TE: Sam LaPorta - DET

2024 Season Summary

Core Statistics

• Games Started: 16

• Targets: 83

• Receptions: 60 (6th among NFL TEs)

• Receiving Yards: 726 (47th in NFL)

• Touchdowns: 7 (T-4th among TEs)

• Yards per Reception: 12.1 (career-high)

• Yards per Target: 8.7

• Catch Rate: 72.3%

• Yards After Catch per Reception: 5.7

Efficiency vs Volume

• Targets per Game: Dropped from 7.1 (2023) to 5.2

• Efficiency improved across the board (YPR, YPT, catch rate), but reduced volume offset some of the gains

Season Narrative

• Weeks 1–10: 64.8% route participation, 10.9% target share, ~40.1 yards/game

• Weeks 12–18: 77% route participation, 18.6% target share, ~51.4 yards/game

Historical Context

• Through two NFL seasons:

  • 146 receptions

  • 1,615 receiving yards

  • 17 touchdowns

• 5th-most productive start ever for a TE through two seasons

2025 Fantasy Outlook

1. Efficiency Ceiling Is Rising

LaPorta improved in every key metric in 2024:

• Yards per reception

• Yards per target

• Catch rate

• YAC

• Touchdown rate

2. Health & Role Outlook

• Minor ankle and shoulder injuries didn’t slow his finish

• Strong close to the season suggests he’s back at full strength

• Lions’ 15–2 record keeps him in one of the league’s top scoring environments

3. Offensive Ecosystem

• Jared Goff remains a high-volume passer (540+ attempts/year)

• Competition for targets with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams

• Ben Johnson’s departure as OC could tweak the scheme but LaPorta’s role looked solidified late in 2024

Headliner Take

Sam LaPorta enters 2025 as one of the safest bets in the fantasy TE landscape. His volume slightly dipped, but his efficiency exploded—and the late-season surge suggests he could see more work in Year 3. Expect:

• 100+ targets

• 800–1,000 receiving yards

• 7–10 touchdowns

  
  

He's firmly locked in as a top 5–7 TE and has the ceiling to challenge for the TE1 crown in 2025 if the volume takes another step forward.