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    Sam LaPorta (hip) resumes practicing on Tuesday

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    DET Tight End #87
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    Lions TE Sam LaPorta (hip) resumed practicing on Tuesday.

    LaPorta’s hip issue no longer appears to be a concern. The 25-year-old has continued practicing as the week progresses. He was out there catching passes from QB Jared Goff during Friday’s scrimmage. LaPorta is a locked-in TE1, playing in what should be one of the NFL’s highest-scoring offenses this season.
Preseason stories: LAC contenders? Mendoza's role
Dan Patrick and Co. discuss preseason takeaways from around the NFL.

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  • DET Quarterback #16
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    The Lions are retaining “all” of last year’s play-calling verbiage, and “it was on Drew Petzing to learn the offense,” not the other way around. Goff apparently “had as much of a hand in getting Petzing familiar with the offense as the offensive staff did.” Mays believes these developments speak to the command, agency and autonomy that Goff possesses at this stage in his career. We agree. For those who were concerned about the Lions scrapping the tactics that coach Dan Campbell employed as the Lions’ play caller in Weeks 10-18 last year, it sounds like those concepts aren’t going anywhere. Will Petzing be allowed to add his own elements to that playbook? Yes, we assume so. At the end of the day, this year’s offense could look a lot like last year’s fantasy-friendly unit, though. Draft accordingly.
  • DET Tight End #87
    LaPorta mysteriously missed practice on Wednesday. Lions HC Dan Campbell told reporters Thursday that the 25-year-old tight end is dealing with a hip injury. They’re letting him rest. Campbell told reporters he doesn’t believe it’s a long-term injury and that LaPorta could be ready for the start of the regular season, but he isn’t sure. Already coming off a back injury that required season-ending surgery last year, LaPorta has picked up another red flag with a preseason injury.
  • DET Tight End #87
    Just last week, we received word that LaPorta has been having a “terrific” training camp. He suffered a season-ending back injury last year, which ultimately required surgery. While the surprise absence is somewhat concerning, this could simply be LaPorta taking a veteran rest day in the middle of the week. This is worth tracking, but not worth worrying about at this time.
  • DET Tight End #87
    LaPorta, operating over the middle as a trusted target for Jared Goff, has shown “just how much Detroit missed him the second half of the 2025 season after he suffered a back injury,” Twentyman said. “He’s been terrific throughout the start of camp. In an early practice team period, Goff found LaPorta down the left seam for a big gain down to the nine-yard-line. The next play was a touchdown pass to LaPorta over the middle. That’s been a common occurrence all through camp.” LaPorta managed just 40 receptions in 2025 while missing eight games with a lingering back issue that required surgery in November. He set career marks last year in receiving success rate (69 percent) and yards per catch (12.2). LaPorta was targeted on 21 percent of his routes, the second highest mark on the team.
  • DET Tight End #87
    LaPorta underwent surgery last year for a herniated disc, ending his 2025 season early. The surgery seems to have fixed the issue as Fowler reports the 25-year-old was “fully cleared earlier this month.” With training camp coming up, this is a good sign for LaPorta to be a full participant. The Lions will need him healthy to learn the offense under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing before the season starts.
  • DET Tight End #87
    It’s a good sign. There’s no reason for the Lions to push LaPorta at this point after having surgery on his back in November. Detroit is taking the cautious approach with the 25-year-old tight end, holding him out of positional and team drills. Ideally, LaPorta will be ready for next month’s training camp.
  • DET Tight End #87
    This is great news. LaPorta was active for “about 30 minutes of walkthroughs to begin practice.” LaPorta is not yet ready to participate in positional drills and team drills, but this is still an important first step. Earlier today, Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that the team is going to ask a lot of LaPorta this season. Hopefully, LaPorta is ready to go by the time training camp rolls around in July.
  • DET Tight End #87
    Campbell made an off-hand comment during an answer about RB Jahmyr Gibbs, saying the team will be asking a lot of their skill position players and included LaPorta in the list. While the 25-year-old tight end still isn’t practicing after undergoing back surgery in November, Campbell isn’t forgetting about him. His tone was a stark contrast to how he spoke about other injured players and that alone is a good sign for LaPorta’s recovery.
  • DET Tight End #87
    LaPorta underwent back surgery in November and is still in recovery. The Lions’ offseason program includes organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp, sporadically taking place from May 27th to June 17th. A prior report indicated that the Lions hope to have LaPorta on the field when training camp begins in July. That could still happen, though he may need to be eased in after the extended absence. Things appear to be on the right track for his regular season readiness, though.
  • DET Tight End #87
    Specifically, Petzing ran with much heavier personnel than the Lions are used to seeing and have run a lot of 13-personnel (three tight ends, one running back) since 2023. We doubt the Lions will go quite that big quite that often — that means one of Jameson Williams or Amon-Ra St. Brown is off the field — but we do think that Trey McBride’s success under Petzing generally augurs well for LaPorta in 2026. Of course, given that LaPorta (back) seems questionable for training camp after surgery, we don’t exactly know that the Lions will be able to pull this off. LaPorta seems like a boom-bust pick in Best Ball drafts from where we sit in January.

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  • FA Running Back #34
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    Eagles released RB Carson Steele.

