Who Should I Start? Mike Gesicki or Sam LaPorta

Wednesday, August 20, 3:51 PM

Cincinnati Bengals tight ends Mike Gesicki (hamstring) and Drew Sample (undisclosed) are considered day-to-day and could play in the team's preseason finale on Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts if they are needed, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. We'd be surprised if Gesicki actually played this weekend, but he should be just fine for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the division-rival Cleveland Browns in the first week of September. Noah Fant could take some looks away from Gesicki in two-tight end sets in 2025, but the full expectation is that Gesicki will remain the team's No. 1 pass-catcher at the position. The 29-year-old had 65 catches for 665 yards and only two touchdowns in 17 games in his first year in Cincinnati and should be viewed as a low-end TE2 target in an offense with a elite 1-2 receiver punch in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

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.