Kyle Pitts Sr. Week 1 Outlook - Falcons at Steelers

By Ellis Johnson (FantasyPros), Tue, Sep 8th 2026, 8:22pm EDT

This may be the first year when the Kyle Pitts hype has not gotten out of hand. Ironically, this is the first season since his rookie season that the excitement is somewhat justified. After a solid 2025 campaign, Pitts flashed his upside in Week 15, going for 166 yards and three scores. Although that might be the best game of his career, it was good to see elite production from the young TE. Unfortunately, his production is now tied to Tua Tagovailoa. It was clear this offseason that Tua didn't necessarily "win" the job; he was given it as a participation award. Going against a stout Steelers defense in Week 1 may force Tua to get the ball out quickly. As a result, we could see Pitts get a lot of short targets to complement Drake London downfield. It's hard to have high expectations for Pitts, but if he walks out of Week 1 with eight targets and 60 yards, I'd consider that a victory.