Who Should I Start? Darnell Mooney or Sam LaPorta

Tuesday, August 12, 10:28 AM

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that wide receiver Darnell Mooney (shoulder) is "week-to-week" and that he expects to "have him back healthy this year." Mooney injured his shoulder during the first week of training camp and appears to be at risk of missing the start of the regular season. The 27-year-old played in 16 games for Atlanta last season, recording 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns. If Mooney misses games, KhaDarel Hodge and DJ Chark could be in line for more regular snaps. Falcons WR1 Drake London would likely see a sizable jump in target share, as would top tight end Kyle Pitts.

Tuesday, August 19, 1:18 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (undisclosed) returned to training camp practice on Tuesday, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. LaPorta has been held out of practices recently with a minor undisclosed issue, but it was never considered serious. It's unclear if he'll make his debut this preseason in the finale on Saturday against the Houston Texans. The 24-year-old former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa put himself on the fantasy map right away in his rookie campaign with an 86-889-10 line in 17 games (14 starts). He took a slight step backwards in his sophomore season with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. LaPorta has plenty of competition in a still stacked Lions offense which will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton. However, in one of the top offenses in the league, LaPorta should be considered a top-five fantasy TE.