AJ Barner Fantasy Football Outlook For 2026: More Bye-Week Filler Than Late-Round Sleeper
Could AJ Barner build on a 2025 season that saw him operate as Sam Darnold's No. 2 pass catcher? Ian Hartitz weighs in on his fantasy football upside for 2026.
Hitting on your late-round darts in fantasy football drafts can make or break a season, especially at the onesie positions like quarterback and tight end. After a quietly productive 2025, could Seahawks TE AJ Barner be someone to keep on your late-round radar? Ian Hartitz breaks down his value in 2026 fantasy football drafts as part of his overarching Seattle Seahawks 2026 Team Preview.
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Does AJ Barner deserve late-round fantasy football consideration?
- TE1: AJ Barner (TE24 in our consensus fantasy football rankings)
- TE2: Elijah Arroyo (TE43)
Fun fact: Barner was the NFL's best short-yardage *rusher* in terms of first-down percentage on third- and fourth-down carries with three or fewer yards to go (87.5%). Only one of the Seahawks' tush push aficionado's rush attempts went for six points, but either way, hell yeah!
Credit to Barner for emerging as Mr. Reliable in this offense; his seven receiving touchdowns across the entire season were good for the second most on the team last season. Some potential good-and-bad outcomes for the Michigan man ahead of 2026 …
- Glass-half-full: The 24-year-old tight end scores double-digit touchdowns as Darnold's No. 2 pass-game option, serving as the team's go-to underneath threat while defenses focus all of their attention on JSN.
- Glass-half-empty: 2025 second-rounder Elijah Arroyo is more involved in Year 2, and the Seahawks lean more heavily into 11 personnel thanks to a healthier and deeper wide receiver room. This leads to little more than touchdown-dependent TE2 treatment for Barner in fantasy land.
AJ Barner Fantasy Football Value For 2026
Ultimately, I lean a bit more towards the latter lame scenario. Barner failed to crack the position's top-25 in yards and targets per route run last season despite running hot in the touchdown department. There's nothing wrong with throwing a dart at Barner as your third TE in best ball or TEP formats, and we shouldn't fully underestimate him making a leap—the fine folks over at ESPN (TE12) and PFF (TE13) both gave him favorable overall receiving grades last season—but he's not someone to worry about in traditional redraft land until it's time to deal with injuries and bye weeks.
Also note: Elijah Arroyo saw just 26 targets in 13 games last season and won't be on the fantasy radar unless Barner misses time due to injury.
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