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Travis Kelce Fantasy Football Outlook
Sam LaPorta Fantasy Football Outlook
Sam LaPorta exploded into the tight end scene his rookie year, racking up seven games of 15+ PPR points and multiple week-winning games en route to a TE1 finish. Tight end is typically one of the toughest positions for rookies to excel in, but LaPorta showed a mastery of the position, and elite Lions OC Ben Johnson schemed him open on a regular basis. He beat defenders multiple ways, winning with agility, strength, strong hands, and sharp route running skills.
brb enjoying some Sam LaPorta highlights
pic.twitter.com/r8BvVu0SmL— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) July 18, 2024
While LaPorta had an excellent season, he actually gained 95 fewer yards than Kelce (889 vs. 994). Touchdowns are highly variable across seasons for both WRs and TEs. In addition, when projecting future stats for pass catchers, the QB matters, and Jared Goff typically performs very poorly on the road. Goff's home vs. away splits are staggering, with the QB's passer rating dipping by nearly 30 points and his TD% dropping by nearly half.
Unfortunately, these translate to LaPorta's production. LaPorta caught nine of his 10 TDs at home. In other bad news, the Lions' Week 16-17 matchups are on the road, with the crucial Week 17 matchup being against the 49ers. For a player who was moderately dependent on TDs to produce in his rookie year, that's not ideal.
Trey McBride Fantasy Football Outlook
Trey McBride had a solid season in 2023, producing very well when Kyler Murray returned to play for the Cardinals. McBride scored over 20 PPR Fantasy points four times last year, becoming a target hog for the Cardinals. Despite scoring only three TDs, McBride made plenty of excellent plays and showed himself to be a reliable target for Murray. He showed off strong hands and great play strength, and Murray trusted him to haul in difficult targets.
Trey McBride breakout incoming https://t.co/PVxPBjoYpU pic.twitter.com/zrnoCl5nME
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 15, 2023
While McBride is an excellent tight end, the drafting of Marvin Harrison Jr. isn't good for his prospects. Though Harrison will draw defensive attention away from McBride, Harrison should immediately become a target hog, considering he's one of the most complete WR prospects of all time. Harrison has a ridiculous skillset that will immediately make him a priority for Murray and the Cardinals' offense.
Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has the rare combination of elite athleticism and polished technique that make him one of the best prospects we have ever seen.
He can win early in the route with his quicks, late in the route with physicality, at the catch point with ball… pic.twitter.com/mmaTrZAHWd
— As a Former NFL Agent (@TommyK_NFLDraft) January 19, 2024
McBride has much less TD upside than Kelce and LaPorta have shown. The Cardinals were also ridiculously efficient in the run game, and Murray is a less productive passer than both Goff and Mahomes.
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
This is one of the more difficult draft decisions to make. However, Travis Kelce presents the highest upside at the tight-end position this year. He remains the priority target of a future Hall of Fame quarterback, possibly the only QB in the NFL that could pass for over 5,000+ yards against today's stingy defenses.
The Chiefs have added an arsenal of receiving weapons in the past two years to draw attention away from Kelce. He is fully healthy heading into 2023. And he's a future Hall of Famer. He's been a league-winner multiple times despite having a sky-high ADP. All those things make it too tough to bet against him. Draft Travis Kelce for your fantasy teams in 2024.
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