Fantasy Football Player Notes

This stretch of fantasy performances for Trey McBride is incredibly good. His consistency in yards and receptions is reminiscent of Tyler Higbee's five-game stretch to close out 2019. If you don't remember that, I'll remind you that he had 56 targets, 43 receptions, 522 yards, and two scores over five games. Outside of that little blast from the past, there isn't much else to say other than McBride is a fantasy star with Brissett under center. He has seven touchdowns in his last seven games, has only finished lower than the TE3 once in the last seven games (he was TE6), and has eight or more receptions in six of seven games. This week, they face the Rams, who bolster a tough pass rush. The Rams are allowing the 13th fewest fantasy points to the position, but that is only a red flag for TEs not named McBride.

With Marvin Harrison Jr. and Greg Dortch out this week, the Cardinals' passing attack will again be all the Michael Wilson and Trey McBride that the Rams can handle. In Weeks 11-12, when Wilson was living in a similar situation, he finished as the WR1 and WR9 in weekly scoring, commanding a 30.8% target share with a 53.9% air-yard share, 151.5 receiving yards per game, 3.16 yards per route run, and a 38.6% first-read share. In those two games, he had five deep targets and two red zone targets. Wilson is upgraded to a STRONG WR2 this week. This week, Wilson has an average to below-average matchup depending upon how you look at it. Since Week 9, the Rams have allowed the 13th-fewest fantasy points per game and ranked 18th in receiving yards per game against perimeter wide receivers.

It's looking unlikely that we will see Trey Benson again this season. He's out this week, and so is Emari Demercado. The Cardinals will lean on the tandem of Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter again this week. Knight is the early down back that can easily get game-scripted out. Since Week 12, Knight has averaged 14 touches and 65 total yards with a 46.7% snap share. In the last two games, he has 21 of 31 running back carries but only a 26% route share despite having an 8.9% target share. Since Week 12, he has led the backfield with two red zone rushing attempts (Carter, one). This isn't a great matchup for Knight this week. Since Week 9, the Rams have allowed the 11th-lowest explosive run rate, the fifth-lowest rushing success rate, the ninth-fewest yards before contact per attempt, and the 13th-fewest rushing yards per game. He'll need a touchdown to pay off for fantasy this week.

It's looking unlikely that we will see Trey Benson again this season. He's out this week, and so is Emari Demercado. The Cardinals will lean on the tandem of Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter again this week. Carter is the passing-down back. Since Week 12, he has averaged nine touches and 61 total yards with a 53.5% snap rate, only ten of 31 running back carries, a 42.3% route share, and an 8.9% target share. Carter will likely lead the backfield in snaps again this week as the Cardinals will likely be trailing for most of this game. The Rams have allowed the 12th-highest yards per reception and the 14th-most receiving touchdowns per game (tied) to running backs. Carter is a viable flex this week in PPR formats.