Kyle

Pitts

Pitts’ seven grabs were his most in five weeks while his 82 yards were a new season high. Not bad if he got the PPR call as a low-end TE1 in your fantasy league, but this is probably his absolute ceiling in this extremely limited passing attack. Pitts has never had a nose for the end zone, and with Kirk Cousins not exactly the most dynamic of red zone quarterbacks, we would not expect that to change for Week 14 against the Seahawks.

Pitts had a quiet day despite leading the Falcons in targets. He caught just two of his five looks, with Charlie Woerner also mixing in at the tight end position. Pitts led all pass-catchers with 53 snaps on the day, so there is still good news for his usage. He is a high-end TE2 in a good matchup against the Jets for Week 13.

Drake London missed Week 9 and Pitts popped for 59 yards on nine grabs. London has been active for the past two weeks. Pitts, in turn, has four catches for 52 yards in his previous two outings. He is not on the fantasy radar when London is healthy, but that may not be the case in Week 12. London left today’s game with a knee injury and was ruled out. Pitts would sit on the TE1/2 border if London isn’t able to play against the Saints next week.

Pitts committed a ghastly drop that would have been a long gain, if not a touchdown. Later in the game, Michael Penix had him open for a deep shot into the end zone and underthrew him for an incompletion. He could have posted a strong fantasy performance had either play turned out differently. Instead, fantasy managers were left holding the bag on his worst game in a month. With Drake London hogging targets and the passing game as a whole struggling, Pitts will return to the TE2 ranks for Week 11 versus the Panthers.

Pitts was the third-most targeted receiver for the Falcons, seeing much of Michael Penix’s targets in the intermediate area and generating yards after the catch. He has 54 targets this game and is on track for a career-high 114-target season, an encouraging trend for fantasy managers this season. Pitts has just one touchdown this season but his usage makes him a fringe fantasy TE1 for Week 10 against the Colts.

Pitts posted team-highs in targets (nine), receptions (nine) and receiving yards (59) against the Dolphins last week. His continued limitations are likely linked to the big workload, but he is perhaps on the fringes of questionable at this time. Fantasy managers should expect him to play in Week 9 against the Patriots, but his Friday practice participation level is worth checking up on.

Penix was expected to take the “majority” of first-team practice reps this week. It is unclear if that is indeed the case, but hopefully, he can practice in full tomorrow and this is a non-issue. Penix sat out in Week 8 after picking up a bone bruise in Week 7. If active against the Patriots this week, the Falcons’ quarterback can be treated as a high-end QB2.

Pitts racked up a team-high nine catches with Drake London out last week. His limited status today is likely maintenance after a heavy workload on Sunday. Barring a setback, we assume he will be good to go versus the Patriots this week. If London remains out, Pitts will sit comfortably in the TE1 ranks. London’s returns, however, would put him on the TE1/2 border.

Pitts led the Falcons in all receiving categories with Drake London sidelined this week, though that says more about the state of Atlanta’s passing game than it does about Pitts. Still, a 29 percent target share for a tight end is an elite mark. Pitts operated as an intermediate target for Kirk Cousins in his first start of the year and Cousins had no issues locking on to his tight end. Pitts will sit on the TE1/2 border if London is back next week. If London remains out, Pitts sit comfortably inside the top 12 fantasy tight ends.

Pitts was clearly a large part of the offensive game plan against the Fred Warner-less 49ers, seeing consistent targets as quarterback Michael Penix continually dealt with aggressive pressure from Robert Saleh’s defense. He was unable to generate meaningful yardage as his longest reception went for only 19 yards, but fantasy managers can take solace in the fact that he tied for the team lead with 10 targets. The early returns from Pitts unfortunately mimic his previous two seasons and not his breakout rookie year, making him a shaky TE2 ahead of a solid on-paper matchup against the Dolphins in Week 8.