Sam LaPorta DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) was downgraded to a limited practice participant on Thursday after he was listed as a full participant on Wednesday. Instead of suffering a setback with his hyperextended knee, the Lions were most likely resting the 23-year-old after he played through his knee injury in last weekend's wild-card win over the Los Angeles Rams. LaPorta played 45 of 56 offensive snaps last Sunday and caught all three of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown. Unless he suffers a setback in practice on Friday, LaPorta should be good to go for the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Even though the Buccaneers have been gouged by opposing tight ends all year, LaPorta will still carry plenty of risk as the second-most expensive TE on DraftKings for this weekend, behind only Travis Kelce.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) practiced in full to begin the week leading up to the NFC Divisional Round contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barring any setbacks, he should not be at risk of missing Sunday's game, and he should be more involved in the offense. The rookie saw just three targets in the win over the Los Angeles Rams, but he caught all three for 14 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends during the regular season, so with a favorable matchup and improved health, the volume is likely to go up. He remains a solid DFS option for cash games and GPP tournaments.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that rookie tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) is "coming along" and making progress after hyperextending his knee and suffering a bone bruise in the Week 18 regular season finale. LaPorta was questionable going into the wild-card round game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night but ended up playing and caught three passes for 14 yards and his first postseason touchdown in the one-point win. The impressive rookie TE wasn't 100 percent in that game, but Campbell said LaPorta feels better than he did at this point last week, so that's encouraging for fantasy managers setting DFS lineups that want to use the 23-year-old in an excellent Divisional Round matchup against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unless he has a setback later this week, LaPorta should be ready to play and should be more involved. UPDATE: LaPorta practiced in full on Wednesday.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta caught all three of his targets for 14 yards and a touchdown in the NFC Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Rams. The rookie was questionable to play on Sunday due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 18, but he ultimately gutted it out and proved to be a difference-maker by securing a touchdown reception on fourth down. LaPorta played 80% of the team's snaps and wasn't a target hog like usual, but his contributions obviously loomed large in the end. Next week, he'll face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa Bay allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends during the regular season, while Philadelphia allowed the 13th-most. Either way, LaPorta will have upside, and he'll get a full week to heal up further before taking the field next weekend.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) is officially cleared for Sunday's meeting with the Rams. The rookie caught five of seven targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings. But his day came to an end after he suffered multiple knee injuries. At any rate, LaPorta was initially expected to miss at least a game, maybe more. However, he's in the lineup, although the knee ailments could certainly limit his DFS potential, which isn't ideal, considering he's the costliest tight end on Sunday's slate.