Jason Moore insisted Trey McBride is worth a late-second or early-third selection in 10-team leagues. After missing out on his preferred tier of wide receivers (Brian Thomas Jr. and Drake London), Moore called McBride "a fair decision to make in the second round" because elite tight ends create a weekly scoring edge that is hard to replicate in shallow formats. He preferred starting Gibbs-Brown-McBride to a build that swapped Brown for a more replaceable runner such as Jonathan Taylor, emphasizing that McBride's ceiling at the position outweighs any small projection loss at RB.

Tom Strachan snagged Trey McBride at pick 2.11, forecasting a touchdown surge in 2025. McBride’s target and yardage volume already sits in the top tier of tight ends, yet he scored only three times last season—well below expectation given his red-zone usage. Strachan said 'touchdown regression can finally fall positively' and believes that outcome would propel McBride into a realistic top-three finish at the position while still allowing drafters to avoid first-round tight-end prices.

Davis Mattek said he was ready to take Trey McBride as soon as the second round, calling elite tight ends "a total cheat code in 2025." Mattek believes the scarcity at the position creates a weekly scoring advantage that the rest of the room is still discounting. His willingness to spend pick 2.01 on McBride shows just how strongly he values locking up that positional edge in best-ball tournament drafts.

Davis Mattek said drafters are overreacting to Trey McBride’s thin touchdown resume, calling the idea that the Cardinals tight end has an inherent glass ceiling on scoring "a sloppy-ass statement." Mattek stressed that touchdown production is highly volatile from season to season; McBride’s bad variance in college and the NFL does not predict future returns. Because many best-ball rooms still treat him as a player who "never scores," McBride’s ADP stays in the back half of drafts. Mattek advised continuing to scoop McBride at that depressed cost, arguing you’re paying for a floor that already assumes no improvement while still capturing the genuine upside that comes with even modest positive TD regression.

Pat Kerrane said Trey McBride is being drafted at the 2-3 turn only because he found the end-zone twice last season. Kerrane reminded listeners that McBride’s underlying production was already elite – 111 receptions and 1,146 yards in just 16 games – despite Arizona’s shaky quarterback carousel. Kerrane ran the math: simply tacking eight more touchdowns onto that stat line (10 total) would have pushed McBride to 18.2 PPR points per game, a mark that would have finished as the WR4 overall in 2024 and easily the TE1 by a mile. He compared the profile to “Amon-Ra St. Brown at tight end,” stressing that double-digit scores are well within McBride’s range because good players eventually spike in TDs, citing Terry McLaurin’s 16-TD eruption after five pedestrian seasons. The takeaway: chase McBride’s target dominance and athleticism, trust touchdown variance to swing his way, and lock in a potential league-winner at a discount in Best Ball or Season-Long formats.

Pat Kerrane called Trey McBride the "middle child" of the elite tight-end tier and argued he is dramatically under-drafted. Kerrane’s ranks place Brock Bowers 13th overall and McBride 18th, meaning he is grabbing McBride roughly a round ahead of market while maintaining exposure equal to George Kittle. He relayed a joint-practice anecdote where an opposing coach told Jonathan Gannon, "If we do not double him, he makes a play every time," putting McBride in the same matchup-breaking bucket as Bowers and Kittle. Kerrane believes the only reason McBride’s ADP lags is a modest touchdown total to date and expects that to regress positively given McBride’s target share and yards-after-catch prowess. He would not be surprised if, five years from now, McBride has been the league’s best tight end. The recommendation: scoop McBride aggressively in Best Ball and season-long drafts before the crowd catches up.

Erik Beimfohr grouped Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and George Kittle into a clear elite-tight-end tier and said he plans to roster "an absolute boatload" of them. He feels the market overlooks McBride because he sits between the hyped prospect (Bowers) and the established superstar (Kittle), creating a price sweet-spot. Beimfohr encouraged drafters building around an early-round tight end to prioritise McBride before the room corrects.

