Sam LaPorta DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is a strong play in Week 17 when his team lines up against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. The second-year pro began the year dreadfully slow but has come around of late. LaPorta had not earned more than six targets in a game this season until Week 14 and has now done so each week since. Additionally, he's recorded four or more receptions in all three games -- something he'd done just three times prior this season. He'll get a tough outing this week in a San Francisco defense that's allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends (9.1). Still, the Iowa alum has received more work recently and is the TE3 in PPR formats since Week 14. Fire him up as RotoBaller's PPR TE5 ahead of this week's slate of action.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta found the end zone once again against Chicago as the Lions defeated the Bears 34-17 on Sunday afternoon. LaPorta caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. He hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass on a memorable fake which saw quarterback Jared Goff stumble and running back Jahmyr Gibbs dive on the ground as if the ball had been fumbled. Goff then regained his feet and threw a dart to LaPorta for the touchdown in what appeared to be a planned misdirection. Last game against the Bears in Detroit in Week 13, LaPorta scored two touchdowns and he was able to add another one this week in Chicago.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta hasn't had the monster season that many were predicting but he has made some strides over the last few weeks. Ahead of Week 16 at the Chicago Bears, LaPorta is looking like a good option at the tight end position. The Iowa product scored two touchdowns in the Thanksgiving matchup between the Lions and Bears in Detroit. The Bears are about middle of the pack against tight ends in fantasy points allowed, so LaPorta looks like a promising threat to score a touchdown in this matchup. In his last four games, LaPorta has seen at least six targets in each game and saw 10 targets against Buffalo last week. An increased role along with his red-zone prowess makes LaPorta a favorable start at the tight end position in the fantasy playoffs.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta saw a season-high 10 targets in Week 15's loss to the Buffalo Bills. LaPorta caught seven passes for 111 yards in the contest but did not find the end zone. It was his first game this season with more than 100 receiving yards and the seven catches were also a season-high. LaPorta had a productive game in this one as the Lions were forced to throw the ball a lot in this game. The versatile tight end was held out of the end zone but had his most productive statistical night of the season. In a thin tight-end landscape for fantasy, LaPorta looks like one of the more reliable options at the position.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta has seen an uptick in targets lately but his fantasy success is largely based on whether he finds the end zone in a given week. He has seen at least six targets in four of his last five games, but his high for receiving yards was 66 against the Texans in Week 10. Against the Bears, LaPorta scored 15.60 fantasy points in PPR leagues when he caught three passes for six yards and two touchdowns. LaPorta is fighting for looks in the crowded Lions' offense but is still a nice red-zone threat. The tight-end landscape is very thin, so LaPorta still makes for a decent play at the position against a Bills defense that is good at limiting damage to opposing tight ends. The Bills defense is allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. LaPorta will reward fantasy managers if he finds the end zone, but that is a risky proposition this week.