Lions’ HC Dan Campbell said chances of Sam LaPorta (back) returning in 2025 are “very, very slim.”

21 November 2025

LaPorta’s injury came as a bit of a surprise when it was first announced. Then he surprisingly landed on injured reserve last Saturday and has now more or less been ruled out for the season. Campbell confirmed on Friday that LaPorta underwent back surgery, which feels like another unexpected announcement for a player who looked perfectly fine the last time we saw him on a field in Week 10. If his season is over, LaPorta ends 2025 with a productive 40-489-3 line on 49 targets. LaPorta was on pace for a career-high 923 receiving yards before his injury, while the 92 targets he was on pace for would have narrowly topped his 2024 total (83). Assuming this isn’t an injury that lingers into the offseason, LaPorta will have plenty of upside as a high-end TE1 for fantasy managers in 2026.