Is it time to bench Sam LaPorta in fantasy football?

The Lions' Sam LaPorta took the fantasy football world by storm last season by breaking the rookie tight end receptions record and finishing as the TE1 overall. He quickly shot to the top of the trade value charts and seemed primed for another strong second-year campaign.

Unfortunately, the second-year pro hasn't taken the next step many were hoping for – instead, he's taken significant steps backwards in fantasy production. It sounds a wild question, but is it better to keep LaPorta on the bench?

A story about two seasons

In his rookie season in 2023, LaPorta rose to the top of the tight end mountaintop with an average of 14.3 fantasy points per game and a season total of 242.3. While most rookies at the position typically need an extra year or two to break into the NFL, the Iowa product took off with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

It makes sense that LaPorta came into the league so well prepared for the professional game. While the Iowa Hawkeyes' offense may not produce many points, the tight end college has recently produced NFL-caliber talent at the position in George Kittle, TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant.

What's worrisome is that the second-year stats suggest LaPorta's career could follow Fant's path rather than Kittle and Hockenson's path to stardom.

LaPorta and the Lions have played six games so far in 2024. The team's record is a strong 5-1, but LaPorta has caught just 14 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown. His total fantasy point total of 42.4 is an average of 7.1 PPG – literally half of what he produced in his rookie season.

Why has LaPorta's production declined so much?

LaPorta's regression into fantasy is a complex issue. This is primarily due to minor changes in offensive philosophy and goal distribution, but may also be due to ongoing injuries.

Changes to the game plan

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remained in Detroit despite rumors that he would leave for a head coaching job in the offseason. However, the offense still looks different compared to LaPorta's breakout rookie season.

First of all, the pass volume is much lower this season. The Lions averaged 35.9 pass attempts per game in 2023, the ninth-highest mark in the league. Today, the Lions rank 24th in pass attempts with an average of 29.7 per game.

Detroit is also relying a little more on the run this season. They rank fourth in rushing attempts per game with a weekly average of 32 carries. That's an increase of three tries compared to last season's eighth-highest average of 29 runs per game.

Increased target competition

The decline in overall pass volume isn't the only change to Detroit's offense. The pecking order for finishes and overall track participation looked slightly different compared to last season.

Of course, star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the undisputed alpha among the Lions' pass catchers. Sun God paces the team in both overall run and goals, which makes sense given his talent level.

Still, LaPorta appears to be less involved in the offensive game plan than he was in his rookie year. Last season he ranked second on the team in route running and scored 120 goals, easily the second-most of any Lion. For reference, Josh Reynolds finished third in 2023 with just 64 points.

Now, the introduction of Jameson Williams in the full-time WR2 role has led to early changes in the pecking order. Williams is clearly a more dynamic talent than Reynolds, and it's obvious the staff wants to include him, whether as an outfield carry or as a sub. Williams completed 169 routes on the year, while LaPorta completed 142 – and also topped the tight end with 30 targets, 13 more than LaPorta.

Halfback Jahmyr Gibbs also topped LaPorta with 22 appearances this season. This puts the tight end fourth on the team in targets, just two targets ahead of fifth-place Khalif Raymond.

That's a lot of numbers to read. For the sake of simplicity, here are some statistics. Last season, LaPorta averaged just over seven goals per game. In six games this season, he is averaging just 2.83 appearances per game. With this significantly lower quantity, it would be almost impossible to match the production of the last campaign.

A lingering injury?

During training camp, LaPorta struggled with a minor hamstring issue. The more concerning injury occurred over a month later, when he suffered a sprained ankle following a Week 3 win against the Arizona Cardinals. Although this injury was an everyday injury that occurred almost a month ago, these injuries add up throughout the season. It's possible the ankle is still putting enough strain on LaPorta to affect his game.

Fantasy outlook

LaPorta's struggles are frustrating for fantasy managers, especially those who selected him in the early draft rounds expecting elite production and positional advantage. A top-notch season may not be possible, but the ship isn't quite on course for success just yet.

Leads his position group

Even though he's far from first on the team in targets, LaPorta is still easily TE1 in Detroit. He ranks third on the team in total routes run, but has participated in 96 more routes than the next closest tight end. Players don't score fantasy points for run blocking, but he's on the field far more often than his counterparts and has played 78.4% of the offensive snaps this year. At least his job is safe.

A powerful offense

There is certainly a way for LaPorta to increase his fantasy production. Although the team's passing volume has declined, Detroit still ranks third in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns on a per-game basis. Overall, the Lions' offense ranks second in total yards and also third in points per game.

Admittedly, LaPorta suffered a touchdown regression after reaching paydirt 10 times last season, but there are plenty of scoring opportunities in a high-powered offense. The tight end clearly has a feel for the end zone, and while his two red zone targets are worryingly low for the physical pass catcher, one would think that LaPorta should get more quality looks as time goes on.

Short term goals

Those listing LaPorta will be happy to hear that he could have more targets starting in Week 8. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the aforementioned Jameson Williams faces a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

It seems like a given that LaPorta could benefit from Williams' absence. Even though Williams has only been targeted a little over three times per game in his last four games, that's still a handful of additional opportunities for whoever the targets go to. If LaPorta gets more attention and performs well over the next two weeks, there's always a chance that quarterback Jared Goff will throw to the tight end more often in the future.

Is it time to bench LaPorta?

As Week 8 begins, the playoff race is taking shape in most fantasy leagues, meaning the margin for error is narrowing for teams with postseason hopes.

Job shortage

Those who have more reliable options on their rosters may consider benching LaPorta. However, most fantasy managers aren't blessed with two productive tight ends – let alone one.

The reality is that the tight end position is a wasteland for fantasy purposes this season. Only seven tight ends average double-digit fantasy points, and of those, only Brock Bowers and George Kittle average more than 12.2 points per game. Cole Kmet, the TE3 overall, puts up numbers per game on par with the WR31.

LaPorta may struggle in fantasy football, but so do almost all other tight ends. He is averaging 7.1 points per contest, just 1.7 points behind 12th-ranked TE Travis Kelce. Certainly it would be great to see higher production, but it's unlikely there are better options, especially on waiver claims. It would be even more difficult to find an available TE in a strong offense, as LaPorta potentially has an advantage.

Another option

There's another approach for those who can't field another starting tight end. With LaPorta potentially set to play a larger role in the offense while Williams remains suspended, consider keeping him in the lineup for now. If he has a big week, seize the moment and trade LaPorta for a more productive tight end.

And if no such deal occurs? Continue riding the tight end rollercoaster with the second-year pro. He is still one of the league's best talents at the position.

Given the bleak prospects of the fantasy tight end landscape, remember that you don't necessarily need to field a superstar – your guy just needs to outscore your opponent.

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