Lions TE Sam LaPorta ‘trending in right direction’ to play against Bucs

Tampa Bay can expect one of the Detroit Lions’ most notable weapons to take the field on Sunday.

It’s looking like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will indeed have to deal with a major weapon on the Detroit Lions offense.

Detroit tight end [autotag]Sam LaPorta[/autotag] — who has been a force in the Lions offense this season — was listed as questionable on Detroit’s injury report leading into Sunday’s matchup at 4:25 p.m EST after straining his calf in practice, is likely to play against the Bucs, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team intends to work him out and ensure he’s good to go, but Schefter described his ability to play as “trending in the right direction.”

So far on the year, LaPorta has caught for 289 yards (11.6 yards per attempt) and scored three touchdowns with the Lions. He’s one of the team’s highest-targeted players and is also a talented blocker, earning a 75.4 pass block rating from PFF. Should he play, he could be a threat even while injured and he’ll certainly be a point of emphasis for the Bucs defense.