That was quite a game Trey McBride put together against Baltimore, with 10 catches and a touchdown. It’s taken until halfway through his second season, but he’s looking like and up-and-comer at tight end.
McBride, recall, was the first tight end drafted last year, with the Cardinals selecting him late in the second round (despite already having Zach Ertz). He caught 90 passes his final season at Colorado State.
He flashed a little potential at the end of his rookie season, catching 20 passes and a touchdown in his last five games. Now it’s looking like he’ll be a big part of their passing game for the next bundle of years. Arizona is a lesser team, but they seem to have a good coaching staff in place – they’ve exceeded expectations.
I would go as far as to say that if I were walking into a dynasty draft today, I would start thinking about McBride about a dozen tight ends into the draft. He should be fine for now, and I think he could really blossom in the next couple years.
The 10-catch game is a good indicator. Since the merger, 16 other tight ends have catch at least 10 passes in a game in either their first or second season. All but three of those guys went on to post top-10 numbers (PPR scoring) at some point in their career.
In the chart below, the players who never had a notable fantasy season are tagged with black dots.
YOUNG TIGHT ENDS WITH 10-CATCH GAMES | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Opp | No | Yds | TD | Best Yr | PPR |
1980 | Kellen Winslow, Pitt. | Pitt. | 10 | 171 | 0 | 89-1290-9 | 1 |
1981 | Joe Senser, Min. | G.B. | 11 | 98 | 1 | 79-1004-8 | 2 |
1985 | Mark Bavaro, NYG | at Cin. | 12 | 176 | 0 | 66-1001-4 | 2 |
1988 | Keith Jackson, Phil. | Cin. | 10 | 76 | 1 | 81-869-6 | 1 |
1989 | Keith Jackson, Phil. | at Was. | 12 | 126 | 3 | 81-869-6 | 1 |
1989 | Keith Jackson, Phil. | Min. | 12 | 87 | 0 | 81-869-6 | 1 |
1995 | Pete Mitchell, Jac. | at T.B. | 10 | 161 | 1 | 58-520-3 | 7 |
1998 | Cam Cleeland, N.O. | Buff. | 10 | 112 | 1 | 54-684-6 | 4 |
2001 | Jermaine Wiggins, N.E. | NYJ | 10 | 68 | 0 | 71-705-4 | 6 |
2002 | Jeremy Shockey, NYG | Phil. | 10 | 98 | 1 | 65-891-7 | 3 |
2002 | Jeremy Shockey, NYG | Was. | 11 | 111 | 0 | 65-891-7 | 3 |
2003 | Jeremy Shockey, NYG | Mia. | 11 | 110 | 0 | 65-891-7 | 3 |
2006 | Kellen Winslow, Cle. | at Hou. | 11 | 93 | 0 | 82-1106-5 | 4 |
2006 | Kellen Winslow, Cle. | at Pitt. | 11 | 78 | 0 | 82-1106-5 | 4 |
2007 | • Jeff King, Car. | Ind. | 10 | 82 | 0 | 46-406-2 | 19 |
2009 | Brent Celek, Phil. | at Ari. | 10 | 83 | 2 | 76-971-8 | 4 |
2011 | • Ed Dickson, Balt. | at Sea. | 10 | 79 | 2 | 54-528-5 | 17 |
2011 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | at Jac. | 10 | 132 | 1 | 86-1215-16 | 1 |
2011 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | Den. | 10 | 145 | 3 | 90-1327-17 | 1 |
2014 | • Jace Amaro, NYJ | Den. | 10 | 68 | 1 | 38-345-2 | 24 |
2014 | Zach Ertz, Phil. | at Was. | 15 | 115 | 0 | 116-1163-8 | 2 |
2023 | Trey McBride, Ari. | Balt. | 10 | 95 | 1 | 29-265-1 | 40 |
Statistics compiled using search tools at Pro-Football-Reference.com
As far as my updated dynasty rankings, they appear below. McBride is the most notable upward mover.
These rankings assume PPR scoring, with teams allowed to hold the rights to players indefinitely. I’m looking not just at 2023, but also the upcoming seasons, trending towards younger players. I’m envisioning a 12-team league, with each carrying about three at the position. (That third guy doesn’t need to play right now, so could be more of a speculative selection who might develop into something.)
DYNASTY TIGHT ENDS | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
1. | DET | • Sam LaPorta | 22.8 |
2. | MIN | T.J. Hockenson | 26.3 |
3. | BAL | Mark Andrews | 28.2 |
4. | KC | Travis Kelce | 34.1 |
5. | BUF | • Dalton Kincaid | 24.0 |
6. | CHI | Cole Kmet | 24.6 |
7. | JAC | Evan Engram | 29.2 |
8. | CLE | David Njoku | 27.3 |
9. | ATL | Kyle Pitts | 23.1 |
10. | PHI | Dallas Goedert | 28.8 |
11. | SF | George Kittle | 30.1 |
12. | GB | • Luke Musgrave | 23.2 |
13. | DAL | Jake Ferguson | 24.8 |
14. | PIT | Pat Freiermuth | 25.0 |
15. | HOU | Dalton Schultz | 27.3 |
16. | ARI | Trey McBride | 23.9 |
17. | NE | Hunter Henry | 28.9 |
18. | LV | • Michael Mayer | 22.3 |
19. | WAS | Logan Thomas | 32.3 |
20. | TB | Cade Otton | 24.6 |
21. | DEN | Greg Dulcich | 23.6 |
22. | IND | Kylen Granson | 25.6 |
23. | TEN | Chigoziem Okonkwo | 24.2 |
24. | NYG | Darren Waller | 31.1 |
25. | SEA | Noah Fant | 26.0 |
26. | ATL | Jonnu Smith | 28.2 |
27. | LAC | Gerald Everett | 29.4 |
28. | LAR | Tyler Higbee | 30.8 |
29. | BUF | Dawson Knox | 27.0 |
30. | DAL | • Luke Schoonmaker | 25.1 |
31. | IND | Jelani Woods | 25.1 |
32. | NYJ | Tyler Conklin | 28.3 |
33. | CIN | Irv Smith | 25.2 |
34. | NO | Juwan Johnson | 27.1 |
35. | CAR | Hayden Hurst | 30.2 |
36. | NE | Mike Gesicki | 28.1 |
37. | ARI | Zach Ertz | 33.0 |
38. | LAC | Donald Parham | 26.2 |
39. | BAL | Isaiah Likely | 23.5 |
40. | KC | Noah Gray | 24.5 |
I turn my attention to dynasty leagues each Saturday, rotating between the four notable positions. Rookies are tagged with black dots. To see my most recent rankings for other positions, use the “past issues” navigation both on this page.
Last week: Wide receivers
Next week: Quarterbacks
—Ian Allan