For the first time in his NFL career, Pitts enters the season with little hype, which might help his Fantasy outlook. He's only worth drafting with a late-round pick at this point, but there's still upside if he hits. Unfortunately, since his standout rookie campaign in 2021 when he had over 1,000 receiving yards, he's been more of a miss. Pitts has averaged 8.1 PPR points per game or less in three seasons in a row, and he's been frustrating for Fantasy managers. In 2024, he started out the season playing well with 29 catches for 419 yards and three touchdowns in the first eight weeks of the season, and he scored at least 10 PPR points in five games over that span. But over the final nine games, Pitts had 18 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown and scored double digits in PPR just once. Hopefully, he can develop a solid rapport with Michael Penix Jr. early in the season, and then Pitts can perform like a starting Fantasy tight end. There's reason for optimism given his talent, but this year, Pitts should be a late-round flier instead of an early-round investment.
Head coach Raheem Morris said Monday the team is being "extremely cautious" with Pitts (foot) and that the tight end won't be seen at OTAs but has "been in every single meeting" and "been in every single thing that we've done other than the field," Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Morris declined to specify the nature of Pitts' current injury, but reports amid his absence from OTAs last week linked the 2021 first-round pick to a foot issue, per Kyle Crabbs of AtoZ Sports. Around the same time, multiple NFL sources floated rumors naming Pitts as a possible trade candidate, per Matt Urben of USA Today. Pitts is currently heading into the final season of his rookie deal due to Atlanta's decision to pick up his $10.88 million fifth-year option, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he's expecting the tight end "to take a big jump in Year 2 of the system" in 2025. He scored a career-high four touchdowns in 2024 but had just 47 catches for 602 yards, a step down from his 53 grabs for 667 yards in 2023 and a far cry from his 1,026-yard rookie campaign.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Nursing foot injury
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Pitts (foot) is present for OTAs on Wednesday but is not participating in on-field activities due to an injury, Kyle Crabbs of AtoZ Sports reports.
Pitts' absence from the start of OTAs on Tuesday, as well as Wednesday's session, was speculated to be contract-related, but the 24-year-old tight end is simply dealing with a foot issue preventing him from taking part in on-field drills. The Falcons exercised the $10.88 million fifth-year option on Pitts' rookie contract last April, so he enters the 2025 season staring down a contract year. The Florida product has largely disappointed since racking up 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie in 2021, having battled injuries in 2022 then tallying receiving lines of just 53-667-3 in 2023 and 47-602-4 in 2024, though he has now suited up for all 17 games in back-to-back seasons. In three games with Michael Penix under center last year Pitts combined for just seven catches for 66 yards and one touchdown, so it seems crucial that he returns to full health sooner than later so that he can begin establishing a rapport with the second-year quarterback.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Minimal production in loss
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Pitts caught two of three targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 44-38 loss to the Panthers.
Pitts finished the 2024 campaign with a quiet day against Carolina. The 24-year-old tight end was mostly a disappointment for fantasy managers this season, totaling just 47 catches on 74 targets for 602 yards and four touchdowns. Pitts will remain under contract with Atlanta in 2025, as the Falcons exercised the $10.88 million team option on his rookie contract last April. The Florida product will look to turn things around in a contract year next season, and he'll likely be catching passes from Michael Penix at quarterback with Kirk Cousins expected to be cut in the offseason.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Rare strong showing Sunday
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Pitts caught four of five targets for 44 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 30-24 overtime loss to Washington.
Pitts turned in a rare strong fantasy line in Sunday's overtime loss. The underwhelming 2021 first-round pick upped his season marks to 49 receptions, 631 receiving yards and five touchdowns as Week 17 nears a close. Pitts has been a barometer for inconsistency in his four years in the league, making for a risky play as the Falcons prepare to host the Panthers next Sunday.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: One catch in win
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Pitts caught one of two targets for seven yards in Sunday's 34-7 win over the Giants.
Pitts continued his underwhelming 2024 campaign, with his seven-yard catch representing his lowest yardage total of the season aside from goose eggs in Weeks 4 and 13. The other target Pitts received on the day ended in disaster, as he was unable to corral a Michael Penix inside the Giants' five-yard line and ended up tipping the ball into the hands of cornerback Cor'Dale Flott for an interception. Over his last five contests, Pitts has produced a woeful 7-58-0 receiving line on 17 targets.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Sit
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Pitts dropped what could have been the first NFL touchdown for Michael Penix Jr. in Week 16 against the Giants, and it ended up as an interception at the goal line. He finished the game with one catch for 7 yards, and you can't start Pitts with any confidence in Week 17 at Washington. He's now gone five games in a row with 6.8 PPR points or less, and he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8. Maybe Penix can bring out the best in Pitts, but until we see it, he should remain on the bench in most Fantasy leagues.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Team-high catch tally Monday
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Pitts secured all four targets for 28 yards in the Falcons' 15-9 win over the Raiders on Monday night.
The struggling tight end saw a welcome uptick in involvement, even as that came accompanied with a modest receiving yardage total. Pitts' catch and target totals were both team-high figures, and both the reception and yardage tallies also were his best since Week 10. Pitts will look to carry over the momentum into a Week 16 home matchup against the Giants.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Minimal production on six targets
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Pitts caught one of six targets for 14 yards during Sunday's 42-21 loss to the Vikings.
