McBride
TE · ARI vs NYG
Proj pts
21.1pts
market
Schultz
TE · HOU vs DAL
Proj pts
14.1pts
market
Dalton Schultz or Trey McBride: who should I start in Week 4?
Start Trey McBride. Bench Dalton Schultz. Trey McBride leads at 21.1. Dalton Schultz is the first one out, 7.0 short.
Crowd: started McBride 99% · Schultz 56%
Highlights
Pros
- Clear start7.0 pts clear
- Alpha TE usage28% target share
- Target volume9.9 targets/g
Cons
- Tough matchupTough · D+ vs TE
Pros
- Spike upside19.1 ceiling
Cons
- Below your start line7.0 pts short
Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).
Week 4 · Updated Tue 6:00 AM ET
Why Trey McBride
Start Trey McBride — projects 21.1, a tough matchup vs NYG.
Trey McBride projects 21.1 points on a 15.6–24.2 range. The matchup grades as tough against NYG. Usage: targets / game at 9.9. Net: Trey McBride is start this week.
Working for McBride: Clear start (7.0 pts clear), Alpha TE usage (28% target share), Target volume (9.9 targets/g).
Working against McBride: Tough matchup (Tough · D+ vs TE).
Where McBride leads the head-to-head: Projection (21.1 vs 14.1); Floor (15.6 vs 5.8); Ceiling (24.2 vs 19.1); Target share (28% vs 19%); Last 3 avg (19.7 vs 13.2); Last 5 avg (19.2 vs 11.1); vs season (+0.2 vs +0.0); Consistency (56% vs 48%); Bust rate (12% vs 24%); Targets / game (9.9 vs 6.2); Snap share (91% vs 71%); Red zone targets (34 vs 14); Touchdown dependence (21% vs 10%).
Why Dalton Schultz
Sit Dalton Schultz — projects 14.1, an even matchup vs DAL, with a rising role.
Dalton Schultz projects 14.1 points on a 5.8–19.1 range. The matchup grades as neutral against DAL. Usage: targets / game at 6.2. Net: Dalton Schultz is a bench this week.
Working for Schultz: Spike upside (19.1 ceiling).
Working against Schultz: Below your start line (7.0 pts short).
Where Schultz leads the head-to-head: Matchup grade (recency weighted) (C- vs D+); Implied team total (25.5 vs 23.0); Boom rate (18% vs 12%); Grade vs TE (recency weighted) (C- vs D+); Implied total (25.5 vs 23.0).
Recent form
Trey McBride's last 5 games: PPR points 23.6, 13.5, 24.5, 18.1, 16.5 (oldest to newest).
Dalton Schultz's last 5 games: PPR points 4.9, 11.3, 7.5, 26, 6 (oldest to newest).
McBride has already beaten Schultz's 14.1 projection in 4 of his 5; Schultz has beaten McBride's 21.1 in 1 of his 5.
At least 1 of these 5 were played before the 2026 season — the card does not date them.
Matchup
Trey McBride (ARI) faces NYG, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 23.0, spread -1.5.
Dalton Schultz (HOU) faces DAL, kickoff Sun 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated neutral. Betting line: implied team total 25.5, spread -2.5.
What flips it
McBride's edge is 7 points (21.1 to 14.1). Schultz's ceiling (19.1) stays under McBride's projection and McBride's floor (15.6) stays over Schultz's, so neither range reaches the other's projection. Confidence in the call: high.
How to read these numbers
- Confidence in the call
- How clear-cut this start/sit call is — how decisively the player beats the alternative he competes with (for a starter, the best player on your bench; for a bench player, the last one in your lineup), on both projected points and the overlap of their likely ranges. A clear play reads high; a genuine toss-up reads lower. It rates the decision, not the player’s own volatility, and is not a measured accuracy rate.
- Floor
- The 20th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Ceiling
- The 90th percentile of the same simulated distribution.
- Matchup grade
- The opponent’s points allowed to this position per game, weighted toward recent games, then graded on a curve across the 32 defenses.
- Implied team total
- The points the betting market expects this team to score, derived from the game total and the spread. Market-derived, not modelled by Nuvela.
- Trend
- The direction of his scoring across the trailing window, classified as heating, steady or cooling.
- Consistency
- The share of his games that landed within a set band of his own per-game average.
- Boom rate
- The share of his games that finished inside the top 12 scorers at his position for that week.
- Bust rate
- The share of his games that came in under half of what he was projected for that week.
- Defense funnel
- Whether the opponent’s rush defense and pass defense are far enough apart to push offenses one way. A gap inside the band reads Neutral.
- Game script projection
- The expected state of the game for his team — favoured, level or trailing — taken from the closing spread.
More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.