Seahawks TE AJ Barner Logs Full Practice Wednesday Ahead of Trip to Las Vegas

Seattle tight end AJ Barner was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, according to USA TODAY Sports. That is the best possible start to the week for the Seahawks as they prepare to visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

A full session on the first practice day of the week usually means a player is on track to play. If Barner stays at full participation through Thursday and Friday, Seattle should have its tight end group intact for the trip. It is not the first time this season that his status has been in question. In September he was limited by an oblique injury, then practiced fully before the opener against New England and came off the report. The Wednesday report is the first of three this week. The final injury designations will come Friday.

Barner, a 2024 fourth-round pick, gives the offense a big target who also blocks. That matters for a Seahawks team that has struggled to score lately. Seattle has topped 20 points only once in its last five games.

What it means for Sunday at Las Vegas

Seattle is 5-4 and coming off a 17-3 win over Arizona, which ended a two-game home stretch that also included a 34-17 loss to Chicago. The record is closer than it looks. Three of the four losses came by three points or fewer: 33-31 at Washington, 32-29 against San Francisco and 17-14 at Denver. The Bears game was the only lopsided one.

The defense has been the steadier half lately. The Seahawks held Kansas City and Arizona to three points each in two of their last three games. Over nine games, Seattle has outscored opponents 202-162, an average of about 22.4 points scored and 18 allowed. Travel has been harder. The Seahawks are 4-2 at home but 1-2 on the road, and their only road win came at Arizona in September. Sunday's game in Las Vegas airs on CBS.

The market still sees a clear edge for Seattle. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, the Seahawks are favored by 6.5 points. Novig, one of those venues, prices Seattle at -108 on the spread and Las Vegas at +104 to cover. On the moneyline, Novig has the Seahawks at -264, which returns $37.88 on a $100 stake, and the Raiders at +257. The total is 40.5, with both the over and the under at -104 on Novig. That number fits a Seattle team whose last five games have mostly been low-scoring.

The venues are fairly close on the numbers, but the margins they build in differ more. Novig's two moneyline prices add up to a margin of roughly half a percent. At the traditional sportsbooks, the hold runs from 3.4% to 4.9%. On the spread, Novig's margin is just under 1%, against a sportsbook range of 2.9% to 4.8%. On the total, Novig sits near 2%, while the books range from 3.9% to 5.0%.

With Barner apparently healthy, a defense that has allowed six points across its last two wins and a 6.5-point line, Seattle has a chance to get back over .500 on the road. Its first road trip since mid-October will show whether the offense can pick up the pace.