Kyle Pitts Has One Catch: Atlanta Must Fix His Role Tonight
Kyle Pitts enters Thursday night at Green Bay with one catch for 15 yards through two games. That is not a typo, and it is not what Atlanta paid for when it gave him a three year extension this offseason. The bigger problem is volume: Pitts has only four targets, the same total as Austin Hooper, while the Falcons have opened 0 and 2 and remain the only NFL offense without a red zone appearance. NFL.com confirmed the usage numbers Thursday morning. With Michael Penix Jr. taking over at quarterback tonight, Atlanta has a clean opportunity to change the structure of the passing game rather than simply hope a big play appears.
The answer
Atlanta does not need to force Pitts the ball regardless of coverage. It does need to make him a real part of the progression again. The first objective should be creating easy middle field completions for Penix, then using Pitts on seams, crossers, option routes and play action concepts that can punish linebackers and safeties. The difference between one target per game and a featured role is not one spectacular catch. It is whether the offense consistently gives the quarterback a reason to find him.
Confirmed facts: Pitts has almost disappeared from the passing game
The official NFL player page lists Pitts as an active Atlanta tight end wearing number 8. In 2025 he caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games. Through two games in 2026, he has one reception for 15 yards and no touchdowns. NFL.com career statistics verify both the 2025 baseline and the current 2026 production.
Thursday's NFL.com feature adds the target context: Pitts and Hooper have four targets apiece, tied for 34th among NFL tight ends. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees summarized the issue directly: “We have to get it going. That's my job.” Head coach Kevin Stefanski also said the lack of production does not reflect what Atlanta planned for Pitts. Those comments matter because they distinguish a deliberate future adjustment from fan speculation.
NFL.com also reports that Atlanta signed Pitts to a three year, $54 million extension this offseason. A contract does not guarantee targets, but it makes the current usage harder to dismiss as a normal weekly fluctuation. The Falcons committed long term resources to a player who produced 928 receiving yards last season, then opened the new season by throwing to him only four times in two games.
Statistical interpretation: the usage gap is extreme
Pitts averaged 5.2 receptions and 54.6 receiving yards per game in 2025. Through two games this season, those rates have fallen to 0.5 receptions and 7.5 yards. The sample is small, so it would be reckless to project those numbers across a full season. The useful signal is the target share problem. Four total targets leave almost no path to reliable fantasy production and remove a proven intermediate option from an offense that has struggled to sustain drives.
Penix changes the decision tree tonight
The Falcons officially named Michael Penix Jr. the starter for Thursday night after the 0 and 2 start. Atlanta's announcement notes that the Falcons are the only offense in the league without a red zone appearance through two games. Penix was a full participant in the Week 3 practice estimate and is returning to the starting job after last season's ACL surgery.
Football Nation already broke down why Atlanta is making the quarterback change in Michael Penix Jr. Named Falcons Starter: Why Atlanta Is Making the Change Now. For Pitts, the quarterback switch matters because a new starter can reset the order of reads. Penix does not have to recreate last year's offense. He does need defined answers that help him avoid long down and distance situations, and Pitts should be one of those answers.
Football Nation analysis: the easiest correction is not a deep shot. It is getting Pitts involved before Atlanta falls behind the chains. A short completion on first down, a play action leak, or a third down option route can force Green Bay to account for him. Once that happens, deeper seams and crossers become more credible because the defense has seen Pitts used as more than a decoy.
What Green Bay changes
Green Bay enters 1 and 1 after rallying from a 10 point fourth quarter deficit to beat the Jets 20 to 17 in overtime. Football Nation's Packers Week 2 recap showed a defense that made the decisive late stops even while the team played through penalties and injuries. That is a useful warning for Atlanta: early inefficiency can turn into a game in which the Packers pass rush and crowd noise dictate obvious passing downs.
Green Bay's official Week 3 report rules out defensive tackle Warren Brinson and lists defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Anthony Campbell as questionable. The Packers injury report does not make this an automatically favorable matchup for Pitts, but interior availability can affect how Atlanta protects Penix and how often it can release tight ends into routes instead of keeping extra help near the line.
For the full game context, Football Nation's Falcons vs. Packers Prediction: Penix Starts, Terrell Out covers the quarterback change, injuries and matchup structure. This Pitts story is narrower: if Atlanta wants the offense to look materially different, tight end involvement is one of the clearest places to measure that change.
Fantasy football impact
Pitts is a hold, not a blind start. Managers should not drop a player who caught 88 passes last season after only two games, especially when the offense is changing quarterbacks. At the same time, four targets in two weeks cannot be ignored. If your alternative is a tight end with a stable six to eight target role, Pitts belongs on the bench until Atlanta proves the volume has changed.
The upside case is obvious. Penix can create a fresh target distribution, and the Falcons have publicly acknowledged that Pitts needs more involvement. The downside case is equally clear: a coaching quote does not score fantasy points. Managers need actual routes that lead to targets, especially on third down and inside scoring territory if Atlanta finally reaches the red zone.
For the preseason value baseline, compare the current role with Football Nation's Kyle Pitts Fantasy Outlook 2026. The talent case has not disappeared. The opportunity case now needs to be rebuilt.
What to watch on the first 15 plays
First, count targets rather than snaps. Pitts can be on the field for most of the game and still be irrelevant if routes are designed to clear space for someone else. Second, watch his route depth. Short and intermediate work would give Penix easier completions and create yards after the catch opportunities instead of relying on low percentage vertical throws. Third, watch third down. A trusted tight end usually reveals his value when the quarterback needs a defined answer against pressure or zone coverage. Finally, if Atlanta reaches the red zone, Pitts should become a real size matchup instead of a spectator.
Football Nation analysis
Two games are too small a sample to declare Pitts finished, but they are enough to identify a structural problem. Atlanta had an 88 catch tight end in 2025 and has turned him into a four target player while the offense has failed to reach the red zone. Tonight is not about chasing a box score. It is about proving the new Penix version of the offense has a coherent answer in the middle of the field. If Pitts again finishes with only two or three targets, the lack of production stops looking random and starts looking like a deliberate usage choice.
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