Falcons WR Drake London (groin) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. That leaves Atlanta with WRs Van Jefferson, KhaDarel Hodge, Mack Hollins, and Scotty Miller. Seriously. TEs Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith should draw more targets with London out. RBs Bijan Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson could also play expanded roles in the passing game.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith announced Wednesday that QB Taylor Heinicke will start Sunday against the Vikings. It's not a shocking move after the team pulled QB Desmond Ridder from the Week 8 loss to the Titans. Ridder has largely struggled outside of a 329-yard passing effort in the Week 5 win over Houston. Since that game, he has tossed just 2 TD passes vs. 3 INTs across three contests, while also taking a sack on nearly 10% of dropbacks and losing 4 fumbles. Heinicke went an OK 12-of-21 (57.1%) for 175 yards (8.3 per attempt) after taking over against Tennessee. His 9.7 average target depth in that contest -- according to Pro Football Refernce -- was about 2 yards deeper than Ridder's season rate of 7.8. Pro Football Focus credits Heinicke with a career 8.8-yard average depth of target and 9.2-yard aDOT with the Commanders last season. Heinicke's career 63.7% completion rate comes in short of Ridder's (64.8%), and we've seen enough to know he won't bring consistent efficiency. But a daring downfield thrower could boost the fantasy production of Falcons WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts ... if Arthur Smith will allow the offense to exploit those skills. (And assuming London's groin injury doesn't linger, of course.) We're not significantly upgrading our outlooks for any Falcons offensive pieces on this switch. But a move away from Ridder at least allows for some optimism. We'll see whether London's able to play this week -- and then how Heinicke fares in his first Atlanta start. The Minnesota matchup looks fairly neutral for Falcons passing.
Falcons WR Drake London hauled 5 of his team-high 7 targets for 55 receiving yards in Week 8’s loss vs. the Titans. TEs Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith struggled on Sunday, however, with a combined 4 catches and 48 yards between them. It’s fair to estimate that perhaps some of these struggles can be attributed to the Falcons going from QB Desmond Ridder to backup Taylor Heinicke midway through the game. Still, this was not a particularly strong performance from Atlanta’s aerial attack. Projecting these pass-catchers for their upcoming matchup against the Vikings will be tough to do until we know who will be under center in Week 9.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was quiet for the majority of Sunday's game vs. the Bucs, catching just two balls in the first 59 minutes. But he broke loose for a 39-yard catch and run with under a minute to go to set up K Younghoe Koo's game-winning FG. Pitts was the victim of a run-heavy attack from the Falcons. QB Desmond Ridder threw it just 25 times, with four of those (16%) going to Pitts. That's the risk with any part of this Falcons passing game. The good news is that Week 8 brings a Titans defense that's much tougher against the run than the pass. That should push Atlanta to throw it more than usual. Pitts remains a lower-end TE1 going forward.
Congratulations if you started Falcons WR Drake London in your lineup. The second-year wideout exploded with 9 catches on 12 targets with a career-high 125 receiving yards in Week 6 vs. the Commanders. TE Kyle Pitts also had a strong outing, hauling 4 catches for 46 yards and a TD in the loss. Sunday marks the first time Pitts has recorded a TD since Week 8 of last season. TE Jonnu Smith again returned some solid fantasy production with a 4-36-1 receiving line. The Falcons’ offense has been frustrating for managers this season, though recent efforts from the past couple of weeks have helped to assuage some concerns. We’ll see if they can keep this up in Week 7 vs. the Buccaneers.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts had easily his best game of the season in the Week 5 win over the Texans. He led Atlanta with 11 targets, seven catches, and 87 yards. Pitts benefitted from the Falcons running 74 plays and throwing it 38 times. But his 28.9% target share was a season-high. The strong game comes just a few days after HC Arthur Smith admitted that Pitts still isn't back to 100% after last November's knee injury. He looked as healthy as he has all season in this one, though, making catches of 16, 18, and 20 yards. He won't get this type of passing volume most weeks, but Pitts is still capable of helping fantasy squads if he's past that knee issue. Next up is a Washington defense that just got smoked by the Bears.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said this week that TE Kyle Pitts is still working back to full health from the PCL injury that ended his 2022 season. "There are no perfect timetables," he told reporters. "But there are certain things ... he's doing really well right now. And there are certain things that he can't. It's been a journey back. He's going to get there." As for when Pitts might get back to full health, Smith could only say that he's "getting close." He did add that Pitts "looked as fast as he did as a rookie" on "some things outside." Does all of this mean that Pitts is approaching a big rebound? Not necessarily. But it's likely playing at least a part in why Pitts' playing time is down a bit vs. last year; and why Jonnu Smith has seen just one fewer target and caught four more passes through four games. Pitts remains stashable in most fantasy formats, though he's also not a must-hold if you need that roster spot for something more helpful. We'll keep watching for signals of some rebound for the not-yet-23-year-old.
