Sam LaPorta Will Roar Again in Fantasy Football in 2025

After a rookie season in which he came close to breaking fantasy football, Sam LaPorta’s second season, although solid, was somewhat disappointing. But with the Lions' 2024 success making for a rough 2025 slate of games, LaPorta should once again return to the top of the tight end charts.

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Solid, Not Great Second Season

LaPorta enjoyed plenty of opportunities in 2024, although his receiving workload did not approach elite levels. It’s always going to be hard wrestling targets away from Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the NFL’s most elite target hoovers, but it’s not as if LaPorta was buried within his offense. He drew 83 targets and caught 60 of them, ranking 12th and 11th among tight ends with these totals. What he lacked in volume, he made up for with efficiency. LaPorta’s 726 yards were the sixth-most at the tight end position, and only three players found the end zone more than LaPorta, who scored seven times. LaPorta enjoyed a dual role in the receiving game, ranking sixth in yards after contact (343) and third in deep targets, seeing nine throughout the season according to PlayerProfiler.

Thanks to healthy yards per target and yards per reception numbers (8.7 and 12.1), LaPorta finished as the TE9 with 9.0 Half-PPR points per game. So, he certainly wasn’t bad in his second season. He didn’t dominate the way some fans would have hoped he would. If we can’t have overwhelming volume, we can live with efficiency, and he certainly delivered that.

Change is Coming, but How Much Does That Help?

The Lions have changed both coordinator spots this offseason, with Ben Johnson out and his place taken by John Morton. Morton will have his way of doing things, but as he was already familiar with the offense, it may be fair to assume that things won’t change too dramatically. The Lions have leaned on the ground game recently, indulging in a 54% pass rate in neutral game situations last season. This increased to 55% overall. In terms of personnel, there are not likely to be sweeping changes either. The Lions have a mere 11 vacated targets from a year ago, indicating that players in the post will continue scrambling for looks in the same way as a year ago.

But one thing that is different, and could benefit LaPorta and other pass catchers, is the Lions' schedule. After romping through the NFC last season, the Lions have been “rewarded” with one of the toughest slates of games in the entire league. Indeed, Sharp Football ranks the Lions' 2025 schedule as the third toughest. This could lead to their having to take to the air more often, which will be good news for LaPorta and a chance to continue to cash in on his linkup with Jared Goff.

Working in Partnerships?

Over the last two seasons, Goff has averaged an impressive 8.13 adjusted yards per attempt when looking for LaPorta. This is an eye-opening number for a tight end and is right up there among Goff’s most profitable partnerships. For comparison, he averages 8.92 when targeting Jameson Williams. The emergence of Williams in 2024 was cited as a reason for LaPorta’s stats being down. But to be honest, his numbers last season with or without Williams were flat across the board.

When Williams played, LaPorta averaged 6.2 targets, 4.3 receptions, 48.8 yards, and 10.4 Half-PPR points per game. Without Jamo, his numbers "leaped up" to 6.1, 5.0, 49.6, and 10.0. Although it is interesting to note that five of LaPorta’s seven touchdowns came when Williams was not on the field, and LaPorta’s yards per target jumped from 7.4 to 12.6 in these situations.

Fantasy Outlook 2025

LaPorta is currently the TE4 over on Underdog, with an ADP that places him in the seventh round of drafts. He has dropped since the start of draft season, as his ADP in April was closer to the top of the sixth round. Still, his current ranking is close to our rankings, which see LaPorta as the TE5. He has shown that he can be efficient when the ball is sent his way, and his work in the red zone makes him a likely weekly touchdown scorer.

A tough slate of games for the Lions might see him enjoy a bump in targets, but if the Lions remain the dominant force of last year and nothing really changes, then LaPorta has shown he can make the very most of his opportunities. This should ensure he remains a solid fantasy option, maybe just not a superstar.

The Bottom Line

• Sam LaPorta enjoys a healthy target share, just not an elite one

• LaPorta’s efficiency in the absence of volume keeps him fantasy viable

• A tougher schedule for the Lions could lead to more passes being thrown, benefitting all receivers but especially LaPorta, with whom Jared Goff enjoys an effective chemistry.