fantasy football managers who selected Sam LaPorta as the TE1 overall off the board in fantasy drafts earlier this year may be in a slight state of panic after his painfully slow start to the 2024 NFL season.
Exactly how concerned should fantasy managers be about his lack of involvement in the passing game through the first six quarters of the season?
A Closer Look at Sam LaPorta’s Slow Start to the 2024 NFL Season
LaPorta absolutely destroyed the narrative that rookie tight ends can’t be impactful fantasy players with his 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 TDs in his first season in the NFL. For those of you who don’t recall, those numbers were good for a TE1 overall finish in 2023.
Unfortunately, LaPorta has gotten off to a painfully slow start to his sophomore campaign with just four receptions for 45 yards through the first six quarters of action.
To make matters worse, LaPorta saw just one target in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers banged up secondary in Week 2.
This feels incredibly concerning considering how Jameson Williams’ role has clearly expanded in the offense through the first two games of the season. The third-year receiver had an explosive debut to the 2024 season with five receptions for 121 yards and a score against the Los Angeles Rams.
Additionally, Williams has generated 68 yards on three receptions to go with another 15 yards on an end-around carry in the first half with over a quarter remaining in the contest.
Most fantasy managers assumed Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and LaPorta would continue to be the focal points of the passing attack in Detroit — but that simply hasn’t been the case through the first six quarters of the 2024 season.
LaPorta has the tools to be a fantasy force at the tight end position, but this type of volume to start the year with Williams’ expanded role has to be somewhat concerning.
Combine this with LaPorta’s numbers from last year — where he didn’t rank inside the top five at the TE position in multiple categories — and we could be looking at a potentially disappointing fantasy campaign if this trend continues.
LaPorta’s 2023 Stats and Positional Ranks:
- Targets: 120 (fifth)
- Receptions: 86 (fourth)
- Yards: 889 (fifth)
- TDs: 10 (first)
- YAC: 358 (seventh)
- Yards per Route Run: 1.78 (sixth)
Much of LaPorta’s fantasy success last year stemmed from his touchdown production, which always makes him a candidate for regression with the volatility of touchdown production varying significantly from year to year.
Ultimately, I still believe LaPorta will be a big part of this high-powered passing attack in 2024. This slow start is definitely a bit surprising and could force us to reassess where he lands in the pass-catching pecking order if this trend continues.
