Who Should I Start? Jordan Akins or Drew Sample

Sunday, December 15, 10:27 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Akins caught three of his four targets for 30 yards in a 21-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. Akins saw an increased role in the Cleveland offense after David Njoku (hamstring) was ruled out on Sunday morning and wound up finishing second on the team in receiving behind only Jerry Jeudy. Akins will be worth a look as a streamer in deep leagues and two-tight end formats in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals if Njoku is forced to miss another game.

Monday, March 11, 4:49 PM

The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed tight end Drew Sample to a three-year, $10.5 million contract extension on Monday, according to a source. Sample will receive $3.5 million in 2024. In his fifth year with the Bengals in 2023, Sample had 22 catches on 27 targets for 163 yards and a career-high two touchdowns in 17 games (10 starts). Tanner Hudson, Mitchell Wilcox and Irv Smith Jr. are all free agents, but one or more of them could be retained or the Bengals could add competition at the position through the NFL draft. The 27-year-old Sample has accumulated just 80 receptions (103 targets) for 621 yards and three touchdowns in his five years in the NFL with Cincy, so it would be unrealistic to expect the Bengals to utilize him as their unquestioned No. 1 pass-catching TE in 2024.