Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Brenton Strange

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Week 1 Projections

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0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Sam LaPorta News

Sam LaPorta Looks Good During OTA Practice on Thursday

Thursday, June 4, 1:26 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) looked good and was moving around well at OTA practice on Thursday after he sat out of the first open practice last week, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. It's a good sign for LaPorta, who is coming off back surgery to fix a herniated disc that forced him to miss the final eight games of the 2025 season. The 25-year-old former second-rounder in 2023 out of the University of Iowa was the No. 1 fantasy TE in his rookie year, catching 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns on 120 targets in 17 regular-season games. LaPorta took a slight step back in 2024 with a 60-726-7 line in 16 starts, before catching just 40 passes for 489 yards and three scores a year ago in nine starts. It won't cost nearly as much to secure LaPorta's services in fantasy as a low-end TE1 after his injury in 2025, and with the situation not much different in Detroit than in his first two years, there is clear bounce-back potential in his fourth year in the NFL if he can stay healthy. LaPorta is ranked as RotoBaller's No. 9 TE for the 2026 campaign.

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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

Brenton Strange News

Brenton Strange Being Asked to Line Up in "a Lot More Positions"

Friday, June 12, 10:05 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange said this week that he's being asked to line up in "a lot more positions," but despite the added responsibilities, he feels that his second year in head coach Liam Coen's offense is "a lot less chaotic," per Garry Smits of the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union. The 25-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie deal after catching 91 passes on 122 targets for 986 yards and six touchdowns in 43 games (26 starts) for the Jags over his first three years in the NFL. The former second-rounder (61st overall) out of Penn State in 2023 is the team's clear No. 1 pass-catching tight end going into the 2026 season, even though Jacksonville added rookies Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol in the NFL draft in April. Strange had career highs across the board in catches (46), targets (60), receiving yards (540), and touchdowns (three) in his 12 regular-season starts a year ago, and even though the offense is expected to feature plenty of two-TE sets this year, his production should improve because of his versatility. In a contract year, Strange could be an excellent value pick in fantasy as a TE2 with upside in 2026.

Sam LaPorta vs. Brenton Strange

Still trying to decide between LaPorta and Strange? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Sam LaPorta is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Brenton Strange is projected to score 0.0 points.