Trey McBride

Trey McBride enters 2026 as one of the safest elite fantasy tight ends in football and still has a strong case to finish as the overall TE1. He followed up his 2024 breakout with a massive 2025 season, finishing with 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns on 169 targets, production that put him near the very top of all pass catchers, not just tight ends.

The appeal is straightforward: McBride is Arizona’s clear offensive centerpiece and remains a volume monster in the passing game. Fantasy analysts still see him in the top tier at tight end, with one recent ranking calling him the top TE for 2026 and noting that he “lapped the field” last season. Another 2026 preview also places him in the elite conversation, though it points out that he is a little more expensive than Brock Bowers in current draft markets.

The main concern is not talent, but context. Recent analysis flags possible regression because Arizona threw at the highest rate in the NFL last season, and the team’s 2026 changes could shift the offense toward more balance and more touches for other players, including rookie running back Jeremiyah Love and Marvin Harrison Jr. That means McBride may still be excellent even if his target share dips, and one projection still has him around 113 catches, 1,074 yards, and nearly seven touchdowns.

For fantasy drafts, McBride looks like a premium pick who can justify an early-round selection, especially if you want to lock in a weekly difference-maker at a thin position. The ceiling remains enormous, but the realistic expectation is probably a small step back from last year’s historic pace rather than another record-setting repeat.

Updated 06/08/2026