards per game in 2025 and scored 28.3 points per contest.

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PositiveRoleSep 11, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Sam LaPorta is healthier heading into 2026, representing one of the few weapon improvements for the Lions passing offense alongside Isaac TeSlaa being a year older.

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NegativeInjurySep 11, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

LaPorta is dealing with a hip injury, missed every preseason game, and could be on a snap count early in the season after missing the second half of last year. His health status creates opportunity for Brock Wright in the Lions' tight-end-heavy offense.

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NegativeProjectionSep 10, 2026Flock Fantasy

LaPorta's ceiling may be capped despite Detroit's expected increased passing volume due to lack of running backs; the Lions-opponent game has a 50-point over/under, which is high, but James Cook notes the ceiling constraint limits upside despite wanting to get as many Lions in his lineup as possible.

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PositiveRoleSep 10, 2026Yahoo Sports NFL

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who previously helped Cardinals tight end Trey McBride set NFL records, is impressed by Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta's versatility. Petzing highlighted LaPorta's dynamic passing game ability, body control, hands, and route-running, but emphasized that his pass protection, run-game play, and ability to work both on the ball and on the move or outside the core are particularly impressive. Petzing noted that very few players in the league can execute all these roles at such a high level, and having such a versatile tight end puts significant stress on opposing defenses.

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