Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Colston Loveland

Monday, September 15, 11:11 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta missed out on the fun in his team's 52-point performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 2. LaPorta was targeted four times by Lions quarterback Jared Goff out of 28 pass attempts and recorded three catches for 26 yards. Detroit has several formidable offensive weapons, so there's always a risk that LaPorta will fall behind wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the pecking order for touches. After averaging over seven targets per game as a rookie in 2023, LaPorta has now averaged 5.3 targets per game across his last 18 regular-season contests. He remains a fantasy TE1, but he may be overly reliant on touchdowns as long as Detroit's other pass-catchers remain healthy.

Monday, September 15, 5:23 PM

Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland was held without a catch in the team's 52-21 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions. It was another quiet outing for the rookie, as Detroit's defense (ranked No. 1 against tight ends in 2024) completely erased the tight ends from the Bears' passing game. The usage split continues to favor veteran Cole Kmet, who logged nearly a 90% snap share compared to Loveland's 53%. With such a limited role, Loveland remains unstartable in all fantasy formats for the time being. That said, the Bears invested premium draft capital in Loveland, and his athletic upside hasn't gone away. As Chicago's offense settles in and game scripts become more competitive later in the season, his opportunities should grow. For now, he's a bench stash with long-term upside and should not be available in deeper formats.