Kyle Pitts Fantasy Outlook

What can the Atlanta Falcons and fantasy football owners expect from the prized rookie?

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Pitts is coming to the NFL as the highest drafted tight end in history. Several analysts have called him the best tight end prospect of all-time.

So what can the Atlanta Falcons and fantasy football owners expect from Pitts in his first season?

Sports Illustrated's Shawn Childs answers that very question.

Fantasy owners bought into Pitts’s game in the early draft season. He has an ADP of 57 in the 12-team high-stakes market in late June as the fourth tight end drafted. By default, Pitts should be the second option in the passing games while gaining scoring chances in the red zone. He does have an injury history, and tight ends don’t typically hit the ground running in the NFL. For now, my conservative view looks to be four catches for 50 yards per game with six to eight scores or 68/850/7 over 17 games.

Childs admits that his numbers are conservative. In 2019 with Julio Jones and an emerging Calvin Ridley as targets, tight end Austin Hooper made the Pro-Bowl with 75 catches for 787 yards and six touchdowns in just 13 games.

It was Hooper's fourth year in the league vs. Pitts' first year, but Jones won't be there to hoover up 99 catches on 157 targets like he did in 2019. It's not unreasonable to think that Pitts could match Hooper's production across a 17 game season, especially given the focus of the tight end in Arthur Smith's offense.

If Pitts can match Hooper's 2019 production for 17 games, his end of year numbers would be 98 catches for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns.

Lofty for sure, but not out of reach for the 6'6 and 246 pound Pitts.