Rob Coakley argued for spending the 2.05 on Trey McBride rather than forcing a second-tier wideout or Jonathan Taylor. McBride’s 111 receptions in 2024 give him true slate-breaking potential on DraftKings’ full-PPR, 100-yard-bonus scoring and let the roster push quarterback to Round 3 while attacking the deep mid-round receiver pocket. Coakley noted that locking up an elite tight end here makes the entire build more flexible— they can remain a one-, two-, or even three-TE roster— and structurally unique compared with drafters who stay WR-heavy at this turn.

Steve Palazzolo called Trey McBride’s second-half surge a full-blown breakout and said the 25-year-old "looks like maybe the next top-two tight end, him and Brock Bowers" as veterans age out of the elite tier. With Kyler Murray healthy and Marvin Harrison Jr. commanding perimeter attention, Palazzolo expects McBride’s target share and red-zone usage to climb further, making him a set-and-forget TE1 in season-long leagues and a priority spend-up in DFS slates where pricing lags.

Seeing Trey McBride slide well past his usual draft slot, Best Ball Guy groaned that the room was getting “the dumbest value on Trey McBride right now.” He nearly selected McBride over Tee Higgins despite already owning Brock Bowers, underscoring how far the tight end’s price has dropped relative to his talent and expected role. The takeaway: scoop McBride whenever the room lets him fall.

Pat Kerrane said Trey McBride is a smash pick at the 2-3 turn because the market is overweighting last year’s zero-TD anomaly. McBride hauled in 111 passes for 1,146 yards across 16 games; if you simply tack on eight more touchdowns he jumps to 18.2 PPR points per game – good for WR4 in 2024 – while still carrying tight-end eligibility. Kerrane argued that touchdown variance is historically mispriced (2018-2024 mid-round breakouts all logged seven or fewer TDs the prior season) and that McBride has every red-zone skill you want. He believes double-digit scores are well within McBride’s range, turning him into “Amon-Ra St. Brown at tight end,” and noted the only reason McBride is not a late-first-rounder is that fickle TD column. Draft him aggressively in season-long and Best Ball formats before the market corrects.

Pat Kerrane called Trey McBride a slam-dunk selection who belongs in the same tier as Brock Bowers and George Kittle despite receiving far less conversation. Kerrane has McBride 18th overall on his board and described him as the "middle child" of the elite tight-end group only because drafters forget to talk about him. He relayed a joint-practice story where an opposing coach told Jonathan Gannon they had to double-team McBride on every snap or "he makes a play." Kerrane argued touchdowns are the sole reason McBride is still discounted—similar to past mis-pricings of Deontay Johnson and Terry McLaurin—and reminded listeners that TD variance is fickle. With defenses already committing two bodies to him in August and no target competition of consequence in Arizona, Kerrane expects volume plus inevitable positive TD regression. He continues to draft McBride heavily in Best Ball and believes he could feasibly be "the best tight end in football" over the next five seasons.

Dwain McFarland said Trey McBride is the lone tight end he views as a clear value at his current ADP after mapping the position into four-round chunks. McFarland argued that tight end dries up quickly in 12-team leagues, so landing McBride during the sweet spot of his draft plan secures back-end TE1 production without paying early-round prices. He encouraged drafters to circle McBride when executing a balanced roster build that waits until Rounds 5-8 to address the position.

Davis Mattek called selecting Trey McBride in the first round of FFPC drafts "the blindest seal pick on FFPC," arguing that drafters are blindly jamming an unproven tight end at a premium price simply because the format is tight-end-premium. Mattek’s comment framed McBride’s early-first ADP as an overpay relative to his resume.

Best Ball Guy said Trey McBride is the preferred Week-17 bring-back with Ja'Marr Chase because the tight-end market is drying up. Late-round options are disappearing and middle-tier prices are climbing, so locking in McBride now secures a positional advantage. The Cardinals face the Bengals in Week 17, giving natural correlation, and BBG noted he would rather add McBride than Marvin Harrison in this build despite already having 34 % Chase-McBride exposure. The combination offers ceiling, correlation, and scarcity all in one pick.

