Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Kenneth Walker III

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.

Tuesday, September 16, 9:07 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III acknowledged that Zach Charbonnet is expected to continue splitting the backfield with him. Through two games, Charbonnet has outsnapped Walker (56% to 38%) and handled more carries (27 to 23). Head coach Mike MacDonald reinforced that approach, saying, "We're playing the long game. We want both backs to play the whole year." Walker also stated that he's buying into the committee approach to preserve his health. "I believe we have two great backs." Walker's history of injuries is expanding, as he missed six games in 2024 and multiple others earlier in his career. For fantasy purposes, Walker's upside is capped, and he should be valued as a high-end RB3 rather than his typical high-end RB2 profile.