Sam LaPorta was a nice surprise last season. He was the overall TE1 after being drafted on average as the TE18 and the 163rd overall player. If you drafted him, you got a weekly starter, averaging 14.08 PPR points per game. That is good value for a tight end found in the 13th round . He is now being drafted in the 3rd round as the second-overall tight end, behind only Travis Kelce. Can LaPorta dethrone Kelce again and take over his spot as the top tight end to own in fantasy?
Sam LaPorta’s 2023 Season:
As a rookie, LaPorta was second on the Lions in receiving yards (889) and receptions (86), and he was tied for first in touchdowns with 10. Among tight ends, he was fourth in receptions, fifth in yards, and first in touchdowns. His receptions total would give him the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history, surpassing Keith Jackson’s 81 receptions in 1988. He would also join Rob Gronkowski and Mike Ditka as the only rookie tight ends in NFL history to record double-digit touchdowns.
How LaPorta Stacked Up Against Previous TE1 Seasons
Unfortunately, history shows LaPorta’s TE1 season was not all it was hyped up to be. It was a great season, especially for a rookie, but it is still not the elite type of season you want from a player with round-three capital. It was a poor fantasy season by tight ends in general and his season does not come close to the fantasy TE1s in years past:
The TE1 over the past four seasons:
2023: Sam LaPorta
-86 receptions
-889 receiving yards
-10 touchdowns
-239.3 fantasy points
-14.08 fantasy points per game
2022: Travis Kelce
-110 receptions
-1,338 receiving yards
-12 touchdowns
-316.3 fantasy points
-18.60 fantasy points per game
2021: Mark Andrews
-107 receptions
-1,361 receiving yards
-9 touchdowns
-301.1 fantasy points
-17.71 fantasy points per game
2020: Travis Kelce
-105 receptions
-1,416 receiving yards
-11 touchdowns
-312.8 fantasy points
-20.85 fantasy points per game
*stats from sleeper.com
When Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews was the top fantasy tight-end, there was a sizable gap between them and the other tight ends. In 2020, Travis Kelce scored 34 more points than the TE2 and 136 more than the TE3. In 2022, Kelce had 100 more points than the TE2 and 116 points more than the TE3. In 2021, Mark Andrews scored 38 more points than Kelce and 92 more than the TE3. LaPorta only finished nine fantasy points over the TE2, and 20 points over the TE3.
In the years of Kelce and Andrews’ dominance, they were essentially elite wide receivers that could be plugged into the tight-end slot. Travis Kelce scored more points than the WR4 in 2020 and the WR5 in 2022. Mark Andrew’s 2021 season would have placed him as the WR6. Sam LaPorta this past season would have been only the WR16.
If Travis Kelce did not get injured last season, there is a good chance that LaPorta’s value would not be so high in 2024. Travis Kelce finished the season as the TE3 with 219.4 fantasy points in only 15 games. He averaged 14.63 PPR points per game and would have been the projected TE1 if he played all 16 games. Even in a down year, Kelce only finished 20 total points behind LaPorta in two fewer games.
Is LaPorta Worth His Round Three Price Tag?
Sam LaPorta’s TE1 season is the worst fantasy football has seen in the last few years, yet he’s being drafted as if he were a fantasy difference-maker. LaPorta’s ADP is based on his finish as the TE1, not the amount of points he scored. Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews have been value picks in years past because they were such big positional advantages. Sam LaPorta is not the same kind of difference-maker. He is not worth his TE2 ADP and round three price tag.
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