Kyle Pitts Fantasy Foolball Impact Upon Signing 3-Year Extension With Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts has had an interesting career. He entered the NFL as arguably the most-hyped TE prospect ever, and the Falcons selected him with the No. 4 overall pick. He was drafted over a verifiable who’s who of Pro Bowlers, including Ja'Marr Chase (No. 5), Penei Sewell (No. 7), Patrick Surtain (No. 10) and Micah Parsons (No. 12).

With that in mind, what Pitts has done to this point has felt a bit disappointing. However, Pitts is coming off a career year in 2025, finishing with 88 receptions, 928 yards and a career-best 5 touchdowns. It was enough for the Falcons to reward him with a new contract on Tuesday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal is for three years and $54M, with $36M fully guaranteed. It’s the largest three-year contract for a TE in NFL history, and it makes him the third-highest-paid TE on an annual basis.

Now that he’s secured the bag, can we expect another step forward in 2026? Let’s dive in.

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Fantasy Outlook for Kyle Pitts After Extension With Falcons

Like Drake London, Pitts’ outlook is going to be determined by who plays quarterback for Atlanta during the regular season. Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa are currently battling for the starting job, with Tagovailoa considered the slight favorite. Penix is recovering from his third career ACL tear, and he has been underwhelming when he has been on the field.

Pitts really took off last season once Penix suffered his season-ending injury. Through the first 11 weeks of the season, Pitts posted a solid 21% target share. He managed only 9.6 PPR points per game. That ranked merely 17th at the position in terms of fantasy points per game.

From Week 12 on, Pitts looked like a different player. His target share jumped up to 27%, and he was being used a bit more downfield. It resulted in 16.3 PPR points per game, which trailed only Trey McBride at the position.

Of course, those games came with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, and he is now in Las Vegas. Whether or not Pitts can display the same chemistry with Tagovailoa or a returning Penix remains to be seen.

In terms of physical traits, there is nothing that Pitts can’t do. He is a true size-speed freak, combining a sub-4.50 40 time with a 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame. Perhaps last year will serve as a turning point for Pitts, who still has the potential to be one of the best tight ends in the game.

Should You Draft Kyle Pitts in Fantasy?

Pitts enters this year’s fantasy draft cycle with significantly more buzz. He’s coming off the board as TE8 on Underdog, checking in with an ADP of 107.4. That aligns closely with our expert rankers. They have him as the consensus TE8 and the last tight end in the second tier. Ian Hartitz has him as high as No. 6 at the position, putting him ahead of Tucker Kraft and Sam LaPorta.

Still, I don’t seem to find myself clicking his name very often in drafts. Between the QB uncertainty and the Falcons’ run-heavy scheme—they were 29th in Dropbacks Over Expectation last season—it’s easy to envision a scenario where he fails to meet last year’s numbers.

Unfortunately, the new contract is another reason to be skeptical of Pitts. He has been accused of failing to give maximum effort at times throughout his career, and now that his next payday is secure, perhaps we’ll see some of his old warts return to the surface. My preferred strategy has been to be one of the first players in my leagues to select a tight end or one of the last, so I’m only really taking him when he falls past ADP.

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