Pitts was a respectable play during the first half of the season, posting 34 receptions (on 49 targets) for 485 yards and three touchdowns across his first 10 appearances. However, over the past four games, Pitts has two receptions (on 11 targets) for 23 yards. During that stretch, QB Kirk Cousins had some solid yardage totals, but he threw eight INTs and zero TDs. Despite that horrid stretch, the Falcons aren't planning on making a change at QB, even though rookie Michael Penix has looked good in limited action.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Sit
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Pitts is struggling coming into Week 14 at Minnesota, and he's not worth trusting in the majority of leagues. He has scored 9.5 PPR points or less in four games in a row and has five targets in his past two outings with one catch for 9 yards. The Vikings have not allowed a tight end to score a touchdown since Week 4, and Pitts only has two games with a touchdown this season, including none since Week 8. Pitts is only worth starting in the deepest of leagues.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Does nothing with two targets
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Pitts didn't record a catch on two targets during Sunday's 17-13 loss to the Chargers.
Pitts was held without a catch for the second time this season, and over the last four games, he has totaled six receptions on 12 targets for 75 yards. From Weeks 5 to 8, the tight end caught 21 of 27 targets for 314 yards and two touchdowns. However, that stretch is starting to look like an outlier compared to the rest of his season -- 14 catches on 27 targets for 180 yards and a TD across his other eight appearances. It's worth noting Kirk Cousins had his worst game of the season against the Chargers, throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns, so a bounce-back effort from the veteran QB could mean better production from Pitts moving forward.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Sit
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Pitts comes into Week 13 having scored 9.5 PPR points or less in three games in a row, including two games over that span with 2.1 PPR points or less. He has one game with a touchdown since Week 1, and this is a tough matchup for him in Week 13 against the Chargers. Mark Andrews in Week 12 is the lone tight end to score a touchdown against the Chargers this season, and Pitts should be considered a low-end starter at best in the majority of leagues.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: One catch in Week 11 loss
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Pitts caught one of three targets for nine yards in Sunday's 38-6 loss to the Broncos.
Pitts' season has been full of peaks and valleys, and he hit a low point in this lopsided loss. The 2021 fourth overall pick has been held to one catch in two of his last three games, a stretch that began right after Pitts set a season high with 91 receiving yards in Week 8 while scoring his first two touchdowns since Week 1. Pitts will look to get back on track in Week 13 against the Chargers following Atlanta's Week 12 bye.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Four grabs in Sunday's loss
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Pitts caught four of six targets for 55 yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints.
The fourth-year tight end bounced back from a Week 9 game in which he saw only one target, although Pitts' production Sunday was still nothing special. Over the last six games, he's delivered a 26-380-2 line on 34 targets, and he'll try to find another gear in Week 11 on the road against the Broncos.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Avoids injury designation
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Pitts (hamstring) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Saints.
WR Drake London, on the other hand, is listed as questionable with a hip injury. Both London and Pitts were limited practice participants Wednesday and Thursday, but the tight end upgraded to full participation Friday while his teammate remained limited. Although fellow tight end Charlie Woerner has eaten into Pitts' playing time recently, Pitts had four straight weeks with at least five targets and 70 receiving yards prior to falling flat last Sunday against the Cowboys (one catch for 11 yards on one target). Any limitations for London would improve Pitts' chances to see more first-read targets and get back on track for fantasy managers.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Stays limited Thursday
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Pitts (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis Thursday, Daniel Flick of SI.com reports.
One day removed from being estimated as a limited participant due to a hamstring issue, Pitts officially had a cap on his reps Thursday as the Falcons got back on the practice field. He thus has only more chance to prove his health this week before the Falcons potentially tag him with a designation ahead of Sunday's game at New Orleans. WR Drake London (hip pointer) also is banged-up, so the statuses of the team's top two pass catchers is up in the air for Week 10 action.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Tending to hamstring issue
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Pitts was estimated as limited participant on Wednesday's practice report due to a hamstring injury, Daniel Flick of SI.com reports.
Both Pitts and wideout Drake London (hip) received the same listing, leaving the statuses of two of the team's top pass catchers up in the air for Week 10. Pitts will have two more opportunities this week in which to log a full practice or otherwise risk heading into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest in New Orleans.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: One catch in win
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Pitts secured his lone target for 11 yards in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Cowboys.
Pitts was an afterthought in Week 9, as his one target in the contest represented his lowest total of the season. Top wideout Drake London (hip) exited the game and could be in danger of missing a Week 10 matchup with the Saints, in which case Pitts could be a beneficiary. Through nine games, the 24-year-old Pitts has totaled 50 receptions for 552 yards and six touchdowns, putting him on pace to have his most productive season in his four-year career.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Start
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Pitts is hot right now, having scored at least 10 PPR points in four games in a row, including the past two outings with at least 13.5 PPR points. It's fun to see him finally living up to the hype, and hopefully he stays hot against Dallas. The Cowboys have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends in their past three games, and four guys have scored at least 10.3 PPR points over that span. I like Pitts as a top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: Two touchdown grabs in win
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Pitts secured four of five targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the Falcons' 31-26 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Pitts finished just a catch and yard short of team leader Darnell Mooney, and the talented tight end continued to generate the type of production befitting his vast skill set. Pitts struck from 36 and 49 yards out in the first and second quarters, respectively, with Antoine Winfield stripping the ball from a a relaxed Pitts just after the latter had broken the plane of the goal line. The 2021 first-round pick's yardage tally was a new season high, and he's now been at 65 yards or more in four consecutive contests heading into a Week 9 home battle against the Cowboys.
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Falcons' Kyle Pitts: TEs to Start
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Let's hope what Pitts did in Week 5 against Tampa Bay is a sign of things to come. He had seven catches for 88 yards on eight targets, and he scored a season-high 15.8 PPR points. It's actually the second time in five games that he's scored at least 11.6 PPR points, and I'm hopeful this is the start of his breakout campaign. The Panthers have allowed two touchdowns to tight ends this season and are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to the position, so hopefully Kirk Cousins gives Pitts enough chances to succeed in this plus matchup.
