Who Should I Start? Tommy Tremble or AJ Barner

Thursday, August 21, 8:58 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble (back) was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. Gantt writes that the team is hopeful that Tremble will be able to play in Week 1 after undergoing back surgery in May. The 25-year-old is entering his fifth season with the Panthers and has recorded exactly 32 targets and 23 receptions in each of the past two years. Tremble is not a fantasy-relevant tight end, but he's a valuable player to Carolina because of his run-blocking ability. He threatens to vulture snaps and targets away from Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who offers far more upside as a receiver.

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.