Akins and fellow tight end Jordan Thomas will fill in for Ryan Griffin (illness, out) on Thursday against the Dolphins, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The rookie tight end tandem filled in for Griffin last week as well and had a combined one target. Houston's coaches have talked about getting the tight end position more involved, but it just never materializes. Akins has 11 targets in seven games, and we expect a similar rate of attention Thursday. With Deshaun Watson playing through a chest injury and facing the NFL's 29th-ranked rushing defense, Houston's game plan will be about getting the ball in the hands of running back Lamar Miller.