Sam LaPorta vs Rome Odunze

“Perhaps the ceiling gets capped slightly if Jameson Williams trends upwards and Sam LaPorta is healthier, but the Lions were bad last year, and the most important thing is that they might have a competent play-caller once again in Drew Petzing, who said they want to lean into what Jared Goff does best by using play action heavily.”

“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).”

“Odunze remains a strong positive regression candidate tied to Caleb Williams , especially if the Bears’ passing game takes another step forward under HC Ben Johnson .”

“Currently going as the WR28 in PPR leagues, per FantasyPros’ average draft position (ADP), things are looking optimistic for Rome Odunze this season. Last season, Odunze played in just 12 regular-season games after dealing with a foot injury.”

“That would have ranked fifth among WRs last season.” – Jared Smola ( Draft Sharks ) “The drumbeat has been loud for Luther Burden III this offseason, but I can’t help but love the value of Rome Odunze at WR28.”

“Rome Odunze (CHI) — ECR: WR29 | Projection Rank: WR22 | Projected FPTS: 178.2 | Diff: +7 Rome Odunze ‘s second season was a tale of two halves, as injuries and poor catchable targets derailed what started as a breakout campaign. Before Week 9, he ranked top-10 in WR fantasy points per game while dominating high-value usage, leading the Bears in targets, red-zone looks, and air yards share.”

“Odunze got off to one of the hottest starts last year, ranking as the WR3 over the first month, averaging 19.9 PPR fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he scored 15 or more fantasy points in half of his games. Meanwhile, DJ Moore is gone, and the Bears did nothing to replace him.”

“Rome Odunze (WR – CHI) Going as the WR28, 64th overall, the projections have Odunze considerably higher at WR23, with 63 catches, 980 yards, and 8.1 touchdowns, actually ahead of several more hyped names in that same receiver room. There’s real ongoing debate about how this offense’s targets split between Odunze, a more hyped teammate, and the team’s ascending second-year tight end. One analyst notes the team’s new head coach has been unusually candid in public comments specifically praising that more hyped teammate, a signal some in the industry read as favoring him over Odunze this year, and the projections themselves do lean that direction too, just by a much smaller margin than the market currently reflects.”

“Love this one. A play on the phrase, “All roads lead to Rome,” this references your Rome Odunze team. He’s an undervalued wideout in an ascending offense. You’ll want to take Odunze.”

“The Bears appear confident Odunze will bounce back from the injury in 2026, having traded durable starting receiver D.J. Moore to the Bills. After shipping out Moore, the Bears made modest free agent investments in Kalif Raymond (one year, $3.5MM) and Scotty Miller (one year, $1.3MM), who are not starting-caliber receivers, and spent a third-round pick on former LSU wideout Zavion Thomas.”

“Over his first four games of last season, Odunze was the fantasy WR3 behind Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown. That's when he suffered a foot injury and never seemed to fully recover.”

“Last year Rome came in hot right out of the gate, averaging 17.4 points through the first four games…then the bye week hit. It was a full 180. He was inconsistent and unreliable and then he was injured, missing the last five games. Now we wonder, were the first four games a fluke?”

“Rome Odunze started his sophomore campaign red hot, but faded over the second half while playing through and eventually missing time with a stress fracture in his foot.”

“Odunze got off to one of the hottest starts last year, ranking as the WR3 over the first month, averaging 19.9 PPR fantasy points per game. Odunze could easily have a Jameson Williams-like top-12 finish if he gets seven targets per game, and he averaged 7.5 targets per game last season.”