Falcons WR Drake London found the end zone in London vs. the Jaguars. Of course, his 3 catches on 7 targets for 28 receiving yards isn’t ideal, but the amusing nature of the TD and the fact that it helps fantasy managers counts all the same. In the most frustrating turn of events possible, TE Jonnu Smith led the team in receiving with 95 yards on all 6 of his targets. Fellow TE Kyle Pitts (2 catches, 41 yards) disappeared again in Week 4. It’s getting tough to hold out hope for him at this point. It’ll be tough to trust any of these pass-catchers, though a Week 5 matchup vs. the Texans makes their collective appeal a little nicer.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts led the team in Week 3 with nine targets -- the second most of his career. He caught five of them but totaled just 41 yards. QB Desmond Ridder looked Pitts' way downfield a few times, but the duo was unable to connect. Another frustrating outing for the talented TE. Pitts has at least seen 14 targets over the last two weeks, which is enough to support him as a low-end TE1. But he needs to get better QB play -- and better play calling -- if he's going to come close to reaching his fantasy ceiling.
Falcons WR Drake London led the team in receiving in Week 2, tallying 6 catches on 7 targets for 67 yards and a TD vs. the Packers. Fantasy managers who stuck with the second-year wideout in lineups were rewarded handsomely. But those who started TE Kyle Pitts? Well, they’re not so happy. Pitts only hauled in 2 of his 5 targets for 15 receiving yards in the victory. Fellow TE Jonnu Smith saw 6 targets and turned his opportunities into 4 catches for 47 yards. It’s starting to feel like both London and Pitts being viable fantasy assets in the same week might be a pipedream. Fortunately, we’re only a pair of games into the 2023 season, but early results aren’t encouraging. Pitts will have a chance to get right in Week 3 vs. the Lions.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts led Atlanta with 44 receiving yards in the opener. He saw only 3 targets — a subpar 16.6% team share. He also had one catch wiped out by a penalty. Desmond Ridder attempted only 18 passes here, as Atlanta leaned into a strong run game. That’s the risk for fantasy owners in the weeks ahead, adding volatility to Pitts’ outlook. Still, given the state of TE, the Falcon will remain a fantasy starter for the foreseeable future. Pitts faces Green Bay in Week 2.
The Falcons have “slowly added” to TE Kyle Pitts’ workload in training camp, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. Pitts underwent surgery for an MCL tear back in November. The 22-year-old has avoided setbacks this summer, but we’ll be curious to monitor his preseason snaps. If healthy, a top-3 ceiling remains on the table for this third-year pro. See where he sits inside the fantasy TE rankings.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Saturday that he's "very pleased" with TE Kyle Pitts' progression from offseason knee surgery. "Every day he's doing more," Smith added. Pitts is practicing with a brace on that repaired knee and doesn't look quite 100% to us. But he still has six weeks before the start of the regular season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was on the field for Wednesday's training-camp practice -- with a brace on his surgically repaired right knee. Pitts seemingly isn't back to 100% yet, although the fact that he's on the field at all in late July means he should be ready to roll come Week 1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.
