After Week 1, the Seattle Seahawks continue to be the team to beat in the NFC West. This is arguably the toughest division in football, but if there's a team that may not pose much of a threat to the defending champions, that's the Arizona Cardinals. That's even with Fantasy Football favorite Trey McBride out there.
Granted, the Cardinals are coming off a big upset win and will be at home and whatnot, but barring a surprise, Mike LaFleur's team should be one of the worst in football this season.
McBride, meanwhile, is one of the most productive tight ends in the game, and with Nick Emmanwori just working his way back and the big numbers he's put up against Seattle in recent years, some might think he can be a problem. Actually, that's not true at all.
Trey McBride's big numbers vs. the Seattle Seahawks are misleading
Box-score watching would make one think that McBride has had the Seahawks' numbers in recent years. He has two games with 120+ receiving yards, has drawn double-digit targets in four consecutive games, and has averaged at least 10.0 yards per catch in three of those games. But has he actually been a problem? We beg to differ.
For starters, McBride has never beaten the Seahawks in his career. He's gotten his numbers, of course, but that has been more by design than by dominance. The Seahawks have pretty much allowed him to stack up his numbers while shutting down everyone else.
Take his last game vs. the Seahawks as an example. Yes, he hauled in nine catches on 13 targets for 127 yards and one touchdown, but he only found paydirt after the game was already out of reach, with the Seahawks up 38-15. Before that, he had gone 14 full quarters without scoring against Seattle.
Of course, this doesn't mean he's not a good player. He's coming off leading his team with nine catches for 95 yards and a score in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers. However, context matters, and while he's elite for Fantasy Football purposes, what actually happens on the field often tells a different story.
McBride will get his numbers; that's inevitable. He's, by far, the Cardinals' most reliable option in the passing game. But can he single-handedly put the offense on his shoulders and represent an actual threat to the Dark Side defense? History suggests otherwise.
At the end of the day, it wouldn't be shocking to see him leave the field with 8+ catches and flirt with 100 receiving yards. He might even score another garbage-time touchdown. Box-score watchers might think he 'owned' the Seahawks once it's all said and done, but Mike Macdonald might not be losing much sleep over him right now.
Add us as a preferred source on Google