Dwain McFarland called Trey McBride the sweet-spot tight end for 2025 drafts. McBride owns the same low-aDOT (6.5) / high-share (29 %) profile as Bowers yet comes roughly a round cheaper at a consensus ADP of 27. Because the WR and RB talent tier breaks just before McBride’s range, drafters sacrifice far less upside to secure him. McFarland labeled the 26-year-old an elite, in-prime option who lets you leave Rounds 1-4 with balanced capital while still locking in top-five TE production.

Hayden Winks said Trey McBride is a screaming value at his current 26th-overall rank and could realistically finish as the overall TE1 in 2025 redraft leagues. After returning from injury in Week 4, McBride averaged 9.7 targets and nearly 80 receiving yards per game—borderline WR-1 volume for a tight end. Winks’ model credited him with 9.0 expected receiving touchdowns against only two actual scores, a seven-TD shortfall he expects to correct this season. McBride has seen 15 end-zone targets over the past two years but converted just three; even a regression to six or seven TDs would vault him into the top tier. The entire offensive infrastructure—head coach, Kyler Murray, play-caller, offensive line—remains intact, and the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. should help Arizona sustain more drives. Winks believes McBride is the primary pass-catcher in the Cardinals’ attack and that positive touchdown variance alone could make him a top-12 overall fantasy asset.

Winks planted a flag on Trey McBride at 24th overall, citing nearly unmatched volume. From Week 4 on, McBride averaged 9.7 targets and close to 80 yards—usage that flirts with WR1 territory. Arizona’s ecosystem is unchanged: same coach, coordinator, line and quarterback, only now with Marvin Harrison Jr. to boost overall scoring opportunities. McBride scored just twice despite Winks’ model crediting him with 9 expected touchdowns, the biggest positive-regression gap among tight ends. Because fantasy drafters can reliably project targets and let variance fix the scores, Winks believes McBride is a two-three-turn hammer in both redraft and best-ball formats.

Michael Florio ranked Trey McBride his No. 3 value even with a Round-3, TE2 ADP because the only missing piece is touchdowns. McBride averaged 15.61 fantasy points per game in 2024, caught 111 passes for 1,146 yards, owned a position-best 29.7 % target share, and commanded the league’s highest red-zone share among tight ends yet scored just twice. Florio believes even modest positive regression could vault McBride past Brock Bowers into runaway TE1 territory while maintaining his bankable weekly floor.

Going in the third round as TE2, Trey McBride still looks undervalued to Florio. McBride’s 2024 line—111 catches, 1,146 yards, 15.61 fantasy PPG—beat Brock Bowers on a per-game basis, and his 29.7% target rate led all tight ends. The only thing missing was scores: he logged just two touchdowns despite leading the position in red-zone share and ranking fourth in end-zone targets. Florio argues even modest positive regression in that department would vault McBride past Bowers and potentially separate him as the runaway TE1 of 2025.

McBride followed a 2023 breakout by finishing TE3 in 2024 while leading all tight ends with a 26.5 % target share and 116 first-read looks. His 111 receptions rank 4th all-time for the position, yet he scored only twice, suggesting more room on the bone. Even if Marvin Harrison Jr. takes a step forward, McBride’s ADP of TE2/2.12 still buys weekly positional advantage, according to Mullen.

Hayden Winks plans to roster roughly 45 % Trey McBride, 40 % Brock Bowers and 15 % George Kittle in early drafts, explaining that Bowers’ ADP forces managers to pass on first-round stars like Jonathan Taylor, Tyreek Hill and Josh Jacobs. McBride, taken a tier later, lets drafters scoop those elite backs and receivers before the cliff, yet still offers similar tight-end upside. Winks said that simple opportunity-cost gap—"the teardrops between those two positions"—makes McBride the more efficient selection, so he is deliberately overweight on McBride versus the market.

