James Cook
vs Trey McBride

“While the outcome was mild against a Houston defense we still buy as one of the best defensive fronts, Cook got the usage we wanted to see. He played 69.2% of the snaps (RB11) and saw 88.9% of the backfield touches (RB4). The one element that left more to be desired was the passing-game usage that was talked up this preseason.”

“James Cook (RB – BUF) In 2024, James Cook dominated, scoring 16 touchdowns and rushing for 1,009 yards. That production seemed unsustainable. In 2025, he recorded 1,621 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and gave us even more reason to be confident.”

“While Cook does not have the pass-catching profile that usually benefits from a full PPR format, he has been one of the absolute best assets to have on a fantasy roster over the past few seasons, finishing as a top-12 RB each of the last three years. There is hope that Cook may become more involved in the passing game for the Bills, which would only give his fantasy ceiling a boost.”

“James Cook (RB – BUF) has already shown flashes of every skill needed to be the overall RB1: a big receiving season, an 18-touchdown season, and a 1,600-yard rushing season, just never all in the same year.”

“James Cook was picked as the best value on the board at 11th overall, priced almost entirely off last year’s production rather than his upside. The case for a top-three running back season rests on four pillars, and Cook checks every one.”

“James Cook was a no-brainer pick, and it came down to Derrick Henry and Ashton Jeanty for the RB2 slot.”

“The Bills put their money where their mouth is by giving James Cook a ton of money, then followed that up with a bunch of touches (349, to be exact), and brought the rushing title back to Buffalo. James Cook led the NFL in 2025 with 11 games of 80+ rushing yards.”

“James Cook is expected to be more involved in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, whose running backs have been heavily involved in the passing attack throughout his coaching history. Cook had a career-high 309 rush attempts in the regular season en route to the NFL rushing title last season, and shifting some of his carries into targets could be a wise move given his excellent receiving skills demonstrated at the NFL level.”

“Unlike Saquon Barkley, who also plays with a quarterback used heavily near the end zone, the Bills do mix in Cook near the end zone, instead of strictly relying on Josh Allen moving the pile. Cook had 14 rushing attempts inside the 5-yard line in 2025 (tied for 8th in the NFL) with 6 touchdowns on those runs.”

“Speaking of positional advantage, Trey McBride is averaging 15.4 half-PPR points per game and leads all tight ends in targets and receptions. It’s all McBride and Michael Wilson in Arizona, with these two accounting for nearly 60% of the target share. With 10+ targets in all three games this year, McBride’s fantasy floor is elite.”

“ARI @ SF (SF-8.5, O/U 47.5) Trey McBride is the only Arizona Cardinal that you can start with confidence this week, as Jeremiyah Love has only seen 27 opportunities in two weeks on a bad offense.”

“The apple of Brissett’s eye all afternoon, McBride led the team in targets with 13, catching nine passes for 95 yards and a score in an upset victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. McBride will look to keep the train a’ rollin’ in a more difficult matchup at home against Seattle next week. Stud:”

“Star TE Trey McBride had nine for 95 and the score, while veteran WR Kendrick Bourne racked up eight catches for 75 yards. First-round RB Jeremiyah Love got in the end zone for the first time in his career, while WRs Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. also chipped in with big plays. Arizona has pretty solid weapons but it’s notable that the Cardinals had as much success as they did against a Chargers defense that was No. 5 in total defense last year and returned most of the unit.”

“While Trey McBride is a must-start, there are serious questions around the rest of the Cardinals.”

“Brock Bowers , Colston Loveland , and Trey McBride are the obvious examples heading into this season.”

“Trey McBride (TE – ARI) Trey McBride has a top-20 ADP after catching 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.”

“Trey McBride (TE – ARI) Whether you prefer Brock Bowers or Trey McBride doesn’t really matter. Neither should be drafted this high. Last season, McBride averaged 18.6 PPR points per game, and Bowers averaged 15.5 in 2024, the better season of his two years in the NFL.”

“Taking a look at the top options from last season, McBride averaged 11.2 fantasy points per game, and Bowers averaged 9.4 points per game.”

“Cardinals TE Trey McBride has become a prolific fantasy scorer.”

“In full-PPR formats, running backs and wide receivers split the top 10 in points per game 50/50, while running backs made up 10 of the top 20 spots in those leagues ( Trey McBride was in there as a tight end).”

“Let’s use last season’s leading TE scorer, Trey McBride , as an example. He scored 315.9 PPR fantasy points last season. In TE-premium, where he gets an extra half-point for each of his 126 receptions, McBride scored 378.9 fantasy points.”