The moment he became a Detroit Lion in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Sam LaPorta became the best tight end on the team. He followed by setting multiple single-season records for a Lions' tight end, and setting the NFL record (since reset by Brock Bowers) for catches by a rookie tight end (86).
There was literally nowhere for LaPorta to go but down in his second season, and he did with 60 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. He was still a top-10 fantasy tight end last year, after finishing as the TE1 as a rookie, but he took a meandering path to get there.