Who Should I Start? Marcedes Lewis or Sam LaPorta

Thursday, May 29, 2:50 PM

Veteran free-agent tight end Marcedes Lewis wants to play in 2025, and he expects it to be his final NFL season. The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears following five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and 12 campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Originally a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Lewis has tallied 437 receptions for 5,115 yards and 40 touchdowns in 285 career games. He hasn't cracked 400 receiving yards since 2012, but he is one of the better blocking tight ends in the league. If he signs somewhere for a 20th NFL season, he will not be on the fantasy football radar. Either way, it's easy to root for the veteran who has been remarkably healthy late in his career.

Thursday, June 5, 6:21 PM

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that tight end Sam LaPorta has been a standout during voluntary organized team activities this offseason. Campbell also praised plenty of other Lions players, but LaPorta is a notable one after he took a step back in Year 2 in 2024 with a 60-726-7 line in 16 regular-season starts. As a Pro Bowler in his rookie campaign, the 24-year-old went for 86 receptions on 120 targets for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (14 starts). The former second-rounder (34th overall) in 2023 out of Iowa finished the year better, but there are just a lot of mouths to feed in Detroit's offense. The Lions will be run by new offensive coordinator John Morton in 2025, but LaPorta should still be a go-to red zone target for quarterback Jared Goff as a high-end TE1.