Who Should I Start? Sam LaPorta or Tucker Kraft

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.

Thursday, September 18, 6:11 PM

Updating a previous report, Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) suffered a "little knee tweak" in practice on Thursday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Kraft checked out OK after the injury scare. It's still a bit unclear if Kraft is in danger of missing the Week 3 contest this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, but it sounds like the Packers and Kraft's fantasy managers dodged a bullet. The 24-year-old broke out in the Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders last Thursday night with 124 receiving yards and a touchdown. If Kraft is available this weekend, he's a must-start, high-end TE1, especially with receivers Jayden Reed (foot, collarbone) and Christian Watson (knee) out. Through two weeks, Kraft is the fantasy TE1 with eight grabs for 140 yards and two scores. If he's out in Week 3, Luke Musgrave would immediately become a TE1 streaming option against Cleveland.