Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner had a career day on Sunday, and he continues to step up as a meaningful part of Sam Darnold's offense. The second-year tight end from Michigan hauled in a career-high seven catches for 53 yards and found the end zone twice in his team's narrow loss to the Bucs. Barner has caught 14 of the 16 targets sent his way this season and scored four touchdowns in the last four weeks. Darnold has made tight ends fantasy-relevant in his previous NFL stops, and Barner looks to be the latest beneficiary of his attention. The Seahawks are headed to Jacksonville to face the Jags on Sunday, after Jacksonville got a big win on Monday. Barner could be an emergency TE1 option if bye weeks have you in trouble this week, or he could be a solid depth add for later in the season.
Oct 7, 2025 10:29 AM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner recorded two touchdown catches in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bringing his season-long total to four touchdown grabs in just five games. The 23-year-old has hauled in 14 catches for 134 yards this season on 16 targets. Barner's overall target volume (3.2 per game) is subpar, but there's little question that he's one of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold's favorite end zone targets. Additionally, Barner has now played at least 80% of the offensive snaps in four out of Seattle's five games. It will be tough for Barner to be a consistent fantasy producer unless he starts commanding a high volume of targets more consistently. Still, he could be a decent low-end streaming option at tight end in deep leagues and is a waiver-wire name to monitor heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Oct 6, 2025 10:45 AM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner hauled in all seven of his targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 38-35 Week 5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barner is developing into a red zone weapon for Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. The 23-year-old tight end now has 14 catches for 134 yards and four touchdowns on 16 targets through five games this season. Week 5 was the first time Barner earned more than three targets in a game so far this year, so he will likely remain dependent on touchdowns to produce in fantasy. Still, as a low-end streaming option at tight end, Barner could have some appeal on a week-to-week basis.
Oct 5, 2025 9:23 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner has a couple of double-digit fantasy days this season due to finding the end zone. However, that is not prescriptive for consistent success. Barner is not someone you should be looking to play in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although the Seahawks' passing volume could be higher this week with a solid Buccaneers offense coming to town, Barner is relatively low on the pecking order for targets. Barner has not surpassed three targets in any game this season. Although he is a full-time player, the Seahawks love Barner for his blocking and ability to make just a play or two per game. Barner is not even worth rostering due to his inconsistency. The tight end landscape may be bleak in fantasy right now, but you should look elsewhere if you are in dire straits.
Oct 3, 2025 7:48 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner caught all three of his targets for 32 yards and a touchdown during Thursday's Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals. After Barner's snap share dipped to just above 50 percent last week, he bounced back this week by playing 86 percent of snaps, which was more than fellow pass-catchers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp. The 23-year-old has been a boom-or-bust option so far, finishing with fewer than 3.5 fantasy points or greater than 10.5 fantasy points (PPR) in each of his four games so far. Simply put, his fantasy value has been incredibly dependent on scoring touchdowns, which he has done in two of four contests. We need to see a little more consistency from Barner before rostering him in redraft leagues. On a positive note, though, it was intriguing to see him play at least 85 percent of the snaps for the third time this year. Barner and the Seahawks take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.
Sep 26, 2025 12:40 AM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is not a fantasy option in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals due to his lack of usage. With Seattle's offense running through its wide receiver trio and running back duo, Barner has only earned six targets on the season. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's scheme is generally very tight end friendly. However, Barner and fellow tight end Elijah Arroyo (groin) have been left out of the fantasy fun. Barner is not even worth keeping an eye on his usage unless one of Seattle's top wide receivers goes down. You can leave Barner alone on the waiver wire until his circumstances change dramatically.
Sep 24, 2025 9:06 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is not a starting option in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. However, his usage is worth monitoring as players continue to settle into the team's new offense. Barner caught his first touchdown of the season in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also earned three targets after drawing just two looks in Week 1. Most importantly, Barner has played at least 85% of the snaps in both games this season. He is clearly outpacing rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo for playing time. Barner's specialty is blocking, but he has repeatedly demonstrated his receiving chops during each of his first two seasons in the league. If Barner can develop more chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold, he could end up presenting streaming potential in fantasy. For now, Barner should remain on waivers, but he could creep up the waiver wire if he emerges as a red zone threat. That could very well continue in Week 3.
Sep 20, 2025 12:11 AM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner had a quiet game in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. He will look to bounce back in Week 2 when Seattle visits the Pittsburgh Steelers. Barner caught one of two targets for zero yards in the season opener. That stat line is completely unusable in fantasy, but his 85% snap share was telling. The Seahawks clearly view Barner as their current No. 1 tight end, and no one behind him did anything to threaten that position in the short term. In Barner's defense, only seven of Sam Darnold's 16 completions went to anyone not named Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There was not much to go around in a passing game that was clearly still working through the kinks. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is good at featuring his tight ends. It is only a matter of time before one of the tight ends on this team emerges. With Barner's considerable playing time, he could start to find himself in fantasy relevance. For now, take a wait-and-see approach with Barner remaining on the waiver wire.
