Who Should I Start? Jaylen Warren or Trey McBride

Tuesday, December 23, 2:39 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren suffered an as-yet-unspecified injury in the team's Week 16 win over the Lions, and head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Tuesday that he will be limited to begin the week. Tomlin did note that he is optimistic about Warren's availability for Pittsburgh's Week 17 matchup with the Browns. Warren is coming off a career-high 143 rushing yards and an RB4 finish in Half-PPR formats, but fantasy managers will need to monitor the team's Wednesday injury report for additional information. Assuming a return to health, Warren should be viewed as a high-upside RB2/Flex against a Cleveland defense that he collected 63 total yards against in a Week 6 victory.

Saturday, December 20, 4:02 PM

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride remains a top fantasy option despite a difficult matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16. On paper, it may appear that the odds are stacked against McBride. Not only is he facing a Falcons defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends in 2025, but he could also face additional competition if Marvin Harrison Jr. (heel, questionable) returns from his two-game absence. However, McBride has consistently established himself as matchup-proof this year, so he should feast despite facing Atlanta. Furthermore, he could still lead the team in targets and catches, even if Harrison does return to the mix. In total this year, the 26-year-old has 105 catches, 1,071 yards, and a career-high 10 touchdowns. He is on track to finish this year as the overall TE1 in PPR leagues after finishing 2024 as the TE2. McBride has especially benefited from the presence of quarterback Jacoby Brissett. In full-PPR leagues, he averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game with Kyler Murray (foot) as the starter, and a whopping 23.3 fantasy points per game with Brissett as the starter. We should expect more otherworldly, video-game numbers from McBride this week. He's the undisputed TE1 in this week's fantasy rankings and should be a must-start as the fantasy playoffs continue.