Trey McBride — Week 3: Eleven Targets, Nine Catches
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
McBride caught 9 of 11 targets for 75 yards and three first downs, second on the Cardinals to Michael Wilson's 17 targets. He drew a 19-yard pass interference flag on fourth and two that put Arizona at the 1, and caught 4 yards on third and two on the drive that made it 29–27, in a 36–30 loss to the 49ers.
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23 to 13, 49ers, 13 38 left in the fourth quarter, fourth and two at the San Francisco 20. Jacoby Brissett threw deep left for Trey McBride, incomplete, and the flag was pass interference on Deommodore Lenoir, 19 yards to the one. That snap was worth +3.8 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 13.3 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it, the largest gain on any Arizona snap of the day. None of it is in his line. Two snaps later Brissett threw one yard to Jeremiyah Love for the touchdown, and the kick made it 23 to 20.
The line: 11 targets, nine catches, 75 yards, no touchdown, three first downs, +5.3 expected points on the targets. The catches went 18, nine, six, 13, seven, six, four, three and nine. The 18 was the biggest: second and 17 at the San Francisco 43 with seven 31 left in the second quarter, down 14 to nothing, deep middle to the 25, +2.2, on the drive that ended in Arizona's first field goal. Later on that drive his nine on third and 10 came up a yard short. A six-yarder in the last minute of the half picked up 15 more on an unnecessary-roughness flag on Fred Warner. The late work came on the drive that made it close: seven on second and 18 after a sack, six to the San Francisco 33, then third and two at the eight with three 51 left, four yards to the four and the first down, and three more to the one on the next snap. Brissett went in from there. With a minute 26 left, down 36 to 27, a catch was ruled a 10-yard first down and replay moved it back to nine, one short. Two incompletions, on second and three in the first quarter and second and 10 in the third. A 10-yard catch on third and three in the second quarter came back on offensive pass interference against him. Four targets before halftime, seven after; two on third down, both caught, one converted.
11 targets were second on the team. Brissett threw 50 passes with a receiver: 17 to Michael Wilson, 11 to McBride, five each to Marvin Harrison and Love, four to Tyler Allgeier, three each to Kendrick Bourne and Elijah Higgins. His 75 yards were second to Wilson's 89.
Back in June the preview leaned toward McBride — the top tight end per game a year ago on a hundred 69 targets, with targets per game the stickiest stat at the position and his 9.9 the most at it. Week 1 was 13 targets for 95 yards; Week 2 was 10 for 41, on a day Arizona threw for 95. Sunday was 11 for 75, and for the first time this season he was not the most-targeted Cardinal. Three games, 34 targets, 26 catches, 211 yards, two touchdowns; the volume the preview bet on is holding at about 11 a game. Three games settle little. Arizona is at the Giants on Sunday the fourth.
_Data via nflverse._
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