Who Should I Start? Drew Sample or Juwan Johnson

Sunday, January 5, 7:40 AM

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample caught all four of his targets for 14 yards on Saturday in his team's 19-17 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Though the yardage total wasn't anything to write home about, the veteran tight end tied a season high in catches. More importantly, Cincinnati's offense did just enough to earn a fifth straight victory that kept its playoff hopes alive for another day. Whether Sample and the Bengals get a shot in the Wild Card round will come down to Week 18, when Cincy needs both Denver and Miami to lose.

Monday, January 6, 2:30 AM

New Orleans Saints tight end led the team in receptions and yards for the second week in a row in Sunday's 27-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished the day with six catches for 80 yards, beating the season-high he set just last week. With Chris Olave (concussion) sidelined for the season finale, rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler looked to his tight ends often. Of Rattler's 240 passing yards on the day, 122 went to the trio of Johnson, Foster Moreau (knee), and Dallin Holker. Despite the multiple injuries that drained the Saints of their biggest playmakers, little was asked of Johnson to pick up the slack until the last two games of the season. Still, he will finish 2024 with career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (548). The 28-year-old converted wide receiver is set to become a free agent in the coming offseason.