While many are still calling this a rebuilding year for the Arizona Cardinals, fans have more than just a glimmer of hope that they could be a contending team. The 2023 season ended strong for the team, with a healthy Kyler Murray leading the way. The connection between Murray and tight end, Trey McBride had a lot to do with that late-season success.
In looking at this year’s schedule, I can see the Cardinals winning at least 9 games. That would be a huge improvement over the last season. This is a young team, but they’re also massively talented. Trey McBride was one of the considerations for ESPN’s 2023 Fantasy Football Awards “Breakout of the Year”. The honor ultimately went to Rams running back Kyren Williams, but it’s a huge honor to be considered. This consideration should be a signal to the rest of us to be paying attention.
Trey McBride 2024 Fantasy Football Outlook
If you follow any of my content throughout the fantasy football season, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of the tight end position. To me, it’s one of the most versatile and valuable positions. I’ll fill every flex spot with a quality tight end if my opponents leave them on the table in a draft. Tight ends, like McBride, are often taller, bigger, and more agile than most wide receivers. They’re quickly becoming the favorite targets of quarterbacks across the league.
The Cardinals are no exception. With their starting tight end, Zach Ertz, getting injured during the 2023 season, it was time for McBride, in his second year, to step up and step in. He didn’t disappoint. McBride had 105 targets (6th) and caught 81 receptions (T-5th) for 825 yards (7th) and three touchdowns (T-17th). These stats made him the TE7 for the season, and this is just the beginning. Remember that Kyler Murray only played in eight games last season, making McBride’s performance even more impressive.
Check out the No Punt Intended team breaking down the Panthers, Commanders, and Cardinals in this week’s episode!
Trey McBride was garnering around 20% of the target share last season. Is that sustainable with the incoming wide receiver talent? Yes. I think so. In my opinion, the best comparison would be tight end, Mark Andrews and the Ravens. The Ravens have always had a strong receiving corps and that included Andrews. He’s been good for 1000+ yards (barring injury) each season. Seeing McBride pull off 825 yards with a backup quarterback at the helm for the first half of the season seems to leave plenty of room for skyrocketing growth!
The naysayers will say that the Cardinals aren’t a good team. My response will always be – despite not being a very good team last season, McBride was a standout player earning an average of 11 fantasy points per game. When you’re drafting a winning fantasy football team, it’s important to put away how you feel about an entire team. You’re drafting a single player, so always go for talent over a team’s win/loss record.
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A Look Inside the Arizona Cardinals
Editor’s Note: We don’t want to leave you hanging on the rest of the team. While Kelly focused on Trey McBride in fantasy football, here is a quick look at the other fantasy-relevant Cardinals from Kelly.
Kyler Murray
Sleeper has Kyler Murray as the QB9, and that’s just fine. He’ll likely fall to fantasy football managers in the later middle rounds in single QB leagues. However, the more people realize that, the greater community is sleeping on Murray, the sooner we’ll see him come off the board. Despite not playing a full season since 2021, fantasy managers who utilize a stacking strategy will be targeting him heavily.
James Conner
Battling some injury this past season, James Connor still managed to rank 6th in rushing yards (1,040). He rushed for seven touchdowns, had two receiving touchdowns, and ended up the RB18 on the season. I had the opportunity to interview Conner during Super Bowl Week. I loved how he talked up his teammates and seemed excited for the upcoming season. While the Cardinals did draft two new rookie running backs and brought on DeeJay Dallas from Seattle during the free agency period, there’s no doubt that Conner is still the Cardinals’ RB1.
Trey Benson
Many viewed Benson as one of the few three-down backs entering the 2024 draft. The Arizona landing spot is a gift and a curse. He’ll be stuck behind James Conner for at least this season, but he also gets to learn from James Conner, who has played a three-down role during his entire time with the Cardinals. Conner has also never played a full 17-game season, so you’ll see Benson at some point this year, but his role might be limited at the start of the season
Marvin Harrison Jr.
Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was the Cardinal’s first first-round draft pick and 4th-overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft. During his last two years of college, he ranked 5th and 7th in yards per reception. The hopes are sky-high for a big performance from tall and athletic MHJ. CBS Sports has published that Harrison Jr will land among 3rd-round picks in redraft leagues and predicts an average of 10 targets per game. For fantasy managers who like to play a stacking strategy, MHJ will be on their list of targets with Kyler Murray.
Michael Wilson
Michael Wilson showed immense talent leading into the 2023 season. Unfortunately, he missed three games due to a neck injury and had two games without a reception. Does that scare me off of Wilson as a quality wide receiver on my fantasy roster? Not at all. Perhaps it’s because I got to see his talent on a regular basis as a season ticket holder and paid closer attention as a content creator, but make no mistake, averaging 15 yards per reception, Michael Wilson has the ability to be a top receiver in the league.
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