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Is Sam LaPorta playing today? Detroit Lions TE injury update vs. Jaguars in Week 11
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- Is Sam LaPorta playing today? Detroit Lions TE injury update vs. Jaguars in Week 11
Is Sam LaPorta playing today? Fantasy football managers and Detroit Lions fans won't like the answer in NFL Week 11.
The Lions , in first place in the NFC at 8-1, host the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field in Detroit.
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LaPorta was ranked by many as the No. 1 tight end for fantasy going into the 2024 season, but has not produced to match the hype of his stellar rookie season .
Here's what we know about LaPorta's shoulder injury.
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Is Sam LaPorta playing today? Injury update
LaPorta has been ruled out for today's game vs. the Jaguars.
He injured his left shoulder last week against the Houston Texans falling hard after a 37-yard catch early in the third quarter, and did not return to the game. He "wasn't using his arm much to put his socks on in the locker room after the game," Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett said late Sunday, though tests after the game showed it was "nothing major."
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LaPorta missed all three Lions practices this week at the team facility in Allen Park.
He sprained his ankle in Week 3 against Arizona , but returned for the following game.
Who replaces Sam LaPorta at tight end for Lions
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) runs in for a touchdown during the first half of the NFL game at Ford Field in Detroit on Oct. 27, 2024.
Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra are expected to play bigger roles at tight end vs. the Jaguars. The Lions also could elevate third-year tight end James Mitchell from practice squad.
Wright, 25, has nine catches for 58 yards and a touchdown this season. He has 52 catches for 482 yards with eight touchdowns in 50 career games over four seasons, all with the Lions.
Zylstra, who turned 28 on Saturday, has 14 career catches for 94 yards in 21 NFL games all with the Lions. He missed last season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
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Mitchell, 25, was a Lions fifth-round draft pick in 2022 and has not appeared in a game this season. He has 13 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in 29 career games for the Lions.
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Sam LaPorta stats
LaPorta, 23 years old, has seen a huge drop-off this season in Year 2 in the NFL, after being a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in 2023. He immediately posted an NFL rookie tight end record with 86 catches to go with 889 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Here are LaPorta's 2024 stats:
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Games played:9
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Receptions: 25
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Receiving yards: 366
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Touchdowns: 3
Marlowe Alter is a Sports Assistant Editor for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at malter@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sam LaPorta injury update: Is Lions TE playing today vs Jaguars
