AJ Barner

Last year, A.J. Barner was the TE20 in fantasy points per game while finishing as a TE1 in weekly scoring six times. There is some definite streaming upside with Barner again for 2026. Last year, among 54 qualifying tight ends, he was 27th in target share, 25th in receiving yards per game, 26th in yards per route run, 33rd in first-read share, and 26th in first downs per route run (per Fantasy Points Data). His touchdown equity in the Seattle offense is what gives him the streaming appeal. Last year, he was fifth in total touchdowns among tight ends while also ranking 12th in red zone targets. Barner will be called upon by fantasy managers again in 2026 when the matchup is right or bye weeks hit.

A.J. Barner got significantly more involved in the Seattle offense in his second NFL season after a quiet rookie year. Barner's snap share increased from 45% in 2024 to 72% in 2025. He had 52 catches for 519 yards and six touchdowns last season after putting up 30-245-4 as a rookie. Barner also had 10 rushing attempts for 14 yards and a touchdown last year, and he had four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Barner had a 14.9% target share last season for a Seattle offense that had the fourth-fewest pass attempts in the league. The Seahawks didn't add any pass catchers of note in the offseason, so if they either throw more frequently in 2026 or Barner carves out a bigger target share, Barner could take another step forward. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an absurd 35.8% target share for the Seahawks last year, so it's entirely possible that Barner's target share could rise while JSN's comes down. Consider Barner a midrange to low-end TE2 for 2026 fantasy drafts.