Sam LaPorta didn’t match his rookie-year production in his second season, but that could make him an intriguing target in dynasty fantasy football.

After a standout rookie season where he set several records, Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta was the first tight end selected in many 2024 fantasy drafts. However, expecting him to finish as the TE1 again was always unlikely, and that proved to be the case.

In his first six games of the season, LaPorta had 14 receptions on 17 targets for 224 yards and one touchdown. The lingering effects of a preseason injury and the emergence of Jameson Williams impacted his target share, leading to a drop outside the top-20 fantasy tight ends through Week 7 in half and full-point PPR formats.

From Weeks 8 to 18, LaPorta caught 46 passes for 502 yards and six touchdowns, finishing as the TE6 in 0.5-point PPR during that stretch. If we look at just Week 17, the final week in many fantasy leagues, he was also TE6 in that period (0.5-point PPR). If LaPorta hadn’t missed a game (Week 11), and if he had averaged his per-game production in that missed game, he would have finished as the TE4 from Week 8 through the end of the season.

During the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17), LaPorta was the TE1 in standard and 0.5-point PPR formats and the TE2 in full PPR.

At season’s end, LaPorta finished as a top-10 fantasy tight end in his second year, regardless of scoring format. He just wasn’t the TE1, and many of his fantasy managers might not have benefited from his strong finish.

Sam LaPorta was named a trade target in dynasty leagues for 2025 Dynasty fantasy football operates year-round. With this in mind, Mike Fanelli of RotoBaller recently compiled a list of five third-year players to target in dynasty, and LaPorta made the cut.

“After scoring 7.3 or fewer fantasy points in five of his first six games, LaPorta scored 12.3 or more in six of his final 10 contests. Additionally, he averaged 8.3 targets and 14.1 fantasy points per game during the fantasy playoffs. While LaPorta is no longer the dynasty TE1, the young talent is an excellent trade target.”

The idea of buying low on LaPorta in dynasty is appealing, but what would such a trade look like?

In a Superflex league with no tight end premium, LaPorta holds a value of 5,340 points. Here are some players or picks that would even out a trade:

Rashee Rice: 5,466 points

Trevor Lawrence: 5,452 points

Kyren Williams: 5,433 points

2025 Pick 1.06: 5,430 points

Jonathan Taylor: 5,407 points

If the trade includes a tight end premium, LaPorta’s value increases to 5,930 points, adjusting the players/picks needed to balance the trade to Garrett Wilson, 2025 Pick 1.03, 2025 Pick 1.04, and Breece Hall.

Adding a personal perspective on trading for LaPorta in dynasty, I hold Jonathan Taylor in a Superflex, tight end premium (1.5 points per reception) FFPC dynasty league. My top tight end there is Jake Ferguson, but I’m still hesitant to trade Taylor for LaPorta.

Interestingly, in terms of my roster and without tight end premium, the KeepTradeCut calculator deems a fair trade for LaPorta to be Jake Ferguson and Tyreek Hill.

Dynasty managers holding LaPorta shouldn’t be discouraged by his second-year performance. Meanwhile, non-LaPorta managers should consider reaching out with a trade offer to explore what it might take to acquire him. Just remember there’s a difference between making a low-ball offer and trying to buy low.