Kyle Pitts Not Likely to Challenge for Overall TE1 Numbers in 2026

Kyle Pitts finally produced the fantasy season fans have been waiting for in 2025. But while he’s a player that fantasy managers will want in their lineups in 2026, there is still enough doubt that he’s ready to become the face of the tight end position and a genuine fantasy superstar.

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Breakout Season in 2025

From a pure counting stats point of view, Pitts was quite superb in season five. He saw a career-high 118 targets, leading the Falcons. His 88 receptions were also a new career-best, as were his five touchdowns. Curiously, Pitts has played five seasons in the NFL, and his touchdown totals have been 1,2,3,4 and 5. Pitts racked up 928 receiving yards, his best output since his rookie campaign. He finished second among all tight ends in targets, receptions, and yards. All told, Pitts finished the season as the TE2 overall in Half-PPR formats, and the TE6 in fantasy points per game.

Pitts was able to do some damage with the ball in his hands, with 399 of his yards coming after the catch. That was good for fifth-best among all tight ends. But he did some significant damage as a downfield threat. Pitts saw eight targets of at least 20 air yards in 2025, and these brought him six grabs for 180 yards and two of his touchdowns. He finished with a credible 1.72 yards per route run, good for ninth among 39 tight ends with at least 30 targets last season.

The 2026 season sees the Falcons offense under new management, with Kevin Stefanski taking over as head coach. Stefanski comes in with a reputation for featuring the tight end in his passing game. During his time as the head coach of the Browns (2020-25), the Browns ranked second in total tight end targets (929), third in receptions (618), and sixth in receiving yards with 6,027.

This all sounds rosy for Pitts ahead of the new season. But before you go penciling him in as the overall TE1 in 2026, there are a few factors to consider that should give you pause for thought.

Reasons to be Doubtful

Pitts enjoyed a massive bump in his workload last season whenever Drake London was out of the lineup. When the wide receiver played, Pitts commanded 6.2 targets per game, converting these looks into 4.4 receptions and 42.2 receiving yards for 7.4 Half-PPR points per game. When London missed time, Pitts' workload jumped to 8.8 targets, seven receptions, and 84.4 yards. This output saw him produce 15.5 fantasy points per outing, which would have been good for TE1 last season.

The tight end also enjoyed more opportunities when Kirk Cousins was in the saddle than Michael Penix Jr. In nine starts, Penix targeted Pitts 53 times. In his eight games as the starter, Cousins looked the way of his tight end 70 times. In his defense, Pitts was equally efficient regardless of who was passing him the ball. Penix averaged 7.11 Adjusted Yards per Attempt when targeting Pitts; Cousins averaged 7.37. Cousins is now in Las Vegas, and Penix is likely competing for playing time with another southpaw quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa.

Pitts was also extremely volatile as a fantasy producer. He managed an incredible 40.1 Half-PPR points in Week 15, with 11 grabs, 166 yards, and three touchdowns against the Bucs. But in eight other games, he managed less than six points. In his 16 fantasy-relevant matches last season (Weeks 1-17), Pitts put up top 12 numbers seven times. He was a TE2 four times, and outside the top 24 on five occasions. That kind of inconsistency might be too much to handle for many fantasy managers.

While Stefanski brings a scheme that suggests a friendliness towards tight ends, he also has a reputation for looking to establish the run. In his six seasons with the Browns, their neutral pass rate of 54% was 22nd in the entire league. The overall rate of 57% was only good for 20th. The Falcons are blessed with a special running back in Bijan Robinson, who is, of course, no slouch himself as a pass catcher. London is also set to play a featured role in the passing game. This all has a knock-on effect for Pitts, and makes his odds of becoming the focal point of the Falcons offense pretty long.

Fantasy Outlook

Pitts seems fairly treated at present, at least by fantasy drafters. He is going as the TE8 over at Underdog, which is pretty much in line with our ranking of him. Pitts is the TE8 in our Half-PPR rankings. While he will likely have days when he can tip matchups in his manager's favour, the threat of him posting a dud is also ever present. He’ll be a TE1 this season; I strongly believe. But as a threat to finish as the best tight end in fantasy football? He needs an awful lot of things to go his way.

The Bottom Line

• Kyle Pitts enjoyed a season for the ages in year five and looked like he was finally fulfilling his promise.
• Pitts benefited from an increased workload in the absence of another stud in his offense.
• Pitts' volatility and competition for touches in the Falcons offense make him something of a risky pick at his present ADP, at least if you are expecting a potential overall TE1 season.