Harold Fannin vs Sam LaPorta

“Harold Fannin is coming off the board around the sixth-round/seventh-round turn.”

“Harold Fannin (TE – CLE) Going as the TE5, 64th overall, the projections have ticked up recently for Fannin. One analyst is even more aggressive than the official numbers, banking on him being this offense’s clear top target earner overall regardless of the team’s unresolved quarterback competition, a read supported by multiple beat reporters independently saying the same thing. Touchdown upside remains conservative for both analysts given real doubts about how many points this offense scores overall, but the appeal is target-share driven, with a real path to 120 or more targets and close to 80 catches even in a touchdown-starved offense.”

“Fannin exploded onto the scene as a rookie, finishing as the TE5 on a team that was pretty miserable in Cleveland. The hope for Fannin is that he will continue to be at least the second target for the Browns, though he may be limited due to questionable QB play.”

“However, Boston faces an uphill battle for immediate fantasy relevance while competing with first-round pick KC Concepcion and tight end Harold Fannin Jr.”

“(CLE) — TE6, Overall RK80, Bye: 11 A third-round pick in last year’s NFL Draft, Harold Fannin was surprisingly impactful as a rookie, racking up 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns to finish TE6 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring.”

“Undervalued: Harold Fannin Jr, Tight End (TE6, Pick 79 OVR) This isn’t to say that Fannin doesn’t belong at TE6, as that’s also where I have him. That is to say that he is a fantastic pick at TE6, and he’s going literally the pick before Kyle Pitts.”

“Harold Fannin in 4 full games that David Njoku missed all of most of last season: • 82.6% route rate • 0.28 targets per route • 27.2% target share”

“Harold Fannin Jr. will face intense competition for targets in 2026 after the Browns drafted KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. He averaged 9.3 PPR fantasy points per game in 11 contests with seven or fewer targets last season.”

“During his rookie year, while sharing a position room with David Njoku , Fannin saw the seventh-most targets (104) and averaged the eighth-most fantasy points per game (11.7). Now, with Njoku on the Chargers, there is potential for Fannin to have an even bigger role.”

“The Ballers shared their concerns about Harold Fannin Jr: Jason: "I hate these middle-round tight ends, but I love Fannin so much." Andy: "I want Harold Fannin to not be a sophomore flop." However, there are concerns from the QB play to the increase in competition to the new head coach and offensive coordinator.”

“He drew the second-most targets per route run at tight end last season (25.5%). While the Browns have questions at quarterback, Fannin is unquestionably the top target in the offense, and new head coach Todd Monken's track record would suggest he plans to rely heavily on him.”

“The Browns already have a target-dominant TE1 in Harold Fannin, and there doesn't feel like there's much room left to prioritize Concepcion in any meaningful way.”

“This stretch of games from Weeks 11-18 also coincided with Sam LaPorta ‘s absence, which increased Gibbs’ passing game usage.”

“Sam LaPorta – 2.14 Browns QBs through 5 training camp practices, per ESPN Cleveland:”

“Most playoff receiving yards ever by a rookie TE (193), passing Sam LaPorta”

“Round 9: Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) Since the FLEX spot allows for tight ends, I made a dart-throw pick on Sam LaPorta.”

“Sam LaPorta has dealt with injuries in the last two seasons, to the point where I don’t want to target him this season. His rookie year breakout feels like ages ago.”

“Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) LaPorta is currently the TE8, 84th overall, a range one analyst would easily take him from over two tight ends ranked just ahead of him. He’s been fully cleared from a herniated disc heading into camp and isn’t expected to miss any time, news that should push his price up over the coming weeks.”

“From Weeks 1-10, including a Week 8 bye week, LaPorta was the TE8 in PPR leagues. He averaged 11.9 fantasy points per game, catching 40 passes for 489 yards and three touchdowns before the injury. In that span, he had an 18.6% target share, which was second on the team behind wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (31.2%).”

“Sam LaPorta was the counter-pick, a name being drafted at a discount after a frustrating, injury-interrupted season.”

“This brings us to TE Sam LaPorta . Historically, he had been one of those middle-round TEs that Jason was avoiding like the plague. But now that he has been slipping to rounds 9-10, he’s an excellent pick when taking opportunity/cost into consideration.”

“Harold Fannin sits at TE6, and Kyle Pitts and Sam LaPorta are essentially tied for TE7 and TE8, with Pitts holding just a slight edge on the chart. Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) vs. Sam LaPorta (TE – DET) In a live dynasty startup draft one of our analysts is currently participating in, Pitts came off the board about eight picks before their own selection, leading them to take LaPorta in the same round instead.”

“LaPorta dominated from the outside as one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, and while he's fallen back to earth a bit from the highs of his rookie campaign, he's still very good.”

“LaPorta only appeared in nine games last season due to a herniated disc. Before his injury, LaPorta had received 18.6% of Detroit's targets (TE9) and averaged 2.0 yards per route run (TE6).”