AJ Barner · Elijah Higgins · 2026 week 9

AJ Barner or Elijah Higgins?

Wondering who you should start this week — AJ Barner or Elijah Higgins? The start/sit call and the numbers behind it are below, plus who wins a straight-up trade. Rebuilt nightly.

Start AJ BarnerAJ Barner projects 2.6 PPR points clear of Elijah Higgins in week 9, drawing ARI — the 8th-ranked matchup for TEs. The numbers behind the call are below; overrule them with your eyes open.

Player	Wk 9	Proj (PPR)	Matchup	Form L3	Trade value	Status
AJ Barner START	vs ARI	8.0	8th · soft	5.8	–	healthy
Elijah Higgins	@ SEA	5.4	30th · tough	4.5	–	healthy

TEs vs ARI recently: Colby Parkinson 9.1 pts (W6) · Evan Engram 0.2 pts (W7) · James Mitchell 6 pts (W8).

TEs vs SEA recently: Evan Engram 1.3 pts (W6) · Noah Gray 4.4 pts (W7) · Colston Loveland 4.5 pts (W8).

🎓 The coach's read

AJ Barner projects 2.6 points higher in PPR.
AJ Barner faces ARI, 8th most generous to TEs.
Elijah Higgins faces SEA, 30th most generous to TEs.

Who wins a straight-up trade?

Their trade values are effectively even — a one-for-one is a fair swap on the numbers.

Open in Start/Sit (any scoring) Open in the Trade Analyzer

More TE decisions

AJ Barner or Darnell Washington?AJ Barner or Noah Fant?Elijah Higgins or Eli Raridon?Elijah Higgins or Evan Engram?Elijah Higgins or Gunnar Helm?

All numbers are the 2026 season, refreshed nightly.