AJ Barner vs Gunnar Helm: Who Should You Start?
AJ Barner and Gunnar Helm are both viable fantasy tight ends heading into 2026, but their 2025 production tells two different stories. AJ Barner averaged 7.1 PPG across 17 games with the Seattle Seahawks, while Gunnar Helm posted 4.4 PPG in 16 appearances for the Tennessee Titans.
A 2.7-PPG gap gives AJ Barner the edge on paper, but paper does not account for Thursday night matchups, weather games, or a star defender returning from injury. The real question is not who was better in 2025, but who is the better start this specific week.
Both see steady target volume for the tight end position. AJ Barner had 52 catches for 519 yards; Gunnar Helm posted 44 for 357. At a position where most starters barely clear 7 PPG, this class of tight end is where the fantasy advantage lives week to week.
AJ Barner has his bye in Week 10, and Gunnar Helm rests in Week 5. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
