Sam LaPorta
Detroit LionsSam LaPorta has 31 catches, 367 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in 7 games for the Detroit Lions this season through Week 8, 12.3 PPR points a game (updated November 5, 2026).
Model Score by season
Up 3.8 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
An elite tight end whose durability is now the question.
The case for
- Rookie year second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl plus the NFL postseason rookie TE record (176 yards); the ceiling is established.
- Two of three career years at tier 1 at age 25; the trajectory is locked among the position's elite tier.
The worry
- Only 9 games played in 2025; the durability is now a real question.
- Detroit's deep target tree means he is the 4th or 5th read; the per-game ceiling lives in red zone usage.
What to watch: Games played in 2026; the per-game rate is tier-1 when healthy, but the Lions have many mouths to feed.
Full take and bio
LaPorta at STTM #4 tier 1 in 2025 closes a three-year stretch ranking tier 1 in two of three seasons. The 9 games played in 2025 (vs. 17 from McBride) means the per-game profile is what carries the rank. Detroit's tier-1 offense (Goff QB1, Gibbs RB1, St. Brown WR1, Williams WR1) keeps him as a target option but never the primary read.
LaPorta was born in Highland, Illinois, played at Iowa where he won 2022 Big Ten Tight End of the Year, and Detroit took him 34th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2023, and holds the NFL record for postseason receiving yards by a rookie tight end (176).
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Rob Gronkowski ’1265%Jeremy Shockey ’0559%Owen Daniels ’0968%
Tyler Eifert ’1548%
Kellen Winslow ’0748%Plays like: Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, Jeremy Shockey. Built like: Owen Daniels, Jonnu Smith, Jake Stoneburner. Coming out: Garrett Graham, Charles Clay, D.J. Williams.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 1 star, 8 starters, 9 backups, 2 didn't stick.
Sam LaPorta Props This Weekat MIA Sun Nov 8
| Market | Line | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receptions | 3.5 | -132 FanDuel | +105 DraftKings |
| Receiving yards | 43.5 | -111 DraftKings | -113 DraftKings |
| Anytime TD | +190 Fanatics |
Best price across 8 books as of Thu Nov 5. Lines move; check the book before you bet. This week's board · Line Room
Play Sam's numbers on Underdog · partner link
Sam LaPorta Injury StatusNot listed
Sam LaPorta is not on the injury report as of Nov 5. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 7 games
12.3 fantasy points a game, 86 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Contract2026 cap
Every year of the deal, the dead money and what a cut or trade saves on the Contract tab.
Fantasy outlookWeek 9
Our rest-of-season board has Sam LaPorta at TE4 (the public consensus says TE5); the model has 108 PPR points left for him this season; this week he visits MIA.
Price a trade for him on the fantasy trade calculator, or see the whole board on the Fantasy hub.
Draft & College
Round 2, pick 34 to the Detroit Lions in 2023, out of Iowa (Big Ten). He went earlier than consensus.
In college, 2019-2022, 39 games: 152 rec, 1,825 yds, 5 TD, 12.0 yds/rec.
Recruited
Class of 2019 · Tight end · High school: Highland, IL
IowaHis full list of offers is not on our record yet; offers for the 2019 class are still being added.