Darren Waller vs Trey McBride: Who Should You Start?
If you are choosing between Darren Waller and Trey McBride for your lineup, you are not alone. Darren Waller finished the 2025 season at 9.6 PPG for the Miami Dolphins (8 games), and Trey McBride averaged 14.9 for the Arizona Cardinals (17 games).
That 5.3-point weekly advantage for Trey McBride is meaningful but not automatic. Fantasy football is a week-to-week sport, and the answer to "who should I start" often changes based on opponent, recent form, and game environment. Season averages set the baseline; weekly context makes the call.
Trey McBride is the volume tight end in this matchup with 126 receptions for 1239 yards, while Darren Waller profiles as a more touchdown-dependent spike play (6 scores on 24 catches). In weeks where Darren Waller finds the end zone he out-scores Trey McBride, but the floor gap is real.
Darren Waller has his bye in Week 12, and Trey McBride rests in Week 8. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at tight end for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
