Should I start AJ Barner or Darren Waller in Week 9?
Updated Nov 3, 3:36 AM ET. Week 10 answers post Tuesday.
Week 9 verdict
Start AJ Barner over Darren Waller
- Market projects
- 7.4
- recent weeks avg
- ARI D vs TE
- 16.6
- 7th most to TEs (2026)
- Snap share
- 88%
- Through Week 7
- Target share
- 13%
- Through Week 7
- Market projects
- 6.3
- recent weeks avg
- DEN D vs TE
- 16.0
- 9th most to TEs (2026)
- Snap share
- 48%
- Through Week 8
- Target share
- 10%
- Through Week 8
Start AJ Barner: 89 percent of the snaps and 14 percent of the targets over their last 3 games, against Darren Waller's 51 percent of the snaps and 6 percent of the targets. No market projection is posted on either of them this week, so this is a usage call, and a lower confidence one than a call made on a projection. What follows is what each of them has done.
Should I drop AJ Barner for Darren Waller?
Not on these numbers alone. AJ Barner projects 54 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.7 a game over 8 games) and Darren Waller 57 (6.3 a game over 9 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts AJ Barner over Darren Waller.
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Your next move
More fantasy football tools and rankings, all built from the same board.
Neither man carries a season projection right now, so this is their usage this season and their last full season's numbers, side by side.
TE7 · SEA · bye 11
2026 vs anytime td line 1-7
- Market-based projection
- 8.2 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 42
TE28 · CAR · bye 5
2026 vs anytime td line 2-5
- Market-based projection
- 6.1 pts a game Wk 8 price
- Overall rank
- 155
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The gap
- Board size297 draftable players
Draft data is not current for these two, so the figures that depend on it are left out. The call above comes from each player's usage.
Where the draft room stands
Live drafts hold no current pick on AJ Barner, and the board ranks him 42nd overall on the rest of his evidence.
Live drafts hold no current pick on Darren Waller, and the board ranks him 155th overall on the rest of his evidence.
The market-based projections
No season market is posted for AJ Barner, so the only market valuing him on this page is the draft room.
The market-based projection for Darren Waller is 1.4 PPR points a game off 1 market across 1 market source. That is 30 percent of what a tight end's projection needs, so it is a fragment of one rather than a projection.
This season so far
Through Week 7, AJ Barner has been on the field for 88 percent of SEA snaps, drawn 13 percent of the targets and had 13 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 3 of the offence's 62 third down targets, had 3 of its 19 chances inside the five and seen 7 of its 38 two minute targets.
His 29 targets have averaged 2.1 air yards.
In Week 5 against SF he caught 3 of 5 targets for 20 yards and did not score.
In Week 6 against DEN he caught 3 of 4 targets for 16 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against KC he carried 3 times for 4 yards, caught 4 of 5 targets for 42 yards and did not score.
Through Week 8, Darren Waller has been on the field for 48 percent of CAR snaps, drawn 10 percent of the targets and had 6 percent of the red zone chances.
He has taken 9 of the offence's 53 third down targets, had 0 of its 13 chances inside the five and seen 7 of its 34 two minute targets.
His 25 targets have averaged 9.4 air yards.
In Week 6 against PHI he caught 0 of 2 targets for 0 yards and did not score.
In Week 7 against TB he caught 1 of 2 targets for 50 yards and scored 1 touchdown.
In Week 8 against GB he caught 1 of 2 targets for 11 yards and did not score.
Their 2025 seasons
In 2025 AJ Barner played 17 games and scored 147.3 PPR points, 8.7 a game, finishing TE14.
He caught 52 of 68 targets for 519 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 12 red zone targets.
That came to 4.0 targets a game, a 76 percent catch rate and 10.0 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 78 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
In 2025 Darren Waller played 9 games and scored 88.7 PPR points, 9.9 a game, finishing TE33.
He caught 24 of 34 targets for 283 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 7 red zone targets.
That came to 3.8 targets a game, a 71 percent catch rate and 11.8 yards a catch.
He was on the field for 45 percent of the snaps in the games he played.
AJ Barner was available for 8 games more.
Head to head
In 2025 Darren Waller scored 9.9 PPR points a game and AJ Barner 8.7, 1.2 a game between them.
AJ Barner finished TE14 that year and Darren Waller TE33.
AJ Barner had 34 more targets than Darren Waller, 68 to 34.
AJ Barner had 236 more receiving yards than Darren Waller, 519 to 283.
This season AJ Barner holds the bigger snap share, 88 percent against 48 percent.
This season AJ Barner holds the bigger target share, 13 percent against 10 percent.
Byes and availability
AJ Barner is off in Week 11 and Darren Waller in Week 5, so either can cover the other's bye.
Drop or keep
Should I drop AJ Barner for Darren Waller?
Not on these numbers alone. AJ Barner projects 54 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.7 a game over 8 games) and Darren Waller 57 (6.3 a game over 9 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts AJ Barner over Darren Waller.
Should I drop Darren Waller for AJ Barner?
Not on these numbers alone. Darren Waller projects 57 market-implied PPR points from Week 9 through Week 17 (6.3 a game over 9 games) and AJ Barner 54 (6.7 a game over 8 games), too close to separate, so the roster spot decides it. For Week 9 the call starts AJ Barner over Darren Waller.
Both players in full
Week 9 on the board
- Is AJ Barner playing Week 9?
- Is Darren Waller playing Week 9?
- Seahawks depth chart
- Panthers depth chart
- Week 9 TE rankings
- Week 9 fantasy rankings
- Week 9 start or sit
- Week 9 waiver wire
- Week 9 trade value chart
- Trade deadline buy low, sell high
- Fantasy football rankings
- Start 'em sit 'em Week 9
- Waiver wire pickups
- Fantasy sleepers
- Rest of season rankings
- Week 9 kicker rankings
- Week 9 defense rankings