    The news was first reported by Ryan Fowler of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Steele signed a futures deal with the Eagles in January after spending most of last season on the Chiefs practice squad. He was facing an uphill battle to make the team with Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley backing up Saquon Barkley in the Eagles backfield. Steele will head to the open market in search of his next organization.
  • NE Running Back #37
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    Patriots acquired RB Corey Kiner from the Cardinals in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

    The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The draft pick going to the Cardinals is a seventh-round pick in 2028. Kiner was buried on the depth in Arizona, but should immediately step in as the RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson with the Patriots. A former UDFA who appeared in four games with the Cardinals last year, Kiner is only worth a stash in deeper formats and has no standalone fantasy value.
  • MIN Quarterback #9
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    The Athletic’s Alec Lewis believes Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy won’t make the 53-man roster.

    McCarthy left preseason Week 2 with an ankle injury and returned to practice before ultimately missing preseason Week 3 altogether. According to Lewis, that only added to the murkiness about McCarthy’s 2026 status. All signs point to Carson Wentz as the QB2 after he started Friday’s game against the Broncos. Lewis adds that “McCarthy’s comfort (or lack thereof) with being QB3 could dictate his future in Minnesota” and projects that the Vikings won’t carry him on the 53-man roster to begin the regular season. The 10th overall pick in the draft only two years ago, McCarthy’s path to being a reclamation project for another organization could arrive sooner than anyone thought. Stay tuned.
  • FA Wide Receiver #1
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    Bills released WR Mecole Hardman.

    Hardman’s release was first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. A seven-year NFL veteran, Hardman spent most of his career with the Chiefs, where he helped Kansas City win three Super Bowls. Last year he appeared in only two games with the Bills and dropped passes were an issue in training camp and preseason this year. Hardman will head to the open market where he could be a fit for another team looking for wide receiver depth.
  • TB Wide Receiver #2
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    Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles told reporters “hopefully” WR Emeka Egbuka (toe) is ready for Week 1.

    Egbuka continues to deal with a minor toe injury. Bowles said in recent weeks that he was optimistic about Egbuka’s status, but also wasn’t sure if he’d be available for Week 1. Now he’s hopeful that the 23-year-old wide receiver will be available. The Buccaneers don’t seem too concerned about the injury at this point, making Egbuka a solid WR2 in fantasy drafts.
  • NYG Defensive Lineman #97
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    Giants acquired DL C.J. Okoye from the Ravens in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

    The news was first reported by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. The draft pick going to the Ravens is a 2028 seventh-round pick. Okoye reunites with Giants HC John Harbaugh after playing under him in Baltimore in 2025. A former UDFA from Nigeria, Okoye figures to bolster the Giants interior defensive line depth as a rotational player.
  • KC Wide Receiver #13
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    Cyrus Allen caught 1-of-2 targets for 12 yards in the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Seahawks.

    The Chiefs let most of their starters take the field in this game and Allen wasn’t among them. He didn’t see a snap until after Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton had all left the contest. His first target didn’t come until the third quarter, and it was a drop on a high throw. The rookie rebounded with a 12-yard gain for a first down on the very next play. After playing well into the second half of the team’s final preseason game, Allen is, at best, the Chiefs’ WR4 entering the season. Despite the strong training camp, he shouldn’t be in starting fantasy lineups for Week 1.
  • NYG Wide Receiver #3
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    Odell Beckham caught 3-of-6 targets for 53 yards in the Giants’ preseason game against the Jets.

    Darnell Mooney and Malachi Fields rested. Malik Nabers, still recovering from his 2025 ACL tear, was held out. Beckham drew the start along with the rest of the second-string offense. His stat line was impressive and it nearly went stratospheric when he burned the Jets’ secondary for a would-be 70-yard touchdown. Jameis Winston overthrew the pass and Beckham was unable to haul it in despite laying out for the catch. Per the eye test, Beckham still has something in the tank, even if that something is likely just good enough for a depth role. He isn’t a lock to make the Giants’ roster, but this preseason showing certainly helped.
  • TB Running Back #44
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    Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker rushed five times for 15 yards in Friday’s preseason game against the Jaguars.

    Tucker and RB Josh Williams competed for the Buccaneers’ No. 3 running back job all night. Tucker got the start, touching the ball on three of the first four plays. Unfortunately, the drive ultimately ended in a punt, as did almost all of the others. It was an unproductive night for the Buccaneers’ offense. Williams entered the game on the second drive, and the two players continued to rotate in and out thereafter. Williams rushed eight times for 21 yards. Tucker caught one pass for minus-one yard as well. Neither player really separated from the other in the box score. The team must now choose between the trusted, higher-priced veteran, Tucker, and the more affordable second-year player, Williams. If Tucker is released, it could allow “1A” RB Bucky Irving to hoard short-yardage and goal-line work, which would significantly boost his fantasy-scoring outlook.
  • KC Running Back #10
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    Emmet Johnson rushed seven times for 39 yards in the Chiefs’ preseason game against the Seahawks.

    Johnson added two catches for 15 yards and had another chunk gain through the air called back because of a penalty. Kenneth Walker didn’t play in this contest, allowing Johnson to draw the start with some of KC’s first-team offense on the field. Johnson split reps with Emari Demercado over the team’s first three drives, then left the game for good. He looks like the team’s No. 2 back, though all three backs have been the next man up behind Walker at some point during the preseason. Johnson isn’t guaranteed the backup job, but he’s now the favorite, putting him in the mix as a late-round flyer in deeper fantasy leagues.