AJ

Barner

There simply wasn’t enough passing yards for Seattle to build more than this for the second-year tight end. Barner ends the regular season with a thud, but ends the regular season with a 52/519 receiving line that more than doubles his rookie season receiving records. With 10 touchdowns in 34 games, he’s become a reasonable touchdown-or-bust TE2.

The Seahawks face the 49ers on Saturday. The winner secures both wins the NFC West and earns the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Barner has developed into a reliable contributor in the Seahawks’ passing game despite playing through multiple injuries this year. He is a boom-bust TE1 for the occasion.

Barner went nine games without a touchdown before scoring each of the past two weeks. Today’s was a 17-yard catch-and-run off play-action in the red zone. Now catching 3-4 passes every week, Barner is an important real-life contributor who could become a bigger fantasy factor during the 2026 season.

Barner — not exactly known for his elite athleticism — made Kam Kitchens look silly on a wide-open touchdown connection with Sam Darnold in the fourth. The 23-year-old is the clear top tight end in the passing game with Elijah Arroyo unavailable, but it was the case even with Arroyo healthy. Barner will again be on the TE1 cusp for Week 17 against the Panthers.

Barner saw a full-time role with Elijah Arroyo on injured reserve. He ran a route on 32 of the Seahawks’ 41 drop backs against the Colts and was third on the team with six targets. Seattle’s lack of pass volume will make it tough to rely on Barner as a viable 12-team option. In Week 16 he’ll take on a Rams defense that gave up 10 catches for 70 yards to Barner in mid-November. He’ll be in play as a streaming option against LA.

Arroyo sustained a knee injury last week and was sent to season-ending injured reserve. That leaves AJ Barner as the only healthy pass-catching tight end for Seattle. He makes for a usable streaming option in 12-team leagues against a Colts defense that has been vulnerable to tight ends for much of the season.

Arroyo has been ruled out, as expected, after injuring his knee last week. Seahawks starting TE AJ Barner is a TE1 streaming option, though his weekly box score results have been very volatile. Barner occasionally takes snaps as the team’s tush-push quarterback.

Macdonald told reporters earlier this week that it was unlikely Arroyo would suit up on Sunday. His comments today all but confirm that. A.J. Barner will see a full complement of routes with Arroyo sidelined. Barner is a low-end TE2 heading into Week 15.

Barner caught 10 passes for 70 yards in Week 11. He has since caught nine balls for 80 yards in his subsequent three appearances. Barner is an elite blocker and even picks up the occasional rush attempt on the tush push. As a fantasy asset, he leaves a lot to be desired. The Seahawks don’t throw often, and when they do it typically goes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Barner, in turn, will be stuck in the TE2 ranks for the forseeable future.

Barner totaled five and four targets, respectively, over the last two weeks. He occasionally lines up as the quarterback on the Seahawks’ tush-push attempts. He is likely to handle a similar workload this week against the Falcons, making him a touchdown-dependent TE1.