Trey McBride was a highly touted tight end prospect coming into the 2022 NFL Draft. He received second-round draft capital, which would indicate that he was going to be heavily utilized right away.
Unfortunately, McBride landed with the Arizona Cardinals, who had Zach Ertz above him on the depth chart. This prevented him from seeing the field much in his first year and a half in the league.
With the news that Ertz is now headed to injured reserve (IR), is it time to pick up the second-year TE out of Colorado State? What’s his fantasy football outlook now?
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Should Trey McBride Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 8?
It’s hard to find athletes at the TE position who are as smooth of a route runner or as reliable of a pass catcher as McBride. Coming into the 2022 NFL Draft, it was clear that the offensive weapon was in the conversation for the best receiver in the entire draft class, not just at the TE position.
In his final season at Colorado State, McBride reeled in 90 receptions for 1,121 yards! For context, Kyle Pitts had 97 receptions over the final two years of his college career at Florida.
While he hasn’t been given a substantial role in the NFL up to this point due to Ertz’s presence above him on the depth chart, we’ve seen flashes from McBride when he’s had the chance to see the field.
From Weeks 14 through 18 last season, while Ertz was sidelined, McBride was the TE11 in fantasy football. In Week 17, he was the TE2 in half-PPR scoring formats on the back of 10 targets that he turned into seven receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
The talent level is there, but McBride’s simply been stuck in a bad offense playing behind one of the most consistent receiving tight ends in NFL history. However, the door is now wide open for McBride to take over the TE1 role in this Cardinals offense and not give it back.
MORE: Week 8 TE Waiver Wire Targets
McBride needs to be a priority pickup this week off of the waiver wire, especially with so many TE-needy fantasy rosters out there. Dalton Kincaid should be the top option for fantasy managers at the position, but McBride’s easily the next best option out there.
Add in the fact that Kyler Murray seems poised to return to the field here in 2023, and McBride could work his way into the league-winner conversation if this offense elevates with Murray’s return. He’s worth a 10% FAAB bid in Week 8.