Lions' Sam LaPorta: Slim chance of return this season
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LaPorta (back) has undergone surgery, and head coach Dan Campbell described LaPorta's chances of returning this season as "very, very slim" Friday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
LaPorta was placed on injured reserve Nov. 15. His earliest possible return date is Dec. 14, but Campbell's update suggests LaPorta will be out well beyond that point, most likely missing the remainder of the season. Campbell didn't completely shut the door on LaPorta returning, so the star tight end might make it back if the Lions put together a deep playoff run. Brock Wright and Ross Dwelley are the two remaining healthy options at the position on the active roster.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Gets moved to IR
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The Lions placed LaPorta (back) on injured reserve Saturday.
LaPorta thus will miss at least the next four games due to the back injury that didn't allow him to practice this week before Detroit ruled him out for Week 11 action Friday. His next chance to play will be Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Rams. In the meantime, Brock Wright (ankle) and Ross Dwelley will handle TE duties for the Lions.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Not expected to practice Friday
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LaPorta (back) isn't expected to practice Friday, Ben Raven of MLive.com reports.
LaPorta hasn't practiced at all this week, which led reporters to ask Lions coach Dan Campbell on Friday about his trust in backup tight end Brock Wright. Campbell responded, "Sky high," but he didn't shut the door on the possibility of LaPorta playing Sunday against the Eagles. It remains to be seen how the Lions list LaPorta on their final injury report Friday afternoon.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Still not practicing
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LaPorta (back) didn't practice Thursday.
LaPorta has yet to mix into any drills this week due to a back injury, leaving him just one more chance to do so Friday before the Lions potentially make a ruling on his status for Sunday's game at Philadelphia. Fellow TE Brock Wright (ankle) upgraded from no activity Wednesday to limited Thursday, while Ross Dwelley, the only other player at the position on the active roster, has avoided the Lions' Week 11 injury report entirely.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: DNP due to back injury
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LaPorta was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a back injury.
Most Lions skill-position players take a back seat to RB Jahmyr Gibbs and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown in the pecking order for touches, but LaPorta still has put together a respectable 40-489-3 line on 49 targets through nine games this season. LaPorta will have two more opportunities to practice during Week 11 prep, but if he isn't able to participate Thursday or Friday, he could be at risk of missing his first contest of the campaign and second game overall in his two-plus years as a pro.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Perfect on five targets
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LaPorta recorded five receptions on five targets for 53 yards in Sunday's 44-22 win over the Commanders.
LaPorta finished third on the team in targets behind both Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, though he still managed to record at least five catches for the fourth time in his last five games. LaPorta logged a pair of 14-yard catches to account for most of his production, and he's now topped 50 receiving yards four times in the same five-game span. He'll remain a consistent part of the Detroit offense, but his upside will be limited on many occasions by St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Season-best effort in win
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LaPorta brought in six of eight targets for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' 27-24 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
LaPorta tied for the team lead in receiving yards with a total that was also a season-high figure, and he checked in second in both receptions and targets. The talented tight end also rang up his third touchdown of the season -- all which have come within the last four games -- on a 40-yard grab to close out the opening possession of the contest. LaPorta has a solid 35-436-3 receiving line and at least five catches in three of the past four games heading into a Week 10 road matchup against the Commanders.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Low volume on MNF
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LaPorta finished with three receptions on as many targets for 15 yards in Monday's 24-9 win over the Buccaneers.
LaPorta came out of Monday's primetime matchup with his worst receiving line of the season. The 24-year-old's targets and yardage both represented new lows in seven starts this year. LaPorta's dud comes on the heels of the tight end's best two fantasy outings in which he scored a touchdown apiece, so managers should hang tight through the Lions' upcoming bye week. Detroit resumes play against Minnesota on Sunday, Nov. 2 in Week 9.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Best performance of 2025
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LaPorta recorded five receptions on six targets for 92 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-24 win over the Bengals.
LaPorta made a quick impact in Sunday's blowout win, logging a 22-yard reception on the third play of the game before capping the drive with an athletic 10-yard catch and run that resulted in a touchdown. His longest gain of the day came early in the third quarter and went for 39 yards -- nearly entirely after the catch. LaPorta entered Sunday's contest having been held under 40 yards in three straight games, so his highest yardage total and first touchdown of the season came at a needed time.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Minimal production again
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LaPorta recorded three receptions on four targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Browns.
LaPorta remained a top priority in the Detroit offense -- he finished third on the team in targets behind only Amon-Ra St. Brown (seven) and Jameson Williams (eight) -- but he turned in another underwhelming performance. Despite logging a reception of 27 yards just before halftime, he now has less than 40 receiving yards in three of four games this season. LaPorta has also yet to score, with St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs instead dominating touches near the end zone.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Four catches in win
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LaPorta caught all four of his targets for 33 yards in Monday's 38-30 win over the Ravens.
