Who Should I Start? Durham Smythe or Sam LaPorta

Thursday, March 6, 2:33 PM

The Chicago Bears signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe to a one-year deal on Thursday, according to NFL.com. The former fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame has played his entire seven-year career with Miami but was released this offseason. Overall, the 28-year-old has hauled in 132 receptions for 1,228 yards and three touchdowns in 112 career games. Smythe is best utilized as a blocker, and with Chicago trading for former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Joe Thuney, it's evident they want to improve quickly in run and pass blocking. Smythe could help Chicago's offense in 2025 under new head coach Ben Johnson, but he's unlikely to be on the fantasy football radar.

Monday, September 15, 11:11 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta missed out on the fun in his team's 52-point performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. LaPorta was targeted four times by Lions quarterback Jared Goff out of 28 pass attempts and recorded three catches for 26 yards. Detroit has several formidable offensive weapons, so there's always a risk that LaPorta will fall behind wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the pecking order for touches. After averaging over seven targets per game as a rookie in 2023, LaPorta has now averaged 5.3 targets per game across his last 18 regular-season contests. He remains a fantasy TE1, but he may be overly reliant on touchdowns as long as Detroit's other pass-catchers remain healthy.