Sam LaPorta vs Kyle Pitts

“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).”

“Reportedly, LaPorta is trending in the right direction after suffering a season-ending back injury last year. The former Iowa star was playing well before getting hurt, averaging 7.4 non-PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he scored 11.5 or more fantasy points in three of his final five games last season.”

“LaPorta landed on the opposite end of the spectrum. While still ranked inside Tier 2, concerns about target competition and draft cost pushed him down the board. For managers who miss out on the top tier, the recommendation was often to bypass LaPorta's price tag and continue waiting for value later.”

“Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL) The Falcons’ quarterback situation with a nicked-up Tua Tagovailoa and an injured Michael Penix Jr”

“Those are all elite numbers, and if Pitts had put up those stats all year, especially the fantasy points per game, he would have been the TE1 for fantasy. The problem is that with Drake London active, Pitts had a 19% target share, 42.2 receiving yards per game, 1.43 yards per route run, a 20.2% first-read share, 0.093 first downs per route run, and 9.6 fantasy points per game. All of those per route metrics were still quite strong, but the fantasy points per game mark would have made Pitts the TE20 last year.”

“Last year, Kyle Pitts had a tale of two seasons. Yes, overall it was a wonderful year as the TE5 in fantasy points per game and easily his best statistical season since his rookie year, but it was wildly different with Drake London in and out of the lineup. Without London, Pitts had a 26.7% target share with 84.4 receiving yards per game, 2.81 yards per route run, a 27.8% first-read share, 0.120 first downs per route run, and 19 fantasy points per game (per Fantasy Points Data).”

“Schultz finished tied with Jake Ferguson for third among tight ends in receptions behind only Trey McBride and Kyle Pitts . Schultz finished sixth among TEs in receiving yards.”

“Atlanta used the franchise tag to retain Pitts before reaching a three-year extension, making him the fourth highest-paid TE in the league. Pitts was “drafted to be great,” and 2025 saw Pitts return to high levels of production.”

“Kyle Pitts finished as the TE2 with just 9.8 fantasy points per game — the LOWEST ever for a TE2.”

“Overvalued: Kyle Pitts, Tight End (TE7, Pick 81 Overall) Pitts finished last season with 118 targets, 88 receptions, 928 yards, and five touchdowns. Many peg this as his breakout season, as he finally cracked out of the mediocrity of his last three seasons and came close to kissing the heights he reached in his first year. I, however, am bearish on his chances of returning to his top-five TE (TE2 OVR, TE5 per game) 2025 campaign.”

“Pitts, who finished as the second-highest scoring tight end in 2025, is often still grouped outside of the top four of his position. I’d advocate asking about his availability.”

“The TE2 overall ( Kyle Pitts ) produced only 66.7% of McBride’s total scoring output. That is the largest disparity of TE2 scoring compared to the TE1 in any season ever.”

“Kyle Pitts of the Falcons caught 25(!) more passes on only 116 targets and a 21.3% share.”

“Now, Pitts gets Kevin Stefanski as his head coach, a hire that should help him continue to blossom given Stefanski's track record with tight ends. He also has a pretty promising schedule, especially in the fantasy playoffs.”

“Pitts is coming off his best fantasy season yet, finishing as the TE2 in total fantasy points scored. On a per-game basis, he averaged 12.4 fantasy points (TE4). With a brand new three-year, $54 million contract, Pitts is now one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league.”