Zach Ertz Injury Fantasy Football Impact | Should You Add Trey McBride? | Which Other Cardinals Will Benefit?

The Arizona Cardinals suffered another injury to one of their key offensive pieces last week. Tight end Zach Ertz suffered a quad strain and was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

Ertz isn’t the big-name fantasy player he once was, but he’s been a big part of the team’s offense this season.

Let’s take a look at what Ertz has done this season, take a look at backup tight end Trey McBride and what he’s done before determining if he should be a waiver priority this week. We’ll also look at a few other pass catchers who might see an increased role without Ertz around.

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Ertz’s Fantasy Impact

Ertz has the second-most targets (43) among the Arizona pass catchers this season, only trailing No. 1 wideout Marquise Brown’s 60.

Ertz has caught 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He’s been a big-time target for quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the red zone, making two grabs on six targets.

Ertz had four or more targets in six of the team’s seven games. He made at least two catches in each contest. Ertz has only topped 50 receiving yards twice, finishing under 25 yards in the other five games. 

McBride’s Numbers So Far

McBride has 170 receiving yards to his name this season, although he’s needed far fewer catches and targets to get there.

McBride has caught 15 passes on 21 targets. He’s caught his only red zone target. McBride has played 203 offensive snaps, while Ertz was at 295.

McBride’s numbers had already been trending up before the Ertz injury, with at least three targets over the past three games. He had five targets in week 6 before a season-high six targets this past weekend.

The second-year tight end went for a season-high 62 yards in week 6. He’s topped 25 yards in two other contests, but also had two games where he had five or less receiving yards.

Fantasy Outlook Without Ertz

While there isn’t a ton of yardage per week that will need to be made up in Ertz’s absence, there’s a handful of targets and catches to be redistributed. 

Arizona uses their tight ends quite a bit, so McBride should see a nice uptick in snaps. He’s already got a decent connection going with Dobbs, so a few more targets and catches a game should mean a handful of extra yards and fantasy points should be coming. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see McBride get some more red zone looks now, so his chances of a score will also be better.

As for any other tight ends that might play more, Geoff Swaim seems like the most logical choice. He’s played 160 offensive snaps this season. He might be asked to do a bit more in the passing game, but he’s only got three grabs on four targets, going for 30 receiving yards, so I wouldn’t expect too much.

Without Ertz, I expect the Arizona receiver trio of Brown, Rondale Moore and Michael Wilson to be more involved. 

Brown already leads the team in just about every receiving statistic, and without Ertz, his floor each week should be even higher and safer. He’s a must-start player every week.

Moore has caught 17 of his 28 targets for 113 yards so far. Those numbers aren’t all that impressive, but he also helps out in the running game without James Conner in the mix. Moore has attempted 15 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown.

Wilson has had up-and-down showings to start his rookie season. He’s got four games with over 50 receiving yards, but three games with less than 30 yards. Wilson has 21 grabs on 27 targets for 343 yards and two scores overall.

Moore is owned in 33% of leagues, while Wilson is owned in 22%. McBride is owned in only 3%.

I’d expect all three of those guys to see those own percentages increase before week 8 kicks off, with McBride probably seeing the biggest increase.

Who Should You Add?

I like all three of Moore, Wilson and McBride as potential waiver wire additions this week.

I think Wilson is the top fantasy option, simply because he’s already proven he can put up some numbers. It’s all about consistency now, and the Ertz injury might afford him that opportunity.

McBride is who I’d target next, although I’d flip him over Wilson if you had Ertz and needed to fill the position. McBride was a second-round pick of the Cardinals last year, and this injury might allow him to start to really make a difference on a weekly basis.

Moore isn’t exactly a great receiver, but he adds some value as a ball carrier, so he’s a solid waiver wire choice as well. 

While all three Arizona players are decent waiver wire options this week in standard leagues, they all are much more valuable in deeper leagues. If you are in a dynasty league and one of these guys is available, they should be pretty close to the top of your waiver wire priority list.

Who Can You Start in Week 8?

Arizona will battle the red-hot Baltimore Ravens in week 8. It’s a tough matchup for both Cardinals’ receivers and tight ends.

With that in mind, the only Arizona wide receiver or tight end that should be a lock for starting lineups is Brown.

Every other player can be part of your starting conversation, but there is probably another player on your roster with an easier matchup. In terms of who I’d trust the most, I’d go with Wilson first, then McBride and finally Moore. 

These guys will probably be part of start/sit stories we write later in the week, so keep checking back for those.