Kyle Pitts: Can He Repeat as a Top-5 TE?

The Footballguys staff discusses whether Kyle Pitts' breakout last year is repeatable with a new coaching staff.

Jason Wood's Kyle Pitts: Can He Repeat as a Top-5 TE? Jason Wood Published 04/22/2026

© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Kyle Pitts

We are proud to be among the first, if not the first, to publish full projections for the upcoming season, going live just days after the Super Bowl. Publishing detailed projections in early February comes with trade-offs, not the least of which is a near-total lack of clarity on how free agency, cap transactions, and the NFL draft will reshape rosters.

We've been updating our projections in near real time, including during the recent onslaught of free-agent transactions. This version will remain largely stable until we can layer in the April NFL draft, but stable projections don't mean settled debates.

We have a staff of sharp analysts with sharp takes of their own, so I thought it would be worthwhile to solicit their views on the key coin-toss situations that will shape each team's outlook in the coming months. These are important questions where reasonable, informed people can credibly land in very different places. I asked my colleagues to weigh in with one assumption: they were answering strictly through the lens of a standard 0.5-PPR redraft league.

Atlanta Falcons Coin-Toss Questions


Kyle Pitts Sr. finally delivered for fantasy managers, finishing as the TE5 on a per-game basis. Do you expect him to deliver Top-5 value again in 2026?

Jeff Haseley: Expecting Kyle Pitts Sr. to produce seems like an uphill battle, but he showed some consistency last season. Plus, I have always appreciated Tagovailoa's ability to find the tight end over the middle of the field. In this new system in Atlanta, he's a centerpiece. I rank him in the TE5–6 range, but would prefer to take him after six or seven tight ends are off the board.

Andy Hicks: We've seen how Kevin Stefanski has utilized tight ends like David Njoku and, more recently, Harold Fannin Jr. in 2025. Kyle Pitts Sr. should see meaningful involvement in a similar role. The criticism of Pitts' fantasy output from 2022 to 2024 feels overstated — he averaged 50 receptions and surpassed 600 yards in both 2023 and 2024, hardly a failure, even if it fell short of expectations. Interestingly, his touchdown total has increased by exactly one each season, a quirk that could become relevant. If he reaches six touchdowns in 2026, that would be a strong indicator of a top-five finish. That said, with a new coaching staff in place, projecting a top-five outcome may be aggressive. A top-eight finish remains a more realistic benchmark and would still represent a successful season.

Maurile Tremblay: I'd lean yes, though more as a low-end Top-5 bet than a lock. Stefanski is a tight end enthusiast, Pitts is still the only real pass-catching tight end on the roster, and he's a focal point of the passing game. The only real concern is the quarterback uncertainty, which could make him a little volatile week to week.

Jason Wood's Verdict

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