The 2022 fantasy football season is truly underway as drafts fire off across the nation, meaning now is the time to dive into Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts’ ADP to determine whether or not fantasy managers are receiving a value on draft day. After a sensational season which backed up expectations, where should Pitts come off the board in upcoming fantasy football drafts?
Kyle Pitts ADP | Is he worth his current price in fantasy drafts?
As we draw closer to the prime draft season for fantasy football, Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts currently has an ADP of 32, coming off the board as the TE3. For comparison, Mark Andrews (TE2) is being drafted with an ADP of 23, with Travis Kelce (TE1) owning an ADP of 14. In PFN’s 2022 fantasy football redraft rankings, Pitts is currently the TE3 with an ADP of 36.
Do you remember last year when people said Pitts’ value would never be higher? Well, maybe it’s time to rethink that statement as Pitts’ value continues to soar. Normally, I am a “wait on TE” drafter, but in recent years the upside of an elite TE is hard to overlook as players such as Andrews, Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller have proven to be difference-makers.
More and more often, I find myself snagging Pitts in Round 3 to cap off an RB/RB start or WR/RB opening to a draft. He’s a unicorn, not a tight end, and brings the upside of a No. 1 targeted wide receiver at a position where volume can be difficult to find. Sure, it is a tall price to pay, but when you can start a draft with Justin Jefferson, Saquon Barkley, and Pitts, I’ll pay that price 10 out of 10 times. Given the depth at WR in Rounds 4 and 5, Pitts is turning closer and closer to an auto pick.
Kyle Pitts’ projected fantasy value in 2022
As a rookie, Pitts posted 1,062 yards and a touchdown on 68 of 110 receiving. Some want to paint the narrative Pitts was a disappointment as a rookie. I could not disagree more. To put his first season into perspective, Pitts was one of just two rookies to clear 800 yards receiving since the 2000 season. The other was Jeremy Shockey (894 yards) in 2002.
Pitts also ranked third in receiving yards and eighth in receptions among all tight ends. It didn’t stop there, as Pitts was elite as a rookie, ranking fourth in targets per snap and yards per route run (minimum 50 targets). He was the TE5 last season, which could be his floor for the next decade.
He is likely going to fight rookie Drake London as the potential target leader for the Falcons. I am a massive fan of London, ranking him as my WR1 and even grading him the same way when reviewing the same film. The Falcons have their own twin skyscrapers for Marcus Martiota, and they will be needed as the Falcons do not project to be an overly competitive team in 2022.
Pitts can play all over the field and should never have his hand in the dirt, a perfect scenario for fantasy points. There is a legitimate argument for Andrews over Kelce. They are separated by less than a point in projections. But there might even be an argument for Pitts as the TE2 over Kelce as well, given Kelce’s decreasing snap rate and Pitts’ increasing usage. While I am not going to draft them this way, odds are I pass on Kelce far more often than I pass on Pitts when available.
