Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Mason Taylor

Sunday, January 19, 12:27 AM

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta caught six of his seven targets for 51 yards and a touchdown during Saturday's Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders. His touchdown came at the end of an impressive offensive play in which Jared Goff scrambled, threw while being tackled, and connected with LaPorta, who used his left hand to haul in the football and secure the catch. It was a valiant effort to give the Lions their only receiving touchdown of the game, but it wasn't enough. Detroit fell to Washington by two scores, ending their season shy of a Super Bowl berth once again. With that said, this Lions team continues to show plenty of promise ahead of the 2025 campaign. LaPorta himself was riding a hot stretch when the season ended, catching 38 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns over his last seven contests. He should continue to rank as a mid-range TE1 ahead of next summer's fantasy drafts.

Tuesday, April 29, 4:39 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that rookie second-round tight end Mason Taylor will immediately walk into the Jets building at the top of the tight end depth chart going into his rookie season in 2025. Jeremy Ruckert projects as the No. 2, but he has yet to make an impact since the Jets drafted him in 2022. The Jets are at least hoping he can take a step forward as a blocker and contribute in the running game. The 20-year-old Taylor not only will be a starter immediately, but he could see plenty of targets from quarterback Justin Fields in his first year in the NFL, giving him TE1 fantasy upside in 2025. Outside of WR1 Garrett Wilson, the Jets don't exactly star-studded receiving depth in Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard and Arian Smith. Taylor will have intriguing rookie upside, but he'll still be better off drafted as a TE2 sleeper than a staple for those in single-TE leagues.