Hayden Winks made Trey McBride his Round-3 priority, projecting him to challenge for the overall TE1 finish at a fraction of Brock Bowers' cost. After returning from injury in Week 4, McBride averaged nearly 80 receiving yards on 9.7 targets per game—wide-receiver-level volume. Winks' model credited him with nine expected touchdowns, but variance left him with only a handful, mirroring George Kittle's early-career TD drought. McBride has seen 15 end-zone targets the last two seasons yet converted just three; Winks expects that rate to normalize toward 5–10 scores annually. Because Arizona continues to funnel its passing game through him and nothing structurally has changed on offense, Winks views McBride's combination of target share, YAC ability, and looming touchdown regression as league-winning. At a third-round ADP he prefers McBride's opportunity cost over Bowers, labeling the Cardinal the best value bet to finish as TE1.

Best Ball Guy said Trey McBride is the kind of Week 17 “difference maker” he hunts in Best Ball Mania drafts. McBride’s Cardinals square off with Ja’Marr Chase’s Bengals in the BBM championship week, giving drafters an instant game-stack if they have Chase. Because a single eruption in the finals can decide the entire contest, he prioritises players tied to that slate and called McBride an ideal tight-end spike-week bet.

McFarland advised grabbing Trey McBride at his Round 3 ADP (26.5), pointing to back-to-back 15-point seasons and the No. 1 Utilization Score (94) among tight ends. McBride posted identical 24% TPRR marks versus man and zone and owns a 6.5 aDOT that limits touchdowns but underpins massive reception volume. With Kyler Murray and Drew Petzing running the NFL’s 7th-highest play-action rate (27%) and no proven third pass-game option behind Marvin Harrison Jr., McFarland projects another concentrated target tree. Historical comps with similar target share/aDOT combos average 5.2 TDs, so even slight scoring regression would turbo-charge McBride’s floor. He branded McBride an ‘excellent’ Round 3 cornerstone on ESPN and Yahoo drafts.

Erik Beimfohr said Trey McBride should be the first tight end you click in Week 1 cash and GPP builds. He grouped McBride with Brock Bowers and George Kittle as a clear ‘big three,’ noting the chasm between that tier and the rest of the position. McBride tops his list because the Cardinals enter the opener with very little proven target competition and, in his words, draw the best matchup of the trio. DraftKings pricing lets you jam in superstar running backs and receivers while still affording McBride’s salary, so Beimfohr plans to pay up at tight end rather than dabble with cheaper options. He does not expect that stance to change unless pricing moves significantly before lock.

Ian Hartitz said he is drafting Trey McBride ahead of Brock Bowers this season because McBride’s environment is unchanged while Bowers’ is full of new variables. McBride already finished ahead of Bowers last year and remains glued to Kyler Murray in Drew Petzing’s scheme with no meaningful target competition. Hartitz noted that 30 of Bowers’ fantasy points came in fourth-quarter garbage time, masking how dependent the rookie was on comeback scripts. Now Bowers must adjust to a new quarterback, a new play-caller, a run-first approach built around Ashton Jenty, and a healthy Michael Mayer siphoning snaps. With equal talent and a much safer role, Hartitz prefers McBride at cost in both best-ball and season-long drafts.

Nick Whalen argued that Trey McBride is a justified early-round tight end. McBride posted a 28% target share—elite for any position—and finished as the overall TE2 last season despite not scoring a touchdown until Week 17. Touchdown regression alone (even five or six scores) would propel him toward Travis Kelce-level production. Arizona added no significant target competition outside of Marvin Harrison Jr., so Whalen expects McBride’s usage to remain unchanged. Because drafters can grab him in Round 3 rather than Round 2 like Brock Bowers, Whalen sees more margin for ROI if McBride misses games, calling him both elite and relatively "safe."

Hayden Winks elevated Trey McBride into the true "elite tight end" tier. He noted that McBride is "getting manufactured touches," is "very clearly in the prime of his career," and should see his touchdown total rebound through simple regression. Replacing a fifth wide receiver with McBride erases the diminishing-returns problem Winks sees in WR-heavy builds, so he is happy to spend a fourth-round pick on McBride in both best ball and full-PPR redraft zero-RB constructions.

