Anyone with Falcons TE Kyle Pitts on their fantasy teams knows just how disappointing a 2nd season he's been having. QB Marcus Mariota says he carries some of the blame. "Well, first and foremost, I can do a better job of giving Kyle more opportunities with the ball," Mariota said Wednesday, according to NFL.com. "I think sometimes I've been a little too safe, a little too conservative where I'm putting the football, so giving him a chance to go get it. I think that'll help some of his target numbers." That acknowledgement could portend some extra opportunities for Pitts on Thursday night against a Panthers defense that Football Outsiders rates 28th in pass-defense DVOA. Mariota delivered 9.0 yards per pass attempt and a 71.4% completion rate in the Week 8 meeting with Carolina. See where Pitts sits in our Week 10 fantasy football rankings.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts led the team in Week 3 with nine targets -- the second most of his career. He caught five of them but totaled just 41 yards. QB Desmond Ridder looked Pitts' way downfield a few times, but the duo was unable to connect. Another frustrating outing for the talented TE. Pitts has at least seen 14 targets over the last two weeks, which is enough to support him as a low-end TE1. But he needs to get better QB play -- and better play calling -- if he's going to come close to reaching his fantasy ceiling.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts led Atlanta with 44 receiving yards in the opener. He saw only 3 targets — a subpar 16.6% team share. He also had one catch wiped out by a penalty. Desmond Ridder attempted only 18 passes here, as Atlanta leaned into a strong run game. That’s the risk for fantasy owners in the weeks ahead, adding volatility to Pitts’ outlook. Still, given the state of TE, the Falcon will remain a fantasy starter for the foreseeable future. Pitts faces Green Bay in Week 2.

The Falcons have “slowly added” to TE Kyle Pitts’ workload in training camp, per The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. Pitts underwent surgery for an MCL tear back in November. The 22-year-old has avoided setbacks this summer, but we’ll be curious to monitor his preseason snaps. If healthy, a top-3 ceiling remains on the table for this third-year pro. See where he sits inside the fantasy TE rankings.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith said Saturday that he's "very pleased" with TE Kyle Pitts' progression from offseason knee surgery. "Every day he's doing more," Smith added. Pitts is practicing with a brace on that repaired knee and doesn't look quite 100% to us. But he still has six weeks before the start of the regular season. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was on the field for Wednesday's training-camp practice -- with a brace on his surgically repaired right knee. Pitts seemingly isn't back to 100% yet, although the fact that he's on the field at all in late July means he should be ready to roll come Week 1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on his status.