Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Ladd McConkey

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, 2:00 PM

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey caught all five of his targets for 48 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders in the team's 20-9 win on Monday night. He has been reliable through two weeks but hasn't received a single red-zone target. That limits his touchdown potential and raises some concerns for fantasy managers. In Week 3, McConkey might face Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, though it's unlikely he'll shadow him given Los Angeles' other weapons. McConkey's role stays consistent as a short-to-intermediate option. He's a safe floor play in PPR formats, but managers should temper their scoring expectations at this point in the season.