Cardinals’ Trey McBride could provide fantasy football edge at tight end

Making the fantasy football playoffs is about more than just wins and losses. Your team’s total points scored is not just an indicator of which teams are strongest, it is usually the first tiebreaker when establishing which teams make it to the big dance and which ones go home.

So win or lose, every point counts.

Though the bulk of your points come from the quarterback, running back and wide receiver positions, you can still get an edge at tight end even if you don’t have Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews.

We just witnessed a breakout performance by Arizona TE Trey McBride in which he posted 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens.

He was targeted 14 times, and he should be your No. 1 waiver target.

With Zach Ertz landing on IR, McBride has been afforded a tremendous opportunity in this Cardinals offense and should remain a focal point in this passing attack while Kyler Murray works his way back.

Outside of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, the team is short on quality pass-catchers and is definitely in need of size inside the red zone. McBride’s 6-foot-4, 250-pound frame and ability to out-muscle his coverage make him an immediate target for underneath work and looks inside the end zone.

His upcoming matchup against Cleveland might be a tough one, but the three weeks that follow put him against teams that rank in the bottom 10 of coverage against the position.

Should you not have the free-agent budget or waiver priority to acquire McBride, there are still great opportunities to increase your production at tight end.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson was quiet for a couple of weeks, but delivered with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown this past Sunday. It was his second touchdown of the season, the third time in five games he’s posted at least 45 receiving yards and he’s racking up red-zone targets at an alarming rate.

You can also look at Pittsburgh’s Connor Heyward, who has now seen nine targets in two games since Pat Freiermuth landed on IR. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens might see the majority of targets, but the Steelers’ offense incorporates the tight end in a number of situations, including near the goal line.

Betting on the NFL?

We only have a month left before the fantasy playoffs begin, so you’re going to see a lot of jockeying for position within your standings. Exploring trades will be important if you are dealing with injuries, but be sure to scour your waiver wire before you start making deals.

If you can bulk up with points at tight end with waivers, then you can focus your trade work on the other positions.

Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to Fantasy-Alarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.