Jakob Sanderson said Trey McBride should be treated like a second-round pick in full-PPR redraft and remains a comfortable third-rounder in half-PPR best-ball rooms. Sanderson expects the Cardinals to continue featuring McBride in the slot where he is already generating more yards after the catch than Marvin Harrison and flashing sideline “Moss” ability. He projected a realistic path to 100 receptions and 8-9 touchdowns, noting that if those scores materialize McBride vaults into the truly elite tight-end tier we have seen in past Travis Kelce seasons. Because tight-end touchdowns are harder to predict week-to-week, Sanderson wants to bet on McBride’s bankable volume—he led the position in targets last year—and let variance work in his favor. The bottom line: in start-one-TE PPR leagues you gain weekly edge by locking in McBride’s reception floor while still having legitimate ceiling, and his half-PPR best-ball ADP stays palatable enough that Sanderson is scooping him wherever possible.

Jakob Sanderson endorsed Trey McBride at the 2-3 turn, noting he saw "up near 150 targets" last season and functioned like the Cardinals’ Amon-Ra St. Brown. With George Kittle’s ADP rising, the opportunity cost of taking McBride has fallen, and Sanderson now prefers him to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the same range. He argued that mid-round tight ends such as Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and Evan Engram are "fragile projections" capped at 65-70% routes, whereas McBride already owns an alpha-level role and just needs normal touchdown variance to break into the truly elite tier. In full-PPR redraft formats Sanderson said you could "make a pretty decent case he should actually be a second-round pick," while he remains a strong third-round selection in half-PPR best-ball contests.

Jason Moore warned that Trey McBride’s early-fourth-round ADP leaves little profit margin, especially with George Kittle sometimes slipping into the same range. McBride commanded a wild 34% team target share last year (147 looks), but Moore expects that to regress once Arizona increases its WR usage and Marvin Harrison Jr. climbs toward 140-plus targets. With McBride likely losing 15–20 looks and tight-end touchdowns notoriously volatile, Moore prefers paying a negligible premium for Kittle—whose ADP has fallen into the late third/early fourth—rather than chasing a perfect repeat from McBride. He advised drafters to either reach a round for Kittle or fade the tight-end tier altogether, viewing McBride as a risky bet to return top-three value at his current price.

Josh Norris argued that Trey McBride has an identical path to overall TE1 as Bowers if Kyler Murray finally connects in the red zone. McBride actually averaged more targets per game than Bowers last season (9.2 vs. 9.0) and remains the primary read in Drew Petsing’s unchanged Cardinals attack, so the volume floor is secure. The ceiling comes from inevitable touchdown regression: McBride has converted just 3 of 15 end-zone targets over two NFL seasons and scored only six times in 49 pro games after managing 10 TDs in 40 contests at Colorado State. Norris expects that to normalize, citing Murray’s two-year streak of overthrowing open receivers and the quarterback’s improved health entering 2024. Give McBride even a modest bump to 8-10 scores on last year’s usage and he laps the field in tight-end premium formats (1.5 PPR on FFPC) and challenges everyone else in standard leagues. At a cheaper ADP than Bowers, Norris views him as the quintessential upside swing for drafters who miss the top two rounds of tight ends.

Harris called Trey McBride “the best early-round balance of volume, role, and upside.” Despite scoring only two late-season TDs, McBride piled up 111 receptions, 1,146 yards, and a league-best 29.6 % target share at tight end, then landed a four-year, $76 M extension—the richest in TE history. With Kyler Murray healthy and the staff committed to featuring him, Harris expects similar elite volume and sees positive TD regression as the path to overall TE1. McBride’s ADP is 25th overall (a full round after Bowers), giving drafters a comparable floor and higher untapped ceiling for less capital.

