Fantasy Football TE Rankings: Trey McBride Will Finish As TE1 Over Brock Bowers

It's going to be a battle, but in the end, Trey McBride will get the edge over Brock Bowers as the number one tight end for the 2025 season.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) hits the turf after scoring against Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard III (31) during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 3, 2024. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last season, tight ends Trey McBride and Brock Bowers were literally neck and neck in volume and yardage. It really came down to touchdowns, and that's where Bowers had a strong edge. Things are quite different this year, however. The Cardinals have been beefing up their offense (and defense) and have a legitimate chance at the playoffs. The Raiders brought in a new head coach, Pete Carroll, and a new quarterback, Geno Smith, both from Seattle.

Those all sound like positive moves, but are they? Pete Carroll spent 14 years as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks before retiring and returning as head coach for the Raiders. He's going to be 74 years old when the season starts in September. Geno Smith will be 35 years old this fall and has only really seen success briefly in Seattle.

Number Of Targets Will Be Crucial

Training camp seems to be a mixed bag of reporting on how things are going. What stands out the most is the number of turnovers, sacks, and interceptions being thrown by Smith on his new team. You might be wondering why I'm spending so much time on this in an article about Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. It's because Bowers needs accurate targets in order to meet or beat what he accomplished last season, and that's looking like it might be tough to do with Smith.

Maxx Crosby just sacked Geno Smith.

Devin White just sacked Geno, too. While I was tweeting. As I pointed out yesterday Geno tends to hold on to the ball too long (sometimes). #RaiderNation

— Mike Dixon (@MikeDixon_VST) July 29, 2025

While Bowers did finish as the TE1 last season, McBride did win out in average fantasy points (15.6 vs 12.2 FPPG). He received 25.8% of the Raiders team target shares, second to McBride's 25.9%, which was the highest among all tight ends. While both players receive tons of volume, McBride is anticipated to see a positive regression in touchdowns.

Not only that, McBride has some additional motivation, capturing one of the highest valued contracts among tight ends ($76M), second to George Kittle ($76.4M). Recency bias of the excitement of Bowers rookie season, has him being chosen in fantasy drafts a half-round earlier than McBride. The problem is, with Geno Smith at the helm, we may see a slower-paced game, resulting in fewer targets for Bowers.

Fantasy Football Draft Strategy Takeaways

Prefer stability and value? McBride is your guy. He delivers volume, proven performance, and, depending on the format, could land in the second round.

Chasing ceiling and big-play upside? Bowers still belongs in elite TE discussions. If he finishes with TD volume near his rookie pace, he’ll pay off his early ADP. All of that depends on Smith. On the flip side, McBride shouldn't have any issues with volume and will likely see more red-zone targets.

Consistency? That's a tough one for Bowers, considering there's a new head coach, a new quarterback and a new starring receiver in Ashton Jeanty. taking up some of the expected targets. There aren't any significant changes to contend with the volume we expect to see from McBride this season.

Both are clearly head and shoulders above the rest, and drafting either puts you in a good spot; just be prepared to pick your preferred risk/reward trade-off.

Closing Notes

Trey McBride: High-floor TE1, massive target share, and top-tier reliability, best for managers building around consistency.

Brock Bowers: Still has a powerful upside and potential, but is more dependent on scheme and offensive pace in 2025.