Who Should I Start? Jordan Akins or Isaiah Likely

Saturday, January 4, 9:50 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Akins caught six of his eight targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Akins caught Bailey Zappe's lone touchdown pass in the contest on a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter. The veteran tight end turned in a strong showing starting in place of the injured David Njoku (knee) over Cleveland's final two games of the season, catching 12 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Akins is an unrestricted free-agent heading into the offseason as he will hope to parlay his strong performance at the end of the season into a new contract somewhere in 2025.

Monday, January 20, 1:38 PM

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely stepped up again with Zay Flowers (knee) missing another playoff game but it ultimately wasn't enough as they fell by two points to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Likely ended the game with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown on five targets. While he wasn't the most targeted out of all of the pass-catchers, he did lead them in yards with one fewer reception than Mark Andrews. Likely had more than a few flashes of brilliance this season which could have earned him some more snaps heading into the 2025 season. A lot will depend on the off-season moves that the Ravens make to try to get over the hump in the playoffs.