Fresh off agreeing to a four-year, $76 million contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, tight end Trey McBride is now firmly in the conversation to be the second tight end off fantasy football draft boards this season.
ESPN’s fantasy football writer Mike Clay ranks McBride as the second tight end in his rankings.
Since stepping into a starting role in Week 8 of the 2023 season, McBride has an enormous 28.4% target share (9.0 per game). He averaged 6.8 receptions, 69.3 yards and 15.4 fantasy points per game during the span.
McBride is coming off a breakout third season where he posted career-highs in receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,146) with two touchdowns. He recorded at least five catches and 30 receiving yards in 12 of 16 games in 2024. His 111 receptions set a franchise record for most catches in a single season.
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He finished his 2023 campaign with 81 catches for 825 yards and three touchdowns after taking over for the injured Zach Ertz.
Clay ranks McBride behind only Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers. In 2024, McBride built on his sophomore campaign and quickly became quarterback Kyler Murray’s most trusted weapon.
He averaged 15.6 PPR fantasy points per game — second only to George Kittle (15.8). He also led all tight ends in route participation, target share (27%) and expected fantasy points per game (15.6), according to Fantasy Pros.
Touchdowns were the only missing piece. At one point, McBride set an NFL record for most receptions in a season without scoring a touchdown. The Cardinals certainly tried to feature him in scoring opportunities — he saw an 87.5% route participation in the red zone (fourth-highest among tight ends), but caught just 47.6% of those targets.
He was the poster boy for bad TD luck in 2024, totaling three scores (two receiving) despite finishing second at the position in targets, catches, yards, end zone targets (10) and fantasy points. McBride’s TE-high 7.9 expected TD total speaks to his bad luck and, though he also didn’t score much in 2023 (three TDs on 108 targets), he’s a candidate for a big improvement in the area in 2025. McBride is a strong bet to lead all tight ends in fantasy points.
The arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2024 gave Arizona a dynamic outside threat. As Harrison develops in his second year, defenses may be forced to shift attention his way, opening more space for McBride over the middle and benefiting fantasy owners.
McBride has a legitimate case to be the first tight end selected in fantasy drafts. He’s one of the rare tight ends who functions as his team’s No. 1 receiving option.
His climb up the top of fantasy tight ends should not be taken as a fluke. It’s the result of elite usage and a scheme that revolves around him in the receiving game.
McBride should be expected to be drafted in the TE1-TE3 range, alongside Bowers and Kittle. Unlike some touchdown-dependent tight ends, he offers a high weekly floor thanks to his target share and evolvement.
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