Who Should I Start? AJ Barner or Eli Raridon

Wednesday, October 14, 8:27 AM

New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon enjoyed the most productive game of his young career in Sunday's 45-17 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, catching all five of his targets for 57 yards. The third-round rookie entered Week 5 with just three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown across his first three appearances, making the increased receiving involvement particularly encouraging. Raridon played 43 offensive snaps (57%) against Las Vegas after logging 44 snaps (58%) in Week 4, indicating that his larger receiving workload came without a significant change in playing time. Veteran Hunter Henry remains New England's primary tight end, playing 48 snaps against the Raiders while catching three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Raridon now has eight receptions for 101 yards and one score in four games, and his latest performance provides some reason to believe he could become a more consistent part of the Patriots' passing attack. With Henry still commanding a prominent role, Raridon is better suited to a speculative bench spot than a Week 6 starting lineup. He is worth considering in leagues with deeper benches or tight-end-premium scoring, particularly if his five-target performance proves to be the beginning of a larger receiving role.