Who Should I Start? Ian Thomas or Sam LaPorta
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 48.5 | 0.3 |
Sam LaPorta News
Tuesday, July 21, 4:05 PM
Detroit Lions Pro Bowl tight end Sam LaPorta (back) was fully cleared earlier this month and will be ready to go for the start of training camp, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The Lions will determine LaPorta's level of involvement early in camp, but he's expected to be a full-go after having surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back last year that limited him to only nine starts and a 40-489-3 line in his third year in the league. The 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2023 out of the University of Iowa was limited during offseason workouts, but as long as he doesn't suffer a setback with his back in camp, he'll be ready to roll for the 2026 regular-season opener and should once again be a key cog in Detroit's pass-happy offense. And because of his season-ending back injury a year ago, he's heading into the summer as an underrated TE1 in fantasy. Don't forget that LaPorta recorded 146 receptions on 203 targets for 1,615 yards and 17 touchdowns in 33 regular-season games in his first two years in the league. LaPorta is shaping up as a potential TE1 steal in drafts at his pre-camp ADP.
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 1.1 points this week while Sam LaPorta is projected to score 11.2 points.
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