Hayden Winks warned that Trey McBride’s overall pick-27 ADP is an overpay given Arizona’s offensive philosophy. The Cardinals have ranked average-to-below-average in pass rate over expected every season under Jonathan Gannon and OC Drew Petzing, preferring to funnel touches through Kyler Murray’s legs and James Conner’s power runs. With rookie superstar Marvin Harrison Jr. also going at pick 28, McBride suddenly becomes the second option in a low-volume passing attack that finished 23rd in red-zone pass attempts last year. For McBride to pay off, Winks said three things must all happen: Murray takes a sizeable efficiency leap, Harrison demands double-teams from day one, and Arizona’s play-calling tilts more aggressive—an unlikely parlay. He’s passing on McBride in both best-ball and redraft, pivoting to similarly priced tight ends like Sam LaPorta who operate in pass-heavy environments.

Rich Hribar reminded listeners that Trey McBride remains "in that elite tight end-one tier" even without many touchdowns. McBride finished 2024 second among tight ends in target share and first in yards after the catch per reception, overcoming a historically low touchdown rate for the position. In full-PPR or TE-premium formats, his bankable volume and lack of legitimate target competition behind Marvin Harrison Jr. make him a mid-third-round pick that Hribar prefers over rookie Brock Bowers.

Tyler Knaeble said taking Trey McBride early in Underdog’s Eliminator format lets him "just punt" the position afterwards. Because weekly survival turns into a series of head-to-head duels, Knaeble thinks grabbing an elite "onesie" is "plus-EV"—it locks in a consistent positional advantage and frees him to spend the rest of his draft hammering wide-outs instead of burning extra capital on tight ends. His preferred build is McBride as the anchor and a single round-18 flier as insurance, allowing more roster spots for high-variance receivers that can spike in any given week.

Davis Mattek said Trey McBride is the rare tight end you should actively chase in Best Ball Mania drafts instead of settling for a "safe" veteran like David Njoku. Mattek reminded listeners that McBride piled up 147 targets over the Cardinals’ final eight games—a pace that out-targeted Davante Adams, DJ Moore, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Courtland Sutton, Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen and Calvin Ridley during the same span. That raw volume gives McBride a realistic chance to finish as a top-four overall pass catcher in any given week, something few mid-round wideouts can match. Even if you believe TE eligibility is a handicap, Mattek argued the weekly ceiling more than compensates because your WR3 will still score in a similar band to the field while McBride creates a gap at the onesie spot. In his view the combination of elite target-earning ability, a Cardinals offense that will trail often, and touchdown variance inherent to the position makes McBride a smash anywhere after Round 7, vaulting him ahead of Njoku or an 11th-round WR in roster construction debates.

Best Ball Guy pointed out that George Kittle just jumped all the way into the third round, something he had never seen until this draft. That surprise ADP surge makes Trey McBride—who was a routine fifth-rounder earlier in the summer—look like one of the better values on the board. Eric argued that if drafters are willing to pay a premium for an aging, boom-bust Kittle, the younger McBride should be going at least a full round earlier than his current cost. Grabbing him now locks in immediate closing-line value and still gives managers exposure to an ascending volume hog in an Arizona offense that quietly funneled 23% of its targets to the tight-end spot after Kyler Murray returned last year.

Pat Kerrane explained that Trey McBride’s falling price is a gift. McBride offers the weekly reception floor Kittle can’t, and Kerrane thinks the narrative that he “never scores touchdowns” is fluky data noise. Arizona used him heavily on play-action—historically a red-zone goldmine—yet he somehow finished with only three TDs; Kerrane expects natural regression to push that number toward 8-10. Combined with a route rate north of 85 % and Kyler Murray healthy for a full season, McBride profiles as a high-advance-rate tight end who still brings 25-point spike potential. Kerrane is happy to pivot to McBride in drafts where escalating Kittle prices make the 49er unattainable.

