Who Should I Start? Mark Andrews or Sam LaPorta

Wednesday, August 27, 6:11 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (undisclosed) returned to practice on Monday, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec. Andrews missed Monday's practice with an undisclosed issue, but the fact that he is back on the field a day later suggests it was very minor. Even though Andrews had a costly fumble and dropped pass in last year's Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills in the postseason, the 29-year-old remains in play as a midrange TE1 target as one of quarterback Lamar Jackson's favorite options through the air, especially with Isaiah Likely (foot) potentially missing the start of the regular season. The three-time Pro Bowler finished 2024 with 55 catches for 673 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns on 69 targets over 17 regular-season games (13 starts). Fantasy managers can't expect double-digit TDs again, but Andrews has had at least six scores in all but two of his seven seasons.

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.