Pitts struggled to establish consistency with Marcus Mariota last season before missing the majority of his second year with an injury. A run-first offense that adds Bijan Robinson to the mix doesn't figure to be a boost to Pitts' potential post-hype sleeper case. The bigger issue could be a pass game that struggles to get Pitts the ball when he's open leading to inconsistent weekly production. At the tight end position, if you're not consistently scoring enough to provide a weekly advantage, it's hard to justify ADP. Pitts had just three top-12 weekly finishes in 10 games last season. You can buy him at a two-round discount in Rounds 6-7 this year, but don't be certain all discounts are also good values.
Pitts continues to struggle and is not worth starting in most Fantasy leagues in Week 13 at the Jets. In his past two games, Pitts has five catches for 52 yards and no touchdown on just seven targets. He hasn't scored a touchdown in five games in a row, and he's been held to under 50 receiving yards in five of his past six outings. We're headed toward another lost season for Pitts, and Fantasy managers are on the verge of dropping him in the majority of leagues.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Limited to two catches in win
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Pitts hauled in both targets for 22 yards in the Falcons' 24-15 win over the Saints on Sunday.
The talented tight end was once again a virtual afterthought in the air attack, dispelling any hopes that he might have a more expanded role coming out of the team's Week 11 bye. Pitts has topped four receptions just twice all season and last accomplished the feat in Week 5, while the 56 yards he mustered against the Vikings in Week 9 serves as his high-water mark in that category since that contest as well.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Sit
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Pitts has one touchdown this season and two games with more than 9.6 PPR points. With Desmond Ridder back under center for the Falcons, it's hard to trust Pitts as a starter in most leagues. In three career games against New Orleans, Pitts has combined for seven catches for 89 yards and no touchdowns. Jonnu Smith is also a risky starter against the Saints, and this should be another frustrating week for Pitts this season.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Contrarian DFS Play
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There is a real chance that Arthur Smith is coaching for his job down the stretch and there is a real chance this game against New Orleans plays a large role in determining his fate. Knowing that, I expect Smith to make full use of his best players. Pitts is still one of the best athletes playing the position.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Three grabs against Cards
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Pitts caught three of five targets for 30 yards in Sunday's 25-23 loss to the Cardinals.
The five targets actually led the Falcons on the day as Taylor Heinicke (hamstring) and Desmond Ridder combined for a woeful 21 pass attempts and 94 yards. Pitts has caught at least three passes in five straight games, but while his fantasy floor seems to have stabilized, his ceiling remains all but absent -- the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has just one TD during that stretch, the only one he's scored all year, and his best showing in those five games is a mere 56 yards. Pitts and the Falcons will get a bye next week, but he might be able to make an impact in Week 12 against a Saints defense that's suddenly looked vulnerable to tight ends, getting lit up by T.J. Hockenson and Cole Kmet in consecutive weeks.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Sleeper TEs
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I'm going to give Pitts another chance (again) as a low-end starter in all leagues with this matchup against the Cardinals in Week 10. I'm hopeful he'll see more than five targets, which is all he's gotten in each of the past three weeks, and he still managed four catches for 56 yards and 9.6 PPR points in Week 9 against Minnesota. Typically, that puts you on the cusp of a No. 1 Fantasy tight end in PPR, but we expect more from Pitts. I'm hopeful that the Taylor Heinicke-Pitts connection starts to come through this week, and I'm sticking with Pitts as a No. 1 Fantasy option in all leagues. As for Jonnu Smith, he's also a borderline starter for Week 10. Arizona has allowed a tight end to score in each of the past two games.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: No injury designation
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Pitts missed Friday's practice for personal reasons but doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Pitts is temporarily away from the team for the birth of his son. It won't impact his availability for Sunday, and if he scores his second TD of the season it's a safe bet the celebration will include some reference to the newborn baby.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I'm going to give Pitts another chance (again) as a low-end starter in all leagues with this matchup against the Cardinals in Week 10. I'm hopeful he'll see more than five targets, which is all he's gotten in each of the past three weeks, and he still managed four catches for 56 yards and 9.6 PPR points in Week 9 against Minnesota. Typically, that puts you on the cusp of a No. 1 Fantasy tight end in PPR, but we expect more from Pitts. I'm hopeful that the Taylor Heinicke-Pitts connection starts to come through this week, and I'm sticking with Pitts as a No. 1 Fantasy option in all leagues. As for Jonnu Smith, he's also a borderline starter for Week 10. Arizona has allowed a tight end to score in each of the past two games.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Racks up 56 receiving yards
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Pitts recorded four receptions on five targets for 56 yards in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Vikings.
Pitts' modest stat line was still good enough for his second-best yardage total of the season, while also marking only the second time he's topped 50 receiving yards for the campaign. His most notable gain came on a 27-yard play early in the fourth quarter on a catch deep down the left sideline. The other potential positive was that this was Taylor Heinicke's first full game, perhaps a sign that improved production could be on the way for Pitts.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Another three-catch performance
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Pitts caught three of five targets for 35 yards during Sunday's 28-23 loss to the Titans.
