Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Sam LaPorta
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Ian Thomas News
Tuesday, March 25, 1:32 PM
The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent tight end Ian Thomas (calf) to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Thomas will head to the AFC West after spending the first seven years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers after they selected him in the fourth round (101st overall) in the 2018 NFL draft out of Indiana. The 28-year-old never really established himself as a fantasy asset in Carolina, with his best season coming in his rookie campaign with a 36-333-2 line on 49 targets in 16 games (six starts). Thomas landed on Injured Reserve in 2024 with a calf injury and only caught three of six targets for seven yards in five games (two starts). He scored four touchdowns in his first three seasons but hasn't found the end zone since. In Vegas, he'll provide TE depth behind Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer and will remain off the fantasy radar.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Sam LaPorta News
Wednesday, May 6, 7:17 AM
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) is working on returning from an injury that sidelined him for the final eight games of the 2025 season. Because of the injury, he finished as the TE27 in PPR leagues, catching a modest 40 passes for 489 yards and just three touchdowns. LaPorta wasn't a major touchdown threat last year, but he was on pace to set a new career-high in receiving yards before the injury. Together, he and Amon-Ra St. Brown stepped up as highly dependable targets for quarterback Jared Goff. While this is a crowded offense, the Lions have shown that they can make it work. Goff is capable of supporting big years from all of LaPorta, St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs. As a result, as long as he's healthy in 2026, we expect a big bounce-back year from LaPorta. He's the TE6 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty fantasy football rankings, and dynasty managers can get him at a discount because he's coming off an injury.
Ian Thomas vs. Sam LaPorta
Still trying to decide between Thomas and LaPorta? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ian Thomas is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Sam LaPorta is projected to score 0.0 points.
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