The Falcons begin training camp Wednesday, and it doesn't sound like TE Kyle Pitts will be taking the field right away. "He's still getting back. He's still working," WR Drake London said Tuesday, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Once he heals up, he's going to be the same Kyle Pitts we all know." We certainly hope that will be the case, but it's worrisome that Pitts isn't yet healed up from a MCL injury that knocked him out in November. Don't be surprised if Pitts slides down our fantasy football rankings a bit in the coming days. Any delay to Pitts' usefulness would likely be good news for London's target share. The WR trailed Pitts in that category before the TE went down last season.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts missed the offseason program following rehab for a November MCL tear. Tori McElhaney of the Falcons’ official site writes that Pitts’ rehab “will lead him right up to the start of training camp.” It’s been a slow process for Pitts, but we’re not sounding alarm bells. He took to Instagram Monday to say he’ll at least avoid the PUP list. Still, this will be one storyline to monitor closely over the next few weeks. He sits top-5 in our TE rankings.
Falcons WR Drake London finished his rookie season just 45th among WRs in PPR points per game. Yet he's going 22nd among WRs right now in Underdog Fantasy ADP. Why? Well, London did rank sixth among all wideouts in target share in 2022. He enjoyed a strong finish after QB Desmond Ridder took over for Marcus Mariota, averaging 9.0 targets, 6.3 receptions, and 83.3 yards over the final four games. And Atlanta increased its passing volume over that span. But the team still ranked just 24th in neutral-situation pass rate over that time. London also trailed TE Kyle Pitts in target share before Pitts went down with a knee injury. Atlanta sports a weak receiving depth chart behind those two for 2023, so there's room for both exciting young pass catchers to continue drawing large shares. But London will need more team passing volume to help him pay off at ADP. And drafting RB Bijan Robinson eighth overall would be a funny way for the Falcons to announce that they're going to pass a lot more in 2023. London sits only a little lower in our 2023 WR rankings than he does in ADP.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts ranked just 22nd among TEs in PPR points per game last season. But the underlying numbers show a lot more upside. Pitts ranked second among all TEs in target share, trailing only Mark Andrews. He ranks 14th all-time among TEs in receiving yards through two seasons, despite tying for just 28th in receptions and 137th in games played. Poor QB play and a high run rate clearly hurt last season. Pitts fared worse in catch rate, yards per catch, yards per route, and passer rating on balls thrown his way vs. 2021. Atlanta ran at the second-highest rate for the season. But the neutral pass rate climbed from 32nd in the league with Marcus Mariota behind center to 24th in Desmond Ridder's starts. The 2021 Falcons ranked 14th in neutral pass rate, in HC Arthur Smith's first season and with QB Matt Ryan. We're not betting on a return to that level, especially after the first-round selection of RB Bijan Robinson. But you should bet on the Falcons passing at least a little more in 2023. And the quality of passing should improve at least a little. Combine that with the talent Pitts has already displayed and an ADP lower than last year's, and you have a redraft bet with modest risk and plenty of upside. See where Pitts stands in our 2023 TE rankings.
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts is sidelined for OTAs this week as he continues to recover from November surgery to repair a torn MCL in his right knee. There's been no reported timetable for Pitts' return, but TEs coach Justin Peele said back in February that Pitts was "on schedule" and expected to be ready for training camp. As long as that's the case, there will be no reason to worry about the knee. A healthy Pitts certainly has bounce-back potential after a frustrating 2022. See where he sits in the 2023 fantasy football TE Rankings.
The Patriots are trading TE Jonnu Smith to the Falcons, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The move primarily looks like a salary dump for New England. Smith caught just 55 passes at 9.8 yards per reception across two seasons after signing a $50 million deal as a 2021 free agent. Atlanta might seem like an awkward fit for him as well, with TE Kyle Pitts already on hand. But the third-year Falcon is more receiver than TE. He has played just 21.8% and 25.6% of pass snaps from an inline position the past two years. Smith, meanwhile, has never run less than 52.6% from there. He was inline on 59.5% of routes last year and topped 64% in each of his first three NFL seasons. He spent those three years -- plus one more -- playing under current Falcons HC Arthur Smith. In Tennessee, Smith served as TEs coach over Smith's first two years, and then OC for the other two. Smith increased his receptions every season there but topped out with a 41-448-8 receiving line in 2020. It'll be similarly tough for Smith to find much fantasy value in Atlanta's run-heavy offense. And we're not downgrading Pitts' outlook for the short or long term on Smith's arrival. Check our dynasty rankings to see how optimistic we remain on Pitts. Smith's departure from New England, meanwhile, certainly can't hurt TE Hunter Henry's opportunities.
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