Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Brock Bowers

Monday, October 6, 12:40 AM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta caught five of his six targets for 92 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He scored his first touchdown of the season on a trick play that involved a pass from running back David Montgomery. By breaking into the end zone, LaPorta turned in his best fantasy outing of the 2025 season. He was the fourth-highest tight end scorer in Week 5 and ranks as the overall TE6 in total scoring this year. While there is some inconsistency in his production week over week, fantasy managers should feel confident that LaPorta is still a top-10 fantasy tight end. He should be started in all leagues ahead of next week's competitive matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Thursday, October 9, 6:03 PM

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (knee) is missing his fourth straight practice on Thursday, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. "We're hopeful we'll get Brock back soon. He's working his tail off in the rehab process, so we'll see how that goes," said offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Bowers missed practice last Thursday and Friday before missing his first game of his career in the Week 5 blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts. With two straight DNPs to begin this week, it's looking likely that the second-year tight end will miss a second straight contest this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, unless he's able to practice on Friday. The 22-year-old's injury stems from when he injured his knee back in Week 1. The good news for the Raiders is that if Bowers sits out in Week 6, they should be getting Michael Mayer back after he cleared the NFL's concussion protocol this week. Mayer could be worth TE2 streaming consideration in deeper leagues if Bowers is inactive again.