Who Should I Start? David Njoku or Sam LaPorta

Wednesday, November 20, 2:27 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (knee) logged a full practice on Wednesday following limited sessions on Monday and Tuesday due to a knee injury. He has been removed from the injury report and is good to go against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. The former first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has seen his fantasy football stock rise after Jameis Winston took over for the injured Deshaun Watson. Since Week 7, Njoku has averaged 13.3 half-PPR fantasy points per game, so despite the tough matchup against the Steelers defense, he's a clear TE1 play for Week 12. With six teams on a bye, he is a virtual must-start this week despite the low floor of the Cleveland offense on a short week.

Wednesday, November 20, 5:09 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (shoulder) was estimated as a full participant on Wednesday during the team's walkthrough practice. LaPorta suffered an AC joint sprain in the Week 10 win over the Houston Texans that caused him to miss last week's blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The week off apparently did the second-year TE well, though, and head coach Dan Campbell is optimistic of LaPorta's chances of returning this Sunday to face the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. All signs are pointing to the 23-year-old's return this weekend, but fantasy managers should have a backup plan just in case. If he returns, LaPorta will be at worst a low-end TE1 for fantasy managers. He certainly hasn't lived up to his high draft stock after finishing as the TE1 in 2023 as a rookie, and he's currently averaging 7.5 half-PPR points, which ranks 16th among TEs in 2024.