KylePitts

News: 4 days agoFalcons tight end coach Justin Peele said Monday that Pitts (knee) is "on schedule" in his recovery, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Spin: Pitts is recovering from right knee surgery undergone late November to address a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Suffering the injury Week 11 cut Pitts' sophomore campaign short, as he logged just 10 appearances, but there haven't been any hints of concern out of Atlanta about him potentially missing time during offseason workouts. In any case, Pitts should be back to full health well before the start of the 2023 season, barring any setbacks. The athletic tight end posted 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie, and depending on the Falcons' quarterback situation next season, Pitts once again may be a popular option in the early rounds of fantasy drafts.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Pitts is entering his second NFL season after an impressive rookie campaignin which he finished no lower than sixth among tight ends in routes, targets, yards and fantasy points as a 20-year-old. Pitts was utilized as a vertical threat, ranking first among TEs in average depth of target (10.8) and third in yards per target (9.3). Pitts' season would've had more fanfare if not for extremely little opportunity and luck near the goal line. He was limited to five end zone targets, but his one TD was still well below his expected total (5.1). The Atlanta offense is in rough shape, but Pitts has the look of a superstar and he'll be force-fed targets. Add in some inevitable TD regression to the mean and Pitts is a top-end TE1 with an elite ceiling.