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
YearPlayerOppNoYdsTDBest YrPPR
1980Kellen Winslow, Pitt.Pitt.10171089-1290-91
1981Joe Senser, Min.G.B.1198179-1004-82
1985Mark Bavaro, NYGat Cin.12176066-1001-42
1988Keith Jackson, Phil.Cin.1076181-869-61
1989Keith Jackson, Phil.at Was.12126381-869-61
1989Keith Jackson, Phil.Min.1287081-869-61
1995Pete Mitchell, Jac.at T.B.10161158-520-37
1998Cam Cleeland, N.O.Buff.10112154-684-64
2001Jermaine Wiggins, N.E.NYJ1068071-705-46
2002Jeremy Shockey, NYGPhil.1098165-891-73
2002Jeremy Shockey, NYGWas.11111065-891-73
2003Jeremy Shockey, NYGMia.11110065-891-73
2006Kellen Winslow, Cle.at Hou.1193082-1106-54
2006Kellen Winslow, Cle.at Pitt.1178082-1106-54
2007• Jeff King, Car.Ind.1082046-406-219
2009Brent Celek, Phil.at Ari.1083276-971-84
2011• Ed Dickson, Balt.at Sea.1079254-528-517
2011Jimmy Graham, N.O.at Jac.10132186-1215-161
2011Rob Gronkowski, N.E.Den.10145390-1327-171
2014• Jace Amaro, NYJDen.1068138-345-224
2014Zach Ertz, Phil.at Was.151150116-1163-82
2023Trey McBride, Ari.Balt.1095129-265-140

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
RkTmPlayerAge
1.DET• Sam LaPorta22.8
2.MINT.J. Hockenson26.3
3.BALMark Andrews28.2
4.KCTravis Kelce34.1
5.BUF• Dalton Kincaid24.0
6.CHICole Kmet24.6
7.JACEvan Engram29.2
8.CLEDavid Njoku27.3
9.ATLKyle Pitts23.1
10.PHIDallas Goedert28.8
11.SFGeorge Kittle30.1
12.GB• Luke Musgrave23.2
13.DALJake Ferguson24.8
14.PITPat Freiermuth25.0
15.HOUDalton Schultz27.3
16.ARITrey McBride23.9
17.NEHunter Henry28.9
18.LV• Michael Mayer22.3
19.WASLogan Thomas32.3
20.TBCade Otton24.6
21.DENGreg Dulcich23.6
22.INDKylen Granson25.6
23.TENChigoziem Okonkwo24.2
24.NYGDarren Waller31.1
25.SEANoah Fant26.0
26.ATLJonnu Smith28.2
27.LACGerald Everett29.4
28.LARTyler Higbee30.8
29.BUFDawson Knox27.0
30.DAL• Luke Schoonmaker25.1
31.INDJelani Woods25.1
32.NYJTyler Conklin28.3
33.CINIrv Smith25.2
34.NOJuwan Johnson27.1
35.CARHayden Hurst30.2
36.NEMike Gesicki28.1
37.ARIZach Ertz33.0
38.LACDonald Parham26.2
39.BALIsaiah Likely23.5
40.KCNoah Gray24.5

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