Fantasy teams across the nation are gearing up for the final weeks of the regular season. Most will begin their playoffs shortly or already have started thinking about how to tinker with teams next year.
Year after year, we always see our fantasy leagues taken down by a late-round stellar pick or an incredible mid-season pickup to help propel an opponent to the championship. As we move into the typical Fantasy Playoffs period for most leagues, BetMichigan.com – your source for Michigan sports betting - utilized FantasyData.com to compile the current fantasy rankings of tight ends after Week 13 of play in a standard point-per-reception (PPR) league and then found the ADP fantasy rankings for before the season.
Here is what we found out about go-to players at the tight end position, (Note that TEs were only included if they were in the top 40 in the original ADP rankings.)
Top Tight Ends in Fantasy Ranking
Lions’ LaPorta Having Strong Season
Detroit Lions rookie tight end Sam LaPorta rounded out the top five lists as he had his best game Sunday in a 33-28 victory at the New Orleans Saints. The win surely was key in helping the Lions’ Super Bowl odds.
LaPorta was targeted nine times and had nine receptions for a career-high 140 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and one touchdown to help the NFC North first-place Lions improve to 9-3 on the year, just one game behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC. This was a dramatic one-week turnaround for LaPorta, who was targeted eight times but only made five receptions for 47 yards and one TD in a 29-22 Thanksgiving Day home loss to the resurgent Green Bay Packers.
On the season, the second-round draft pick out of Iowa has 64 catches for 679 yards (10.6 per catch) and six TDs, including a score in two straight and three of his last five games. LaPorta is ranked No. 3, a huge 15 spot leap upward from the tight end's average fantasy draft position of 18th.
How valuable is LaPorta right now? He is giving you 14.3 fantasy points per game, highest among the top five above. That’s literally more points per game than his alma mater scored in five of their last six games played.
The Lions visit another division rival, the Chicago Bears (4-8), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (FOX). ESPN BET Michigan has the Lions listed as a 3.5-point and -175 moneyline favorite in the game.
If you do choose to place a wager on LaPorta or the Lions, be sure to have a Michigan sportsbook promo ready.
