Kyle Pitts
Pitts is Atlanta's big-money tight end who, two years after signing a major extension, can't crack the target mix behind Drake London and Bijan Robinson. Even with Michael Penix Jr. back and the offense humming, his route share and target share have collapsed rather than recovered, leaving him a nearly unstartable weekly option.
Coverage opened the fortnight blaming Cooper Rush's play for Pitts' invisibility (FantasyPros Dynasty, Late-Round), with most shows expecting a bounce once Penix returned. Instead, Penix's return made things worse — Establish The Run, Fantasy Focus, and Yahoo's Matt Harmon all cite crashing snap and target rates (down to single digits) as London dominates, and The Ringer flagged a 1-catch, 5-yard line in a 35-point win as maybe his most frustrating game yet. By September 30th the field is nearly unanimous on droppable/unstartable, though FantasyPros' Erickson is a lone voice framing him as a buy-low at rock-bottom price against co-host Wormeli's disagreement.
The line: Drop or stash deep on the bench — the QB upgrade didn't fix Pitts' role, and nearly every show agrees he's unstartable now.
▼ Fantasy Football Today: Called the biggest bust of the year, completely uninvolved despite a big contract; unrostered in some leagues. listen ↗
▶ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Erickson calls him a buy on principle given rock-bottom price, while Wormeli strongly disagrees, citing drastically worse production with Michael Penix Jr. versus Kirk Cousins. listen ↗
▼ Yahoo Fantasy Football with Josh & Hayden: Snap rate down to 59% with Drake London back healthy; hosts call him droppable and one of the worst Round 6 picks this year. listen ↗
▼ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Only 63% of routes run and a 7.6% target share; hosts say he is no longer a fantasy starter with London and Penix dominating usage. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Focus Football: Nearly unusable with snap share and target share cratering (target share down from 23% to 8%); hosts say he's droppable and already being cut in some leagues, with Kenyon Sadiq preferred over him. listen ↗
▼ The Audible: Hosts give 'permission to drop' him despite Stefanski's improving offense, since he still lacks gravity in the passing game behind Drake London and Bijan Robinson. listen ↗
▼ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: Labeled 'beyond panic'/coping corner and a clear drop candidate since Drake London's target dominance leaves him without fantasy value. listen ↗
▼ The Ringer Fantasy Football Show: 1 catch, 5 yards in a 35-point Falcons outburst; ranked TE50 that week and TE60 on the season with only 3 total fantasy points; hosts call him possibly the most frustrating player ever after signing a big extension. listen ↗
▼ FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast: Both hosts called him droppable, saying Michael Penix doesn't look his way and 'all hope is gone.' listen ↗
▼ The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast: Was the only bad fantasy performer in an otherwise strong Falcons offensive game; sees worse numbers with Michael Penix under center. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Only 5 receiving yards despite the offensive explosion; host jokes he's still winning that trade for Pitts. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry: Was shut out of the passing game as Penix looked almost exclusively to Drake London; hosts say he's unstartable until he shows more involvement. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Football Today: Hosts debated dropping him after another quiet game, though noted the Falcons' offense is now legitimate and he could still develop into a bigger role. listen ↗
▼ Yahoo Fantasy Forecast with Matt Harmon: With London healthy and Penix throwing to him constantly, Pitts is not fantasy usable; ranked around TE20 and called droppable. listen ↗
▼ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Named 'ugly player of the week' due to Atlanta's poor quarterback situation, though hosts expect a rebound now that Michael Penix Jr. is back. listen ↗
▼ Establish The Run Fantasy Football: Snap share has dropped as Falcons lean on Charlie Woerner/Austin Hooper in 12 personnel and don't trust Pitts as a blocker; only 4 targets and 1 catch through two games. listen ↗
▶ Fantasy Focus Football: Numbers with Penix are better than with Rush but not enough to be a lineup lock; considered borderline top-10 TE. listen ↗
▲ Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry: Considered a top-12ish tight end play for Thursday night despite Penix's expected rust. listen ↗
▶ Fantasy Football Today: Buy-low target after Falcons OC admitted he's been underused; hosts hope shorter routes/dump-offs unlock him, but caution against giving up much since it hasn't happened yet. listen ↗
▲ The Audible: Reportedly healthier and moving better, could see more usage with Penix back and Stefanski's tight-end-friendly scheme. listen ↗
▲ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Nearly invisible through two weeks due to Cooper Rush's poor play, but expected to rebound with Michael Penix Jr. back; hosts suggest trading a late first to acquire him plus a second. listen ↗
▶ Rotoworld Football Show – Fantasy Football: Dead last in the NFL in EPA per target, but hosts still keep him TE1/2 borderline mainly due to the QB upgrade. listen ↗
▼ The Audible: Was only tight end 16 in fantasy scoring with Penix at quarterback last season, making him less favored than London. listen ↗
▼ Dynasty Nerds Podcast | Dynasty Fantasy Football: Named a faller with just one catch on the season, though hosts note it could be explained by Cooper Rush's limitations and may improve if Michael Penix returns. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Focus Football: Caught just 1-of-3 targets for 15 yards, totaling only 2.5 fantasy points through two weeks despite being drafted as a TE1. listen ↗
▼ Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast: Traded away in a controversial keeper-league deal for Tucker Kraft plus picks; posted just 3 targets, 1 catch for 15 yards and a fumble since the trade. listen ↗
▼ The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast: Considered essentially a streaming-caliber tight end this week given the Cooper Rush downgrade at quarterback. listen ↗
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