Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Thursday, November 13, 2:13 PM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (back) was not present at practice on Thursday, putting his status for Sunday's tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles in question. The 24-year-old has hauled in 40 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns this season. If LaPorta is unable to go on Sunday, third-stringer Ross Dwelley could be called upon to fill in with Brock Wright (ankle) also missing practice time. Dwelley has just one target on the season, meaning quarterback Jared Goff will likely lean on the ground game, and wide receivers Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown if LaPorta is unavailable. Continue to watch reports over the next two days ahead of the matchup.

Monday, November 10, 12:31 PM

Ja'Tavion Sanders had his best game since Week 2 in Carolina's 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, but his totals were still underwhelming. The Carolina tight end caught all five of his targets for 32 yards and logged 8.2 PPR fantasy points. Despite being tied for the most receptions of all pass catchers on the Panthers, Tetairoa McMillan still outperformed him in yardage, 60 to 32. Carolina will next take on the Atlanta Falcons, who ranked first in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to TEs (6.43) in the four weeks leading up to Week 10. The second-year TE has not proven he can overcome the daunting matchup. With one of the worst matchups for his position, fantasy players can continue to scroll past his name when looking for a streaming or fill-in TE.