Is Sam LaPorta playing this week? Lions TE's status revealed for Week 11 clash

Sam LaPorta has become one of the NFL's best tight ends in just one and a half seasons. His impeccable combination of size and athleticism makes him a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is too fast and agile for defensive lines and too big and strong for secondaries, with only some linebackers matching up with him.

In nine games, he has proven reliable, catching 25 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. In the Lions' messy game against the Houston Texans last week, he even had some tackles as Jared Goff kept on throwing picks.

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Sam LaPorta's Week 11 injury status

On Friday, the Lions announced that LaPorta would be sitting out the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a shoulder injury.

The injury occurred in the aforementioned game against the Texans, after which he claimed it was "nothing major." Meanwhile, coach Dan Campbell was initially less optimistic:

“I don’t know how significant it will be," Campbell said. "This is not, you know, he’s going to be out four weeks or whatever. Maybe he might miss this week. We’ll see. He tried to go back in, and it just wasn’t quite right.”

But on Monday, he seemed to have changed his tone.

"We don't feel like this is something like, 'Oh, man, this going to be a long, nagging injury.' I think we'll get through it," Campbell said.

Still, it would turn out to not be "nothing major." LaPorta missed consecutive practices on all three days to land on the bench.

In his place, Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra are expected to share positional duties.

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Other players besides Sam LaPorta on Week 11 injury list

Besides Sam LaPorta, three more players will miss Sunday's game:

• DT Brodric Martin (knee)
• CB/S Ifeatu Melifonwu (ankle and finger)
• CB Emmanuel Moseley (pectoral)

Linebacker Ben Niemann remains questionable with an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who was absent from the Texans game with a shoulder injury, was a full participant on Thursday and Friday after being limited on Wednesday as he recovered.

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee) and cornerback Carlton Davis (hand) were also cleared for duty.