AJ Barner and Noah Fant Spotlight Week 12 Waiver Wire Tight End Pickups
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Week 11 of the NFL season taught us some cruel lessons. It was not all bad but more like okay. Dalton Schultz is still dealing with a shoulder issue by the way. Not knowing if C.J. Stroud will clear protocol is one thing but the Schultz injury is another.
Tight Ends have proven to be considerably fickle as injuries have impacted them directly or indirectly of late. The Top 8 tight ends are clearly set for Week 12. After that, things get considerably murky. Honestly, this part of the year becomes more and more adventurous.
Roster percentages come from Yahoo and ESPN leagues reflecting a PPR format. Check your league formats.
AJ Barner - Seattle Seahawks
The calf issues that plagued Barner going into Week 10 seemed to disappear in Week 11. He caught 10 passes for 70 yards and became a great safety valve for Sam Darnold. The Rams defense was fierce but Sunday could be better as Barner should see some red zone chances. Now, Tennessee allows 3.7 such opportunities a game.
With the chances we could see this version of Darnold on Sunday, that has us bullish on Barner. Options are more limited and for a tight end, volume is needed. The Titans' defense has not allowed a 300 yard passer all season. Los Angeles came the closest (the Rams at 290). Seattle has turned the ball over 12 times in the last four weeks while Tennessee has just two in the previous five.
Darnold should have more time to calm down and see the field on Sunday which means Barner should get open enough times. The chances he gets in the endzone increase as well. He is back under 10% owned in most formats. Keep that in mind.
Noah Fant - Cincinnati Bengals
The consideration to take the plunge on Fant stems more than just from the suspension of Ja'Marr Chase. Cincinnati's tight end had a half dozen targets and hauled in five passes against Pittsburgh. Joe Flacco should redistribute the targets quite a bit as Fant was more reliable than Chase and Tee Higgins.
How much remains the burning question? Fant is catching the ball 88.2% of the time. His route running does not need to be perfect because his ADOT has dipped to 3.4 (was 7.3 in 2023). Fant can get down the field and maybe this is the week to do so even against New England. Higgins will be battling Christian Gonzalez all night so maybe there's a chance.
Fant is owned in 3.2% of ESPN leagues and New England is one of the best at rushing defense allowing the least amount of yards in the league. Passing is going to be the way.
Juwan Johnson - New Orleans Saints
This was one we were laughed at when the season started. As hard as it is to believe, the New Orleans tight end is inside the Top 10 by position rank currently (ESPN). Johnson is now 30-40% owned depending on the format. In a few areas, that may be higher. Facing a demoralized Atlanta team might be another solid matchup much like Carolina was.
Johnson has 3+ catches in four straight weeks. The yards have mostly been up and he entered the endzone in back-to-back games. Atlanta cracked against Bryce Young of all players yielding over 400 yards passing. No one is expecting that in Week 12 but Johnson has some opportunities to get open downfield.
