The Seahawks uprooted their core, moving on from long-team head coach Pete Carroll and installing Mike MacDonald as their head coach. They also lost the heart and soul of the squad, Drew Lock (facetiously). Really, the biggest change is that Pete Carroll, the beating heart of the Seahawks for the last fifteen or so years, is now gone. They also only took one fantasy football-eligible player in the draft, and he was a mid-round tight end. So, let’s take a look at A.J. Barner! And see what he has to offer fantasy football players in 2024. I’m going to be honest with you… you can skip this one, we already got your click. The answer is probably a whole lot of nothing!
FULL SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 2024 DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 16 | Byron Murphy | DT | Texas |
| 3 | 81 | Christian Haynes | G | Uconn |
| 4 | 118 | Tyrice Knight | LB | UTEP |
| 4 | 121 | A.J. Barner | TE | Michigan |
| 5 | 136 | Nehemiah Pickett | CB | Auburn |
| 6 | 179 | Sataoa Laumea | OG | Utah |
| 6 | 192 | D.J. James | CB | Auburn |
| 6 | 207 | Michael Jerrell | OT | Findlay |
Round 4, Pick 121 Overall: A.J. Barner, Tight End, Michigan (6’6” 251 lbs)
Talent:
There isn’t much to say about Barner from a fantasy football perspective, as he was primarily a blocker at Michigan (because they didn’t pass it that much). He can have some nice contested catches, but he has a completely undeveloped route tree, running slants and into the flat on the vast majority of his snaps. He’s primarily a blocker, and he doesn’t really do much that changes the game or tilts the defense into worrying about him. His path to production in the NFL is as a tight end in a group of receivers that makes the defense forget about him.
2024 Opportunity:
The Seahawks brought in University of Washington’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to run their offense, which means that we are likely to get a ton of passing, considering the Huskies graduated three receivers and a quarterback in this draft (Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan, and Michael Penix Jr.). That tells me that he knows a bit about maximizing the talents that surround Barner in his rookie campaign. It’s a crowded receiver room, with D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. While the running backs don’t get a lot of targets, there isn’t going to be much left for A.J. Barner this season, especially since he sits behind Noah Fant in the pecking order.
2024 Fantasy Football Outlook:
On any given play, when the Seahawks are at full strength, he sits behind three wide receivers, another tight end, and a running back on the priority list. You can safely ignore him in 2024 fantasy football leagues.