Harris labeled Trey McBride the premier early-round value at tight end. Despite only 2 TDs, McBride piled up 111 receptions, 1,146 yards, and a league-leading 29.6% target share, then secured a four-year, $76 M extension. With Kyler Murray healthy and the staff openly committed to featuring him, Harris expects positive touchdown regression that could make McBride the overall TE1. Because he’s available nearly a full round after Bowers (Pick 25 vs. 15), Harris plans to roster McBride heavily for a similar floor but a higher untapped ceiling.

Jim Coventry said Trey McBride is undervalued because he delivered more fantasy production than Brock Bowers down the stretch yet costs a half-to-full round less in current drafts. After Arizona inserted a second tight end and benched Greg Dortch in Week 5, McBride averaged 17.2 PPR points from Week 6 forward, two points per game better than Bowers over the same post-bye span. Coventry reminded drafters that McBride missed one game, so on a per-game basis the two were separated by less than a point for the season. His advice: grab the discount on McBride, keep similar ceiling, and use the saved draft capital to strengthen another position.

Jagger May recommended prioritizing Trey McBride at the 2-3 turn because he provides a structural advantage at tight end. Arizona led the NFL in targets to the position last season, and McBride turned that volume into WR1-caliber fantasy weeks. Only Brock Bowers shares comparable upside; the rest of the tight-end pool cannot match McBride’s ceiling. Securing him lets drafters chase upside elsewhere rather than burning early capital on a second running back with a lower point-differential impact.

Jason Moore was frustrated to miss Trey McBride in round two because the Cardinals tight end caught 111 passes last year— a reception total few wideouts can match. In full-PPR leagues, that single-position dominance gives managers a weekly edge, and Moore views McBride as one of the rare tight ends worth aggressive draft capital. With Kyler Murray healthy for a full season and Marvin Harrison Jr. drawing outside coverage, McBride should retain his 25% target share and remain a 100-catch threat, creating a massive replacement-level gap at the position.

Sam Monson predicted Trey McBride will crack the top-three tight-end conversation as soon as 2025. Monson said that if McBride simply repeats last season’s late-year surge—and George Kittle shows even slight age regression—McBride will be "battling Brock Bowers for the number-one spot." McBride’s yards per route run spiked once Zach Ertz landed on IR, and Arizona’s depth chart behind Marvin Harrison Jr. is thin, giving him a clear runway to 110-plus targets. With the Cardinals projected to trail frequently, Monson views McBride as a high-volume, athletic TE1 who should be aggressively drafted in best ball and redraft formats this summer.

Pat Kerrane argued that Trey McBride’s failure to score many touchdowns through two NFL seasons is the single soft spot in an otherwise efficient best-ball market. McBride already commands targets and racks up yards at an elite rate, yet variance has kept him off the scoreboard. Kerrane believes simply normalizing to league-average TD conversion would catapult McBride into the same weekly ceiling tier as Bowers, Kelce and Andrews while still being drafted a round later. Because tight ends are heavily touchdown-driven in half-PPR, Kerrane views betting on that regression as one of the cleanest paths to tournament-winning upside in 2025 drafts.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said Trey McBride is one of the only late-round tight ends who can actually swing Underdog’s Eliminator. McBride already earned a full-time workload last season once Zach Ertz was shipped out, and Pat thinks a modest touchdown spike — "give him eight TDs with last year’s usage and he matters a ton" — would catapult him into weekly TE1 territory. Because the position is generally being written off in this format, managers can grab McBride outside the top-100 picks and still capture real ceiling without paying up for the Kelce/Kittle tier. Pat is mixing him into two-TE builds whenever he fades the early elite options, betting that a healthier Kyler Murray and the arrival of Marvin Harrison Jr. will create far more red-zone trips for Arizona than the market expects.

Cody Woodman called Trey McBride a “smash” at his current Best Ball Mania VI price because rookie Brock Bowers goes several rounds earlier. Woodman said the role and weekly ceiling between the two tight ends should be comparable, yet the ADP gap lets drafters grab McBride later while spending earlier picks on premium wide-outs. He views McBride as the easiest path to an every-down tight end without paying the Bowers tax.