Saquon Barkley vs Trey McBride

“If anything were to happen to Saquon Barkley , Bigsby would be a huge beneficiary for fantasy.”

“31 10 21 James Cook 13 5 8 Josh Jacobs 7 15 -8 Saquon Barkley 2 13 -11 Bucky Irving 10 33 -23 In past years, so many top RBs have gotten hurt that the Zero (or hero) RB draft strategies have become popular.”

“Likely everyone’s biggest question around the Eagles is, can Saquon Barkley bounce back in 2026? The simple answer is yes; it is in the range of outcomes. However, the reality is that Saquon is 29 and getting older.”

“For 2025, Saquon had an 8% greater success rate running Outside vs Inside Zone .”

“While a minor post-Super Bowl efficiency dip was baked into 2025 projections, Saquon Barkley ’s drop from RB4 draft capital to an RB14 positional finish exposed severe infrastructure cracks.”

“After finishing last year as the RB14, fantasy players should avoid drafting Barkley as a mid-range RB1.”

“Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) After running laps around the position in 2024, Saquon Barkley’s finish of RB14 was a shock. Despite only missing one game, he scored 214 fantasy points compared to the 339 points he scored in 2024.”

“Given the season he had in 2024 and the expectations created for gamers, Barkley may have produced the most disappointing 1,413-yard, 9-touchdown season in history. Regression was certainly expected coming off his historic run the year before, and a lot went wrong for this offense.”

“Add this all up — plus another 300+ projected touches — and Barkley could be looking at another top-five season at running back at a significant discount on Fantrax. He has a realistic path to another 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 10+ touchdowns.”

“With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy offensive line, it's not hard to start seeing the positives for Barkley. The Eagles running back is the undoubted No. 1 RB on an offense that will score points.”

“Barkley had an absurd number of touches in 2024 and ran hot on explosive runs. Once he and the Eagles were hit with regression, it was no wonder things crashed back to Earth.”

“Over the last two seasons, Barkley has averaged just 35 receptions for 275 receiving yards and two touchdowns. A decline in per-touch efficiency, as he nears 30, is also working against him, as he has steadily transitioned away from being a big-play threat and into more of a volume-based option at running back.”

“Starting WR/WR with Drake London or Nico Collins in round two could let you lean into Zero RB with an elite tight end such as Brock Bowers or Trey McBride .”

“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.”

“McBride ran 156 more routes last year than any other tight end. This fact and McBride’s talent fueled plenty of fantasy teams to championships last season. Among 59 qualifying tight ends, McBride was first in target share (25.4%), receiving yards per game (72.9), red zone targets (32), and first-read share (33.8%).”

“Tight end gets a partial exception: he’s comfortable taking Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland at their going rate in the second round, but not Trey McBride, whose value is tied to a huge target total in Arizona that’s likely to shrink now that the Cardinals used a premium pick on a running back.”

“Trey McBride (199.8 half-PPR points) and Brock Bowers (195.5 half-PPR points) are the only tight ends who clear that mark.”

“We are coming off a season in which Trey McBride provided the largest gap in scoring to the TE2 in league history (which does say more about the field than McBride himself), and he was the 11th-best player in scoring per game.”

“Last season’s production was heavily inflated by his 11 touchdowns, tying Trey McBride for the most at the position”

“ADP: -6 It will be hard for Trey McBride to top the year he had in 2025.”

“Loveland is the consensus TE3 for 2026 fantasy drafts behind only Brock Bowers and Trey McBride .”

“From Week 9 on, Loveland was TE2 in fantasy scoring behind only Trey McBride .”

“Round 3: Trey McBride (TE – ARI) I haven’t taken a receiver yet, but with Trey McBride still on the board, he was too good to pass up.”

“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.”