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Is Sam LaPorta out for the season? When is Sam LaPorta coming back? The latest Sam LaPorta injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 16 of 2025.
The 2025 season has been a frustrating one for injuries in fantasy football. Each week, there have been numerous impactful injuries that have forced fantasy managers to think on the fly. In a lot of cases, fantasy managers are left stashing an impactful player on the injured reserve, hoping for a late-season boost to their lineup.
One player that could fit that billing is Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta. The third-year pro was operating at a top 10 level among tight ends when he was placed on the injured reserve before Week 11.
Is Sam LaPorta out for the season? Can he return for the fantasy playoffs? Read below to find out.
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Is Sam LaPorta Out for the 2025 Season?
Sam LaPorta was placed on the Detroit Lions’ injured reserve after Week 10’s win over the Washington Commanders with a back injury. It was a somewhat surprising move, even with the tight end playing a season-low 75.7% snap share against Washington after grabbing his back.
Unfortunately, things got worse for fantasy managers. At the end of November, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that LaPorta underwent a successful back surgery and that his return to the team in 2025 was considered “…very, very slim.”
Dan Campbell on the chances of Sam LaPorta returning this season after undergoing back surgery: “I think that’s very, very slim.” pic.twitter.com/NXiaQrNmDR
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) November 21, 2025
With that, it is fair to assume that LaPorta’s 2025 season ended in Week 10.
Sam LaPorta 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook
2025 Sam LaPorta was unlikely to hit the same highs he did as a rookie (120 targets, 86 receptions, 889 yards, and 10 touchdowns), but he had become an extremely efficient weapon capable of providing fantasy managers with a stable floor at tight end.
Through nine games, the third-year tight end had caught 40 of 49 targets for 489 yards and three touchdowns while posting career-highs in yards per reception (12.2), success rate (69.4%), and yards per target 10.0. LaPorta was the TE9 in fantasy points per game (11.9) over the first 10 weeks of the season, with at least 10.0 PPR points scored in five of his nine games. He had four top-five positional finishes on the season.
SAM LAPORTA. BEAST.
MINvsDET on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/2UWJ2teC4n
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
LaPorta has no value in redraft leagues for the fantasy playoffs, but does still carry value as a dynasty tight end. The veteran is a step below the upper echelon of tight end prospects (Trey McBride and Brock Bowers), but should be considered a solid top-five option with players like Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Tucker Kraft.
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 16 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Harold Fannin Jr., Jayden Reed, Rico Dowdle. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 16. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 16 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Harold Fannin Jr., Jayden Reed, Rico Dowdle. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 16.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
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Popular Week 16 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 16 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 16 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 16 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Harold Fannin Jr., Jayden Reed, Rico Dowdle compared to others:
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