Who Should I Start? Juwan Johnson or AJ Barner

Saturday, September 13, 7:24 PM

New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson has been a favorite target of current Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. Johnson was Rattler's most targeted receiver (33) in 2024, and he led New Orleans in targets (eight) in Week 1 of 2025. Per ESPN's Katherine Terrell, Rattler said that he and Johnson have a "great connection going back to last year." Johnson could be a sneaky low-end fantasy starter at tight end early in the season, particularly while Saints tight ends Taysom Hill (knee) and Foster Moreau (knee) remain sidelined.

Friday, September 12, 3:21 PM

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.