LaPorta remained somewhat quiet Week 3, finishing third on the team in catches, targets and receiving yards. The tight end has still yet to find the end zone, though he's seen three red-zone targets over three games. Through three weeks, he's compiled 13 receptions (on 17 targets) for 138 yards. LaPorta will look to find pay dirt Week 4 against the Browns, who have allowed two touchdowns to tight ends so far this season.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Leads Detroit pass catchers
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LaPorta recorded six receptions on nine targets for 79 yards in Sunday's 27-13 loss to the Packers.
LaPorta was the bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming offensive performance from Detroit, as he led the team in yards and finished second in targets. He also accounted for the team's longest play from scrimmage on a 32-yard catch and run to begin the second half. LaPorta isn't likely to consistently see nine targets as he shares looks with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, but he will be a key part of Detroit's offense -- particularly in the red zone.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Back to full strength
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LaPorta (undisclosed) wasn't listed on the Lions' practice estimate Wednesday.
Like most of the Lions' key players, LaPorta didn't play in the preseason, but he also tended to an undisclosed injury in mid-August. He's been back on the practice field since Aug. 19, though, and now is poised to resume his standing as the team's No. 1 TE, which equated to 60 catches (on 83 targets) for 726 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 regular-season games in 2024.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Dealing with minor injury
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Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that LaPorta will "miss a little bit of time" with a minor injury, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.
LaPorta isn't practicing Thursday and presumably won't play in Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins. Campbell didn't provide details on the injury, only saying that it's nothing major and LaPorta will miss some practice time. The tight end otherwise seems to have been a full participant in Detroit's offseason program and training camp.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: High hopes for new Lions OC
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LaPorta said Wednesday that new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton has a "brilliant mind" and should do a great job calling plays, NFL.com's Kevin Patra reports.
This is LaPorta's first time working with Morton, who was an assistant on Ben Johnson's staff in 2022. Morton was Denver's passing-game coordinator the past two years before circling back to Detroit to replace Johnson this winter. The Lions also lost starting center Frank Ragnow (retired) and right guard Keven Zeitler (Titans) this offseason, but they retained all their key skill-position players -- an impressive group led by LaPorta, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, RB David Montgomery, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and WR Jameson Williams. The tough competition likely means LaPorta will see less volume than what he's capable of handling after dropping from 120 targets as a rookie in 2023 to just 83 targets over 16 regular-season games in 2024. He had six or fewer targets in each of his first eight games last season, but he then got six or more targets in nine straight contests to close out the season (including the playoffs), with six TDs during that stretch.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Seven catches in Week 18 win
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LaPorta caught all seven of his targets for 63 yards in Sunday's 31-9 win over the Vikings.
LaPorta tied his season high in catches, though he failed to score after producing four touchdowns in the previous five games. The second-year tight end rebounded from a slow start to finish the regular season with 60 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns on 83 targets. Those numbers are all down significantly from LaPorta's 86-catch, 10-touchdown rookie regular season, but all will be forgiven if LaPorta steps up in the postseason. The top-seeded Lions will open the playoffs with a bye before hosting a game in the NFC divisional round.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: TEs to Start
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After a disappointing start to the season, LaPorta has come alive recently with three games in a row with at least 10.4 PPR points. He has at least six targets in five games in a row, including 17 total targets in his past two outings against Green Bay and Buffalo. He has 12 catches for 165 yards over that span, and he scored 15.6 PPR points against the Bears in Week 13 on Thanksgiving. Now, that was a fluky stat line with three catches for 6 yards and two touchdowns on six targets, but I expect him to have a prominent role in the rematch in Week 16.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Best performance of season
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LaPorta recorded seven receptions on 10 targets for 111 yards in Sunday's 48-42 loss to the Bills.
Several of Detroit's primary pass catchers posted inflated stat lines as Jared Goff was forced to take to the air 59 times in negative game script. LaPorta delivered his best yardage total of the season as a result, highlighted by long gains of 31 and 22 yards to record the second 100-yard performance of his career. The Lions aren't likely to be down multiple scores often for the rest of the campaign, making this an outlier performance, though it was positive to see LaPorta finish second on the team in targets.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: TD maven in Week 13
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LaPorta caught three of six targets for six yards and two touchdowns in Thursday's 23-20 win over the Bears.
LaPorta caught a three-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and added a one-yard score in the third. Despite his modest yardage total in this game, LaPorta's usage has trended up recently; he's drawn at least six targets in four of his past five appearances after falling short of that mark in each of his first six games this season. The second-year tight end has scored five touchdowns in his last seven games, showcasing the red-zone proficiency that helped him rack up 10 regular-season TDs as a rookie in 2023. He'll look to build on his recent momentum Week 14 against the Packers, which will be another Thursday game.
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Lions' Sam LaPorta: Garners six targets in return
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LaPorta (shoulder) finished with three receptions (six targets) for 19 yards in Sunday's 24-6 win over the Colts.
LaPorta returned from a one-game absence due to a shoulder injury and finished third in targets in a run-heavy victory. The sophomore tight end actually matched his target and reception totals from his last active game (3-66-1), but with far less production this time around. With no reported setbacks, LaPorta should resume being a mid-tier fantasy option when the Lions host the Bears on Thanksgiving Day.
