Kyle Pitts has not lived up to his full potential since being taken as the highest-ever drafted tight end with the 4th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Pitts has a new coaching system, the best quarterback he has ever played with, and less tight end competition for the 2024 season, making the fantasy community excited about Pitts once again.
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: Kyle Pitts
2023 in Review
Since his big rookie season, Pitts has had two disappointing seasons the last two years. He struggled with injuries in 2022 but played in every game last season. He finished with 53 receptions, 667 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. Pitts was only averaging about three receptions per game. Someone with as much talent as Pitts needs to get more catches than that. He was third among qualified tight ends in yards per catch with 12.6, even though that was the lowest total of his three-year career. He finished as the TE13 in PPR rankings last season. In three seasons, Pitts has six total touchdowns. Six in three seasons. Positive touchdown regression is due to happen.
2024 Projection
There is a new offense in Atlanta as Arthur Smith was fired. Raheem Morris is the new head coach, and the new offensive coordinator is Zac Robinson, who comes from the Los Angeles Rams. Coaches coming from Sean McVay’s system have proven very successful in roles with other teams, and Robinson is the next guy. Zac Robinson will ensure that his playmakers, Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson, get the ball often, just like he did with Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Kyren Williams last season.
Pitts has been playing with poor quarterbacks like Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, and Marcus Mariota for the last two seasons. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a 4-year, $180 million contract in the offseason, giving Pitts the best QB he has ever had in his career.
Part of the issue last year was that Jonnu Smith was taking away too many targets. Pitts had 90 targets; Smith had 70. Smith is now on the Dolphins, opening up many vacated tight end targets, most of which will go to Pitts. The backup tight end for the Falcons is now Charlie Woerner, who is not a threat to compete with Pitts.
Behind London, the Falcons don’t have much depth at wide receivers with Darnell Mooney and Ray–Ray McCloud III the next two on the depth chart. The Falcons offense has three superstars in Robinson, London, and Pitts, and those three need to get the ball much more than last year.
KYLE PITTS SZN IS HERE ‼️ pic.twitter.com/BZyrOqRMdu
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) August 5, 2024
Kyle Pitts Fantasy Football ADP
According to FantasyPros ADP, Pitts is currently going as the TE7 in drafts. The TE5 and TE6 are Kincaid and Engram, respectively, while the next three tight ends after Pitts are Kittle, Ferguson, and Njoku. This is a great range to pick a tight end, as all six of these guys can have big seasons this year, but we have seen ceilings from Kittle, Engram, and Njoku. Those players have already had their career years. Pitts still has the best of his career in front of him, giving him more upside than the guys around him.
It has been rough two seasons for fantasy owners taking Pitts in their fantasy drafts, but things are finally shaping up for him in 2024 to have a career year with the upside to finish as a top-3 fantasy tight end.
Main Image: Dale Zanine – USA Today Sports
