It’s mostly been a down season in fantasy football for every tight end not named Trey McBride. The Cardinals’ top pass-catcher capped a career 2025 campaign in Week 17 by setting the NFL record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season with 117 catches.

Not only did McBride make history, but he also made plenty of fantasy managers in their league’s final happy, finishing with 10 catches for 76 yards and a TD, good for 18.6 fantasy points in a huge spot versus the Bengals. He had been doing this all season and now, his name will be etched in the proverbial stone among the top TE fantasy performances of all-time.

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McBride’s season should stack up well with some of the best performances ever by fantasy tight ends. We rarely see tight ends eclipse the 200-point mark in fantasy in half-PPR formats. Here’s a list of the names who have done so since 2018.

Note: We’re not including fantasy points earned in the final week of the NFL regular season since most leagues end the week before.

* Denotes totals accomplished before the NFL moved to 18-week regular season.

2025: Trey McBride, Cardinals — 242.9 points

2022: Travis Kelce, Chiefs — 254.5 points

2021: Mark Andrews, Ravens — 235.1 points

2021: Travis Kelce, Chiefs — 205.4 points

*2020: Travis Kelce, Chiefs — 260.3 points

*2020: Darren Waller, Raiders — 202.9 points

*2019: Travis Kelce, Chiefs — 201.9 points

*2018: Travis Kelce, Chiefs — 234.4 points

*2018: Zach Ertz, Eagles — 219.3 points

Many of these top performances came from Kelce, who could be at the end of his Hall of Fame career in Kansas City. It also feels like we’ve reached a bit of a low point at the tight end position this season, but could see a rise in the next few seasons. What stands out the most is the quarterback responsible for the TE having a top season. Obviously, Kelce has had Patrick Mahomes throughout most of his career. What McBride has done this season with mostly Jacoby Brissett under center makes his historic run even more impressive.

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There will be a huge gap between McBride as the TE1 overall in 2025 and whoever finishes as the TE2; currently, it’s Kyle Pitts Sr. as we enter the afternoon window on Sunday in Week 17. He’s got 155.4 fantasy points in 15 games going into a MNF matchup versus the Rams. There could be a near-100-point gap between the TE1 and TE2, something we rarely see in fantasy.

Ertz pops up on the list above in 2018, the season when he set the previous high for receptions by a tight end with 116. As you can see, McBride bested Ertz’s season point total, even if you count Ertz’s Week 17 production (to give him 222.3 points) from that season — when most fantasy leagues would have had their title game the week before. Evan Engram’s 114 receptions from back in 2023 only netted him 173.3 fantasy points for the entire 18-week season.

McBride will likely be a key member on several fantasy title teams come Tuesday.

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2026 fantasy outlook

With many fantasy leagues done and the Cardinals not playing for anything in Week 18, we can look ahead to 2026. McBride was drafted on average in the third round in fantasy going into this season. Chances are his stock will rise and he could even be a fringe-first-round asset given the scarcity of quality options at TE.

You have to wonder if Arizona will move on from Kyler Murray after this season and whether or not Brissett will remain the starter. But if the Cardinals can shore up the QB position, McBride could just be touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he can accomplish. McBride’s stock couldn’t get any higher for fantasy purposes going into next season.