Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Colston Loveland

Saturday, November 15, 4:13 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) was placed on Injured Reserve ahead of the Week 11 Sunday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles. LaPorta did not practice this week and was ruled out before their primetime game against the Eagles. Through nine games, LaPorta has hauled in 40 of 49 targets for 489 yards and three touchdowns, ranking as the TE8 in PPR formats. LaPorta's absence should upgrade the other weapons across the board, especially Jameson Williams and tight end Brock Wright, who is questionable to play this weekend with an ankle injury. The next chance that LaPorta has to return is in Week 15, when they head to Los Angeles to take on the Rams.

Tuesday, November 18, 4:57 PM

Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland has seen his role in the offense increase lately, playing at least 60% of the snaps in all but one game since their Week 5 bye. Loveland had his breakout game in Week 9 against the Bengals, catching six of seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The production has been more modest in the past two weeks, with seven catches for 95 yards on eight targets, but he posted a 75.3% snap share in Week 11 against the Vikings, his highest in a game this season with Cole Kmet active. That number was still a tick behind Kmet for the week, with him playing 78.1% of the snaps, so he isn't overtaking Kmet necessarily, but Chicago used more two-tight-end sets to get them both on the field. The 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has looked dynamic with his opportunities this season and should continue to see more reps, but it is still a crowded offense that will run the ball a lot. Loveland is a great player to roster because of his talent and increased role, but is still tough to trust in lineups for now.