A major injury struck the Cardinals as Zach Ertz went down with a season-ending knee injury. A reliable target for Kyler Murray all season, Ertz totaled 406 yards on 47 receptions in 10 games this season.
Next man up? Rookie Trey McBride.
Arizona selected McBride out of Colorado State in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The potential for some production seems to be there, as McBride was on the field for 62 snaps against the Rams in Week 10.
For more analysis on Arizona's tight end situation, read on for thoughts from Action Network's Sean Koerner and Chris Raybon.
Sean Koerner: Off to a slow start in his rookie season, McBride has a microscopic target rate of 4.4% on routes run. However, he is set to take over for Ertz as the starting TE for the rest of the season, which could lead to TE2+ fantasy value if he shows improvement.
I think we can forgive McBride for his lack of production as most tight ends take more time to adjust to the NFL. He was the top TE prospect of the 2022 class and was the first one taken off the board (in the 2nd round) for a reason.
I would be willing to bet on talent with McBride as a potential TE2 option rest of season in deeper, TE-premium formats. In your standard 12-team league, I think it’s safe to leave him on the wire for now.
Chris Raybon: At this point, McBride is a bet on volume – he posted a season-high 80% route participation rate last week – and draft pedigree, as he was the Cardinals’ second-round pick this year.
His on-field performance thus far leaves much to be desired as he’s been targeted on just four of 90 routes (4.5%). He figures to settle in as a mid-range TE2 based on volume, but it’s difficult to envision him cracking the TE1 tier when he's behind DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore and James Conner for targets (plus Marquise Brown whenever he returns).