Sep 12, 2025 3:21 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is not someone worth starting in Week 1. Although Barner appears to be stepping into the No. 1 tight end role in this offense, fantasy managers would be better off waiting to see how the tight end touches are split between Barner and rookie Elijah Arroyo. Barner flashed in 2024 with 245 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but Barner looked athletic and like he belonged on an NFL field. There is a large tight end role to fill in a Klint Kubiak-led offense that is favorable to the position. If Barner receives a lot of opportunities, he could end up being a solid streaming tight end. However, he is also a great blocker, something that Arroyo could use work on. As such, Arroyo could ultimately end up being the receiving tight end with Barner sprinkled in. The snap breakdown between the two in Week 1 will be telling.
Sep 5, 2025 2:24 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner has looked "very promising" in training camp practices and is "currently the No. 1 tight end," according to Michael-Shawn Duggar of The Athletic. A fourth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2024 draft, Barner recorded 30 catches for 245 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games (six starts) as a rookie. Seattle released veteran tight end Noah Fant last month, which could be an indication of the confidence the organization has in Barner. However, the Seahawks also used a second-round pick in the 2025 draft at the position when they selected Elijah Arroyo, so Barner will still have in-house competition for targets and playing time.
Aug 10, 2025 4:12 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner scored his fourth touchdown of the season in a Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams. The rookie out of Michigan has proven to be a solid contributor all season. He will finish the year with 245 yards on 30 receptions in addition to the touchdowns. Barner has a chance to become a more integral part of Seattle's offense in 2025. He has already displayed solid pass-catching chops and solid run after catch ability this season. He also started several games in place of tight end Noah Fant this season. He displayed that he has what it takes to be a potential starting tight end in this league. Barner is worth monitoring throughout the offseason to see what kind of buzz he generates in camp. He is also worth a roster spot in dynasty should he have a full second-year breakout. The future looks like it could be bright for this kid.
Jan 5, 2025 8:18 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner converted his lone target into a 13-yard reception during Sunday's Week 14 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The rookie continued to have a reduced workload with Noah Fant back in the lineup, but he did still record at least one reception for the 11th game in a row. Barner has carved out enough of a role that we can trust him to command a couple of looks every week, but he should be left on waivers in redraft leagues as long as Fant remains healthy and in the lineup.
Dec 9, 2024 10:49 AM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner has enjoyed a few weeks as the starter, but fellow tight end Noah Fant (groin) was a full participant in practice on Friday and is trending toward playing in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals. Barner did not do much with his opportunities, but he earned at least four targets in each of his last two games. As a rookie tight end, Barner is better suited as a blocker for now. During his time as a starter, he displayed solid pass-catching chops and escape ability so he could emerge later in his career. If Fant is a surprise inactive on Sunday, then Barner would still not likely deserve much attention in fantasy. His best outing was a 6.7-point game in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams. That does not exactly get it done in fantasy. If you have Fant, then pay close attention to Barner just in case you need a last-minute dart throw. Otherwise, Barner should be on waivers.
Nov 22, 2024 7:22 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner looks like he may be filling in for Noah Fant (groin) once again in Week 11. Fant has been ruled out for Week 11. The Seahawks travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers in a game in which they project to pass quite a bit. Barner received seven targets in a starting role with Fant out in Week 9. While he was inefficient with his targets, he could see similar volume this week. The 49ers will likely focus their defensive efforts on stopping the likes of DK Metcalf (knee), Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett. That could leave receiving lanes open for Barner. The rookie was primarily a blocker before Fant's injury. However, he has displayed an ability to get open, and solid athleticism in the open field. With the tight end position performing so poorly for fantasy in 2024, Barner is a potential option as a plug-in for injured players or players on a bye.
Nov 15, 2024 4:52 PM EST
With Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant (groin) out in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, rookie tight end AJ Barner is in position to take on the starting tight end role. Barner was a fourth-round pick by the Seahawks in 2024. He has caught all ten of his targets this season for 105 yards and a touchdown. While Barner will likely see a boost in targets with Fant and wide receiver DK Metcalf (knee) out, he does not project to be relevant for fantasy. It is worth noting that Barner does have decent big-play ability. In Week 8 Barner caught two passes at 17 yards per catch. It is hard to believe that there would not be more reliable or proven assets on your waiver wire. However, if you are in a very deep league, Barner will at least be a starter in Week 9.
Nov 1, 2024 5:22 PM EST
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