AJ Barner or Makai Lemon: who should I start?

What the sportsbooks price

The player markets price AJ Barner at 6.2 PPR points a game, built from 3 markets across 15 books. That is the 158th highest figure of the 183 players the books price.

The player markets price Makai Lemon at 6.1 PPR points a game, built from 4 markets across 15 books. That is the 159th highest figure of the 183 players the books price.

Where the draft room stands

Drafters have formed no consensus on AJ Barner: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 141st overall on the rest of his evidence.

Drafters have formed no consensus on Makai Lemon: he carries no ADP, and the board ranks him 139th overall on the rest of his evidence.

In 2QB drafts he goes at ADP 140.

This season through Week 1

Through Week 1, AJ Barner has been on the field for 88 percent of SEA snaps, drawn 8 percent of the targets and had 0 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 0 of the offence's 7 third down targets and seen 1 of its 3 two minute targets.

His 2 targets have come 0.5 yards behind the line of scrimmage on average.

In Week 1 against NE he caught 2 of 2 targets for 13 yards and did not score.

Through Week 1, Makai Lemon has been on the field for 64 percent of PHI snaps, drawn 18 percent of the targets and had 0 percent of the red zone chances.

He has taken 0 of the offence's 9 third down targets and seen 0 of its 4 two minute targets.

His 4 targets have averaged 0.0 air yards.

In Week 1 against WAS he caught 3 of 4 targets for -5 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.

Makai Lemon is a rookie, so there is no NFL season behind him to price him against.

Side by side

AJ Barner is a tight end and Makai Lemon a wide receiver, so the question is which slot you fill first rather than which of them is better.

Byes and availability

AJ Barner is off in Week 11 and Makai Lemon in Week 10, so either can cover the other's bye.

What would change the answer

0.1 points a game is the entire case. The books restate it every week, and a line that moves moves the order with it.

The draft market is the half that is missing: when the consensus sample holds these two again it can order them differently from the price, and this page will follow the sample rather than the books when it does.