Who Should I Start? T.J. Hockenson or Drew Sample

Tuesday, January 14, 12:46 AM

Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson brought in all five of his targets for 64 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The 27-year-old was able to break free for a nifty 26-yard catch-and-run late in the third quarter, but that would be the team's only TD -- and highlight -- of the game. The Vikings' offense fizzled out for the second straight week as quarterback Sam Darnold's late-season collapse continued. It's an unfortunate ending to the season for Minnesota, who won 14 games and was on the brink of a first-round bye. Still, Hockenson can find a silver lining in that he did not re-injure the knee that kept him out of the season's first seven games. He'll now turn to 2025 with uncertainty at quarterback.

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.