Fantasy Football Week 16 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: AJ Barner Vs. Brenton Strange
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The most crucial fantasy football weeks of the season have arrived, and managers will have Week 16 lineups under a microscope, especially the tight end position. AJ Barner and Brenton Strange project to raise one of the toughest start-sit decisions of Week 16’s slate of action, with both pass-catchers slated to provide valuable production in the second week of the fantasy football playoffs.
Barner and the Seattle Seahawks are coming off a Week 15 win over the Indianapolis Colts, extending their win streak to four games. The Seahawks will take on the Los Angeles Rams in a divisional showdown in one of the most highly anticipated games of Week 16.
Strange and the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to extend their win streak to six games in Week 16, coming off a dominant win over the New York Jets last week. The Jaguars will gear up for a crucial clash against the Denver Broncos in a potential AFC playoff preview.
Both tight ends are slated to offer notable fantasy production in the second week of the playoffs, but who makes the better case to start in Week 16?
The Case For AJ Barner
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has dominated the target share in what’s been a stellar Seahawks passing attack at times this season. Over recent weeks, Seattle’s passing game has endured its share of struggles amid an inconsistent streak of play from quarterback Sam Darnold.
While Barner has faced quiet output during Darnold’s slump, he has provided immensely valuable fantasy production throughout the season. Barner has posted six top-20 finishes among the position group, emerging as one of the top sleeper tight ends in fantasy this season. Barner is Seattle’s third-leading receiver behind Njigba and Cooper Kupp, commanding an encouraging 15% of the total target share to this point of the season. A tough matchup against the Rams will hamper Barner’s ceiling in fantasy, but his volume throughout the season offers reason for optimism.
The Case For Brenton Strange
The Jaguars' passing game has seen improvement throughout the season, thanks to a combination of improved efficiency from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the addition of veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Though the trade for Meyers created a suddenly crowded pass-catching group, Strange has remained solid in fantasy.
Following a five-game absence from Weeks 6 to 11, Strange emerged with back-to-back top-seven finishes among all tight ends in PPR leagues in Weeks 12 and 13. The star tight end has faced a dip in production over the last two games, but is looking to bounce back in a crucial matchup against Denver. Strange could rebound with tough individual matchups for Jacksonville’s one-two punch at wide receiver.
The Final Verdict
Both tight ends are slated to enter tough matchups in Week 16 against stellar defensive units. I’m going to pick Strange over Barner for Week 16 lineups, considering a more recent streak of production in a passing game that has shown improvement over recent weeks. The Seahawks passing game will be tasked with overcoming a slump against one of the top defenses in the NFL on Thursday Night Football.
The Jaguars passing game, on the other hand, is coming off one of its top performances of the season. The gameplan is likely to shift in Strange’s favor in Week 16, considering Jacksonville’s tough individual WR-CB matchups on the perimeter.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.