Who Should I Start? Ben Sinnott or AJ Barner

Thursday, December 18, 7:22 PM

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott played a season high 58.6% of the snaps and ran 38.5% of the routes in the Week 15 win over the New York Giants, with Zach Ertz (knee) now out for the season with a torn ACL. The second-year tight end caught his lone target for an explosive 36-yard gain on the team's second-to-last drive of the game. Sinnott ran a crisp route to create separation versus Giants safety Jevon Holland and hauled in the catch before picking up some yards after the catch. Sinnott was still behind John Bates in both snaps (69%) and routes (50%), so the young tight end is still looking to earn the full-time role as the receiving tight end with Ertz sidelined. His usage should continue to tick up on Saturday against the Eagles, with Washington eliminated from playoff contention. With third-string TE Colson Yankoff (ankle) ruled out, Sinnott could see more snaps with the Commanders thin at tight end, but he is a risky fantasy option in Week 16, profiling more as a desperation TE2 in deep leagues.

Wednesday, December 17, 10:48 PM

Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner is in the streaming conversation in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams. Barner continues to receive variable volume, but he played well against this team in Week 11 with 10 receptions for 70 yards. The Seahawks' offense struggled in that game, but Barner found himself open underneath quite a bit as Los Angeles sold out to prevent getting beat over the top. The Rams are No. 11 against opposing tight ends in fantasy. That places them amongst the mid-tier against the position. Barner's volume has been difficult to trust this season, but he feels due for a touchdown, and he will likely be a nice safety valve for quarterback Sam Darnold this week. If you need to simply stay afloat at the tight end position this week, there are worse options than Barner.