Who Should I Start? Evan Engram or Sam LaPorta

Wednesday, August 20, 3:11 PM

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi called tight end Evan Engram an "elite receiver." The Broncos have been searching for an elite pass-catching tight end for a while now, and Engram could be that guy in 2025 in his first year with the team. The 30-year-old former first-rounder by the New York Giants in 2017 out of Mississippi played in only nine games due to a shoulder injury last year, but he had a career-high 963 receiving yards on 114 receptions in a career year for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023. Engram has developed chemistry with second-year quarterback Bo Nix this summer and could be the young signal-caller's No. 2 target behind receiver Courtland Sutton. Not only should Engram see more usage in Denver thi year, but he could also be more of a red-zone target, which has been an issue for his fantasy upside since his rookie season.

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.