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Sam LaPorta Injury History & Updates

Basic StatsSam LaPorta’s Basic Stats

Sam LaPorta
ADP: N/A
Bye: 5
Experience: 1
Age: 23.8
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 245
40 Time: 4.59

SPARQx (Rank): 111.70 (68%)
Burst Score (Rank): 122.80 (76%)
Agility Score (Rank): 11.16 (90%)
Catch Radius (Rank): 10.15 (78%)

Injury PredictorSam LaPorta's Injury Guide

Medium Risk

Chance of Injury in 2024

53.6%

% chance misses at least 2 quarters

Chance of Injury per Game

4.4%

1- 17√1-% Inj/Season

Projected Games Missed 2024

2.30

Durability

5.00

Ability to produce despire relatively minor injuries. 5 being most durable

Injury analysis powered by Draft Sharks Injury Guide, formerly SIP Logo

Injury History

Date League Injury Details
Nov 19, 2022 NFL Knee Meniscus Tear LaPorta returned for Iowa's December 31 bowl game.
Jan 7, 2024 NFL Knee Bruise He also sustained a hyperextension. Surprisingly, LaPorta played through the injury in the postseason.
Aug 2, 2024 NFL Thigh Hamstring Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 LaPorta dealt with a minor strain.
Sep 22, 2024 NFL Pedal Ankle Sprain/Pull Unspecified Grade 1 LaPorta played through the injury but it clearly affected him
Nov 10, 2024 NFL Shoulder A/C Joint Sprain LaPorta suffered a sprained AC joint in Week 10's win over the Texans.

Basic StatsSam LaPorta's Preseason Player Analysis

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Bottom Line

The fantasy case for LaPorta is easy to build. The argument against him: He might be going too early. He tied for third at the position in PPR points per game last year despite a 4-TD lead on the field. And Mark Andrews jumps ahead if you remove the game he left early with his knee injury. Early ADP has LaPorta going first at the position – often a half-round ahead of the next TE. He could certainly score that way. But that starting point means more downside risk and opportunity cost to drafting him. We’d rather wait another round and a half or more and take Mark Andrews.

What We Learned Last Year

  • LaPorta was ready from the start.
  • He topped 80% playing time in each of Detroit’s first two games, caught 4+ passes in each of the first four, and topped 50 receiving yards in three of those four.
  • He finished the year with more PPR points than any rookie TE had ever scored. (Though 1961 Mike Ditka beat LaPorta in points per game.)
  • No rookie TE has ever caught more passes than LaPorta’s 86. His rookie season also ranks third all-time at the position in yards and tied for second in TDs.
  • LaPorta outscored Evan Engram by a point to lead all 2023 TEs in PPR scoring.
  • He ranked fifth among that group in targets, seventh in target share, fourth in receptions, fifth in yards, and first in TDs – by four.
  • Interestingly, just four of LaPorta’s 10 TDs came on end-zone targets. He tied four other TEs for fifth in end-zone looks. Three others scored 4+ TDs on such plays: Cole Kmet (6), Hunter Henry (5), and Dalton Schultz (4).
  • LaPorta ranked sixth at the position in yards per route and fourth in Pro Football Focus receiving grade.

What to Expect in 2024

  • It’s impossible not to expect good things fantasy wise from LaPorta going forward after he delivered top-shelf numbers among 2023 TEs and historically elite numbers for a rookie.
  • It’s possible that LaPorta sees some TD regression. But he also might not. His 11.6% TD rate wasn’t outlandish for the position – or his situation.
    • Eight other TEs caught more than 10 passes and posted higher TD rates last year. That included Hunter Henry and both of Baltimore’s top 2 TEs.
    • Last year saw 15 TEs catch 10+ passes while posting higher TD rates than LaPorta’s 2023 number.
    • And history gives us plenty of examples of TEs scoring 8-10+ TDs in consecutive years.
  • The Lions have ranked among the league’s top 5 in scoring and total yards each of the past two years. They climbed from 12th in total plays in OC Ben Johnson’s first season to second last year. And even with Lions RBs ranking among the league’s busiest in goal-line scores, QB Jared Goff has ranked sixth and fifth in red-zone pass attempts the past two seasons.
  • LaPorta went from dominating his college team’s receiving to delivering strong athletic testing, hitting the NFL as an early second-round pick, starting right away, and posting historic rookie-year numbers.
  • Add that to a strong, loaded offense that retained its successful OC, and the case for LaPorta looks strong this year and beyond.

Recent Injury Bites View All Shark Bites »

Sam LaPorta, TE DET

7:52am EST 11/11/24

Sam LaPorta Has Shoulder Injury

Lions TE Sam LaPorta was knocked out of Sunday night's game vs. the Texans with a shoulder injury. HC Dan Campbell said afterward that LaPorta is believed to be dealing with an AC joint sprain but will undergo more testing on Monday. "It’s not something like he’s gonna be out four weeks. It’s like, maybe he’ll miss this week, we’ll see," Campbell added. We should get another update on LaPorta's status within the next 24 hours.

View all Sam LaPorta Shark Bites »

Lions TE Sam LaPorta has been diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Relative good news," Fowler adds.

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Lions TE Sam LaPorta appeared to injure his right ankle on the team's last offensive snap of the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. He played the first two snaps of the second half before limping off to the sideline. We'll update LaPorta's status when we know more.

View all Sam LaPorta Shark Bites »

Lions TE Sam LaPorta has missed recent practice time with a hamstring strain. The injury popped up last week, per beat writer Justin Rogers. HC Dan Campbell said he doesn’t expect a lengthy absence for the second-year TE.

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Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He was limited in the final two practices of the week, but it sounds like that was part of a maintenance plan as he works back from that knee injury. "The trusting of my knee has progressed quite a bit," LaPorta said Friday. "Just reaching and planting for cuts. Certainly, the achiness has progressed. Just trying to make it feel better all week. Get the right amount of work but not too much at the same time." LaPorta still won't be at 100% on Sunday -- but he should be closer than he was for last week's win over the Rams.

View all Sam LaPorta Shark Bites »

How do Injuries impact your draft strategy?

For us, it's 1/17th of the equation. Hear us out.

The Draft War Room is the only live-sync draft tool that monitors 17 crucial in-draft indicators, including injury likelihood… and adapts to show you which players to pick throughout your draft.

See how we built the 17 indicators into our Draft War Room »
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