Trey McBride

Fantasy Upside

Trey McBride started out the 2023 season yet again behind veteran Zach Ertz, earning less than 35 yards in six of his first seven games. The gloves were off after the veteran went down though, with the sophomore TE logging a 14-target Week 8 and going on to finish the rest of the season as fantasy's overall TE4. The progress blocker is now out of town, and McBride has a chance to stick near the top of the league's TE target share after commanding a whopping 25.8% mark after Ertz's departure from the lineup. Even regressing around a 20% share would make him one of the most-targeted options in the NFL.

Fantasy Downside
The Cardinals spent the fourth overall selection on a pass-catcher (Marvin Harrison Jr.) and another RB weapon in the third round of the NFL Draft. Though the team lost Hollywood Brown in free agency, Harrison offers Kyler Murray a consistent target in all areas of the field and is more or less guaranteed to take a chunk out of McBride's dominant target share. How much of last season's production was McBride earning looks, and how much of it was a lack of above-average options at the quarterbacks' disposal?

2024 Bottom Line
With how massive McBride's target total was in the second half of last season (six games with 8+), we could see that drop quite a bit and still keep him locked in as a consistent, high-end TE1 option in 2024. There's also a far better projectable touchdown outcome after he scored only three last season. The offense as a whole will look like a whole new team with a deeper set of skill position players and a healthy Kyler Murray, which bolsters McBride's bottom line and makes him a top-five or six option heading into 2024.

Week 16 at Chicago Bears

Trey McBride had another nice game last week against the 49ers, catching 10 of his 11 targets for 102 yards. McBride is by far the most-targeted player in Arizona right now and he has double-digit PPR points in five of his last seven games. McBride only has two touchdowns on the season, but his usage has been good enough to keep him among the elite players at his position, even without finding the end zone.

This week, McBride faces a Chicago defense that ranks ninth in aFPA to opposing tight ends. Regardless of matchup, the targets he’s getting make him a must-start at the position. McBride has been one of the best waiver-wire pickups of the season, and fantasy managers lucky enough to acquire him should continue starting him this week.

Week 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Trey McBride was once again a bright spot in this offense last week, despite a blowout loss to the Rams. He finished with 60 yards on seven receptions and was targeted nine times. McBride has 25 targets over the last three games since Kyler Murray returned to the field, and his upside is sky high for the remainder of the season.

This week, McBride faces a Pittsburgh defense that ranks 15th in aFPA to opposing tight ends. McBride’s targets and emergence as a top fantasy option at the position make him a must-start regardless of matchup at this point. He’s one of the best waiver wire pickups on the season, and he should be active in all leagues. Start him.