Who Should I Start? John Stephens Jr. or AJ Barner

Thursday, October 24, 2:50 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr. (knee) will miss the rest of the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during Wednesday's practice, according to NFL.com. The second-year undrafted free agent out of Louisiana has been with Dallas since the 2023 offseason but has not logged any stats. This injury is not consequential for fantasy football, but it depletes depth behind tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker.

Friday, November 22, 7:22 PM

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.