Lions TE Sam LaPorta appeared to injure his right ankle on the team's last offensive snap of the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. He played the first two snaps of the second half before limping off to the sideline. We'll update LaPorta's status when we know more.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta mustered only two catches for 13 scoreless yards in the Week 2 loss to the Bucs. That's even more disappointing when you consider the Lions ran 84 plays and threw 56 passes. LaPorta's three targets tied for sixth on the team and were just 5.4% of the Lions' total. His playing time remained solid, at least: An 88% snap rate and 83% route rate.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta has missed recent practice time with a hamstring strain. The injury popped up last week, per beat writer Justin Rogers. HC Dan Campbell said he doesn’t expect a lengthy absence for the second-year TE.
The Lions and QB Jared Goff agreed to a four-year, $212 million extension with $170 million guaranteed. The $53 million annual salary makes Goff the league's second-highest player (for now), behind only QB Joe Burrow. The new deal keeps Goff under contract with Detroit through 2027 and includes an option for 2028, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Ben Johnson will remain with the Lions as OC for the 2024 season, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Johnson had been a hot name in this year's coaching cycle and had been linked to Washington's still-open job. His return is excellent news for Detroit's offense. The Lions lead the NFL with 387 total yards per game and rank fourth with 26.9 points per game under Johnson over the past two seasons.
The Lions are signing TE Zach Ertz, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Ertz arrives as a fairly big name, but don't consider him a serious challenge to TE Sam LaPorta's outlook. Detroit suddenly finds weak depth at the position after losing Brock Wright to a forearm fracture in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers. The team previously placed TE James Mitchell on IR after he suffered a hand injury in practice ahead of the win over the Rams. Wright drew just 1 target before leaving Sunday's game, in which he played 30 snaps. No Lions TE besides LaPorta drew a target in the previous game, despite LaPorta being just a week removed from a knee injury.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is active for today's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He suggested on Friday that his knee is feeling better now than it did last week. LaPorta still isn't at 100% but has plenty of fantasy upside vs. Tampa Bay's 27th-ranked TE defense.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's Divisional Round game vs. the Bucs. He was limited in the final two practices of the week, but it sounds like that was part of a maintenance plan as he works back from that knee injury. "The trusting of my knee has progressed quite a bit," LaPorta said Friday. "Just reaching and planting for cuts. Certainly, the achiness has progressed. Just trying to make it feel better all week. Get the right amount of work but not too much at the same time." LaPorta still won't be at 100% on Sunday -- but he should be closer than he was for last week's win over the Rams.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Wednesday that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is "coming along" in his recovery from a Week 18 knee injury. "He's gotten better," Campbell added. "He feels better than he did this time last week. It's encouraging." LaPorta drew just three targets in the Wild Card win over the Rams. But he scored a TD, played 80% of the offensive snaps, and ran a route on 80% of pass plays. We'll track his practice participation this week, leading up to Sunday's game against the Bucs' 27th-ranked TE defense.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. He'll reportedly play with a brace on that injured knee and probably won't be close to 100%. You're likely banking on a TD if you use LaPorta in fantasy football tonight.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport hears that Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) is "trending in the right direction to play" vs. the Rams tonight. "Very limited in practice, LaPorta will likely wear a brace," Rapoport adds. LaPorta will certainly be at less than 100% and a strong candidate to be on a snap count if he does end up active for this one. We'll get Detroit's inactives around 6:45 pm ET tonight.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) was listed as a full participant in Friday's practice and is officially questionable for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Rams. He's obviously in much better shape than it seemed he'd be early in the week, although we're still skeptical that LaPorta will play on Sunday. If he does, it'll be at far less than 100%. We'll continue to keep you updated on his status. TE James Mitchell (hand) has been ruled out, so Detroit will be down to TE Brock Wright if LaPorta does not play.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. The team hasn't yet ruled him out for Sunday's Wild Card game vs. the Rams, but he's a major long shot to play in that one. James Mitchell replaced LaPorta as Detroit's lead TE last week.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that there's an "outside chance" that TE Sam LaPorta (knee) plays vs. the Rams on Sunday. The rookie has reportedly been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise. National insiders and medical experts that we trust believe that LaPorta will miss at least one game, if not more. We'll track his progress throughout the week but will start off projecting him to miss Sunday's game.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta has been diagnosed with a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "He’s likely to miss some time, but as coach Dan Campbell said, not as bad as it could’ve been," Rapoport adds. We'll look for a more concrete timeline for LaPorta's return, but expect him to miss at least next weekend's Wild Card game. Detroit does not have a legitimate replacement on the roster. TEs James Mitchell and Brock Wright have combined for 56 career catches.
Here's what Lions HC Dan Campbell said about TE Sam LaPorta's knee injury after Sunday's win over the Vikings: "It’s not as bad as it looked, but it’s not good news. We’ll know more tomorrow." It certainly sounds like LaPorta is in serious danger of missing time. We should get an update on his status within the next 24 hours. LaPorta's absence would obviously be a huge blow to Detroit heading into the playoffs.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta suffered an apparent left knee injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Vikings. He eventually made his way off the field under his own power but headed straight into the blue medical tent. We'll update LaPorta's status when we know more.
Update: LaPorta is officially questionable to return.
Update: LaPorta has been downgraded to out.
Lions HC Dan Campbell said Monday that he plans to play his starters in this weekend's regular-season finale vs. the Vikings. Detroit has won the NFC North, can't drop lower than the No. 3 seed in the NFC, and can only climb to No. 2 with a win plus a Cowboys loss to the Commanders and an Eagles loss to the Giants. "We want to use this as fuel," Campbell said. "I’ve got pure octane right now. I woke up and I’m ready, so we’re moving forward.” There's still some risk that the Lions pull key starters at some point during this game, especially if Dallas and Philadelphia have big leads. But we'll be projecting the starters for at least close to normal workloads in the Week 18 Rankings.
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