For a second, Pitts appeared to be turning a corner, totaling 11 receptions (on 17 targets) for 130 yards and a score across Weeks 5 and 6. Since then, he's accumulated just six catches (on 10 targets) for 82 yards. On Sunday, Pitts once again saw fewer offensive snaps (41) than Jonnu Smith (48), and as long as the two are splitting the tight-end workload, it'll be tough for Pitts to be a must-start option in fantasy on a weekly basis.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Start
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Pitts was disappointing in Week 7 at Tampa Bay with three catches for 47 yards on four targets, but I expect him to rebound against the Titans. Tennessee just traded standout safety Kevin Byard to Philadelphia, and Pitts was great prior to facing the Buccaneers, who are among the best teams at stopping tight ends. In two games prior to Week 7, Pitts scored at least 14.3 PPR points in each outing against Houston and Washington, and I expect him to get back on track in Week 8. The Titans have yet to allow a tight end to score a touchdown this season, but I'm expecting this secondary to struggle with Byard gone.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Makes three catches in Week 7
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Pitts reeled in three of four targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 16-13 win at Tampa Bay.
For a third consecutive contest, Pitts logged fewer than 60 percent of the snaps (52, to be precise) after earning at least that many in the first four games of the season. His target count also tied his second fewest in a game through seven weeks, resulting in his sixth performance with less than 50 yards to date. Fellow tight end Jonnu Smith notched one more snap than Pitts (35-34) on Sunday en route to three catches (on three targets) for 27 yards. As long as Pitts continues to split the workload at the position, he'll be tough to warrant weekly lineup consideration in a number of formats.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Start
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Pitts is rolling right now, and you should start him in all leagues while he's hot. He's scored at least 14.3 PPR points in each of his past two games against Houston and Washington with 11 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets, and hopefully Desmond Ridder continues to feature Pitts with 8.5 targets per game. Tampa Bay has done well against tight ends so far this season, but I'm ignoring that while Pitts is getting this much attention from Ridder. He's a must-start Fantasy tight end for Week 7. Jonnu Smith is also worth using in deeper leagues since he's scored at least 10.7 PPR points in three games in a row.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Catches first touchdown of 2023
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Pitts caught four of six targets for 43 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Commanders.
Pitts caught a first-down pass and a touchdown on the Falcons' opening drive, but he was quiet after that. It was still another encouraging performance for the uber-talented tight end, who's now tallied 11 receptions for 130 yards and a score over the last two games after totaling just 11 receptions for 121 yards and no touchdowns across his first four appearances of the season. While he's trending in the right direction, Pitts' production hasn't been prolific yet this season, and there are still major concerns with his fantasy profile. However, if you used a middle-round pick on Pitts, you'll likely have to roll the dice on a weekly basis, hoping the 2021 first-round pick can finally reach his potential on a consistent basis.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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If last week had been Week 1 then I would have been encouraged by Pitts' performance and would probably keep expectations high. But we've seen four really measly weeks from Pitts before Week 5, so forgive me for not rushing back to him as a must-start tight end. The truth is that the matchup is a little tougher for him and for Ridder, plus teams have beaten the Commanders on deep shots to wide receivers, not lumbering tight ends, so I'm not convinced Pitts will maintain his target share or develop more explosive plays. He's still worth trotting out there over Logan Thomas, Dallas Goedert and Cole Kmet, but keep expectations around 70 yards on six catches.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Best game of season in win
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Pitts brought in seven of 11 targets for 87 yards in the Falcons' 21-19 win over the Texans on Sunday.
Pitts was finally deployed in a manner befitting his talent, leading to team-high figures in receptions, receiving yards and targets. The third-year tight end's stat sheet was his best across the board this season as well, but his week-to-week production is likely to continue to fluctuate in head coach Arthur Smith's run-centric offense.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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If Coach Smith is right, then holding on to Pitts in Fantasy makes sense. But it's hard to see the good in his game so far this season beyond him finding holes in zone coverage. Jonnu even has more red-zone targets than Pitts (by one, three to two). The matchup could create some receiving opportunities, so maybe he catches five passes for 50 yards, but that's not anything to be excited about. I'd rather start Jake Ferguson, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Sit
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Jonnu Smith has been the more productive tight end for the Falcons this season. Smith has scored at least 8.7 PPR points in three games in a row, while Pitts' best game is 8.7 PPR points in Week 3. He's scored 4.1 PPR points or less in two of his past three games, and it's harder to make excuses for Pitts that he's worth starting in all leagues. The Texans have allowed two tight ends to score at least 10.6 PPR points this year (Kylen Granson and Evan Engram), but until Pitts starts producing at a high level, he should be left on your bench.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Another lackluster outing
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Pitts caught two of four targets for 21 yards during Sunday's 23-7 loss to Jacksonville.
Over the past three weeks, Pitts has caught seven passes (on 18 targets) for 77 yards, while Jonnu Smith has secured 15 receptions (on 20 targets) for 179 yards. Opposing defenses are certainly keying on Pitts more than Smith, but this trend is still worrisome. Head coach Arthur Smith didn't shoot down the idea that Pitts still isn't 100 percent after his season-ending knee injury last year. "To Kyle's credit, he's never made an excuse out of anything," Smith told Josh Kendall of The Athletic on Monday. For now, fantasy managers probably want to look elsewhere for help at tight end, but Pitts still should be rostered in most leagues with the hope that he breaks out eventually.
The combination of Pitts' lack of explosiveness and his not-ideal circumstances make him tough to reliably start. Tack on a matchup that might be more favorable for the Falcons run game, which Arthur Smith got away from using last week, and Pitts could leave us hanging again. At this point, Evan Engram and Sam LaPorta are easy tight ends to start ahead of Pitts. Hunter Henry and Luke Musgrave could be better, too.
