Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Jeremy Ruckert

Thursday, July 17, 8:36 AM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had high praise for first-year offensive coordinator John Morton with the team set to open training camp this weekend. There have been some concerns that the Detroit offense will take a step back now that star play-caller Ben Johnson is the head coach in Chicago, but LaPorta does not share those worries. LaPorta told Jim Rome on Wednesday that Morton is a "brilliant mind" and went on to say, "I think he's gonna call the offense great." It remains to be seen whether Morton changes player roles, usage, and formations in his first year calling the plays, but the Detroit offense is loaded with talented players. Detroit should continue to be a fantasy goldmine for the 2025 season.

Monday, June 9, 12:26 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that New York Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert has shown progress as a pass-catcher this offseason. Ruckert was teammates with new quarterback Justin Fields in college at Ohio State, so he's been seeing a heavy workload during organized team activities. Still, Ruckert has plenty to prove coming off three disappointing seasons to start his NFL career, including regressing as a run-blocker last year. "I think he can help us in the passing game, he'll be a really good blocker," had coach Aaron Glenn said. "There's some technical things he can improve on." The 24-year-old former third-rounder (101st overall) in 2022 is still searching for his first NFL touchdown and has caught just 35 of 52 targets for 264 yards in his three seasons. With the Jets taking Mason Taylor in the second round of this year's draft, Ruckert's path to fantasy value is even more of an uphill battle.