Fantasy Football Player Notes

The stage is set for Zach Ertz to volume hog his way to another top 12 tight end season. With DeAndre Hopkins missing a chunk of the season, Ertz should get off to a fantastic start. Last season without Hopkins in the lineup (Weeks 9-11, 15-18), Ertz saw a 23.7% target share and finished as a top ten tight end in 71.4% of his games. Arizona adding Marquise Brown and Trey McBride will muddy the target waters some, but Ertz's role in the offense and Hopkins' missing time should allow him to get off to a fast start and propel him to another TE1 season.

With DeAndre Hopkins slated to miss the first six games of the season, the Arizona Cardinals might have no choice but to feature more 12 personnel early and utilize their shiny new second-round pick, Trey McBride. McBride was the highest graded collegiate tight end last year per PFF, ranking fifth in yards per route run (minimum 20 targets). While the track record of rookie tight ends producing out the gate in fantasy isn't good, McBride won't be drafted in most leagues, but he's a name that should be monitored closely. If Zach Ertz were to miss any time, McBride would be in the conversation as a top 12 weekly fantasy option at the position.