Kyle Pitts has one catch for 15 yards through two games. One. It’s the (0-2) Falcons vs. Packers (1-1); their passing offense has been a disaster, and Michael Penix Jr. returns Thursday night against the Packers. If there were ever a time for Atlanta to remember it has a 6-foot-6 tight end, this would be it.
This matchup has four fantasy questions I cannot stop thinking about: Does Pitts finally get fed? Can Jordan Love carry Green Bay’s offense? Can the Packers get Christian Watson the ball without setting him up to get hammered? And is this the week Atlanta takes a little off Bijan Robinson’s plate?
I’m calling my shot: Pitts gets involved tonight.
That is a prediction, not a report from inside the Falcons’ building. But look at what Atlanta has put on the field. Pitts went without a catch in Week 1 and caught one pass in Week 2. Cooper Rush’s first two starts produced 229 passing yards and four interceptions. The offense needed a change, and now Penix gets his first start since last season’s knee injury.
Penix won’t fix every problem in one night at Lambeau. The Falcons can, however, give him some throws to a target who should be difficult to miss. Get Pitts moving across the formation. Put him in space. Give him a chance to make a play before asking Penix to stand in the pocket and solve third-and-long.
Fantasy managers have heard the Pitts breakout speech enough times to know better than to treat it as a guarantee. I get it. Still, one catch in two games is ridiculous for a player with his talent when the team desperately needs someone besides Bijan to create offense.
If Pitts is on your roster and you’ve been staring at him all week, I’m starting him. The floor has been ugly. The opportunity for a course correction is real.
Green Bay won in overtime against the Jets last week, but its offense managed 199 total net yards. Love threw for 145 yards. That is a win you take, then spend the short week figuring out how to avoid doing it again.
The Packers are without Jayden Reed for Thursday’s game, and starting guard Aaron Banks has been ruled out. Josh Jacobs remains on the commissioner’s exempt list, leaving Green Bay with a different backfield. This is where Love has to be Superman: keep drives alive, create when protection breaks down, and turn the chances his receivers get into points.
The fantasy upside is there. Atlanta will be without A.J. Terrell, which gives Love a secondary he should attack. But “good matchup” does not mean Green Bay can sleepwalk into 30 points. The Packers need their quarterback to make this offense go.
Christian Watson has been Green Bay’s big-play answer: 10 catches, 188 yards, and three touchdowns through two games. He can change a fantasy matchup on one snap, and he belongs in lineups tonight.
But I need Love to stop putting the ball where Watson has to make the catch and immediately brace for a defender to hammer him.
Watson’s job is to attack space with that speed. Too often, it feels like the throw asks him to slow down, reach back, or expose his body with a defender closing. Yes, he can make those catches. That does not mean Green Bay should keep asking him to take those hits.
With Reed out, Watson matters even more to this offense. Give him chances to run through the catch and turn upfield. If Love hits him in stride against an Atlanta secondary missing Terrell, Watson could wreck fantasy matchups tonight. I just want the big play without having to hold my breath when the defender arrives.
Bijan has 37 carries and 11 catches in two games. That is 48 touches before a Thursday road game, including 29 in the opener. He is Atlanta’s best offensive player, and I am not suggesting you get cute and bench him. That would be insane.
I am wondering whether the Falcons give him a slightly more manageable workload while Penix returns and the rest of the offense tries to get going. Brian Robinson is available after appearing on this week’s injury report. Pitts needs touches. Drake London needs chances. Atlanta cannot build an entire game plan around handing Bijan the ball and hoping he rescues everyone.
A lighter night might mean fewer carries between the tackles. It does not have to mean fewer valuable fantasy plays. Give Bijan space to work as a receiver, keep him involved when the Falcons reach scoring range, and let somebody else take a few of the routine hits.
That is the tension in this game. The Falcons need their best player to help Penix settle in. They also need to prove they can function when Bijan is not doing absolutely everything.
Start Bijan and Watson with confidence, start Love for the upside against Atlanta’s depleted secondary, and take the shot on Pitts if you need a tight end. I think Pitts finally gets the involvement fantasy managers have been begging for. If he finishes Thursday with one catch again, Atlanta has a much bigger problem than our lineups.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
