Kyle Pitts + Kevin Stefanski: The Breakout Might Finally Be Real

I've heard the Kyle Pitts breakout argument enough times to understand why fantasy managers don't want to hear it again.

This time feels different.

Mostly because I don't think we're actually waiting for Pitts to break out anymore.

He caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season.

That's 210.8 PPR fantasy points.

He finished as a top-five tight end in fantasy points per game.

Then Atlanta hired Kevin Stefanski.

And in the Falcons' final preseason game, Pitts caught all three of his targets for 59 yards while playing with the starting offense.

Maybe the question isn't whether Pitts can finally break out.

Maybe the question is whether Stefanski can turn what happened in 2025 into the new normal.

Pitts Quietly Had a Huge 2025

The perception around Pitts still hasn't completely caught up to the production.

His 2025 line:

88 receptions

928 receiving yards

5 touchdowns

Those were career highs in receptions and touchdowns, and it was easily his best statistical season since his 1,026-yard rookie year.

The most important number for me is 118 targets.

For years, Pitts' fantasy argument was based on theoretical opportunity.

Last year, the opportunity actually arrived.

He earned targets.

He caught passes.

He produced.

That gives Stefanski something completely different to work with than a player we're still hoping figures out the NFL.

Now Add Kevin Stefanski

This is where the coach-history angle gets interesting.

Stefanski's Cleveland offenses consistently gave tight ends opportunities.

David Njoku produced an 81-catch, 882-yard, six-touchdown season in 2023.

Then Harold Fannin Jr. caught 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie in 2025.

This wasn't one player randomly earning volume.

The position repeatedly had a meaningful place in Stefanski's passing offense.

And now he inherits Kyle Pitts.

Atlanta Is Already Showing Us Something

The preseason finale was encouraging because of how Pitts got his production.

He wasn't simply catching three checkdowns.

Pitts caught three passes for 59 yards.

His biggest play went for 37 yards after Atlanta got him the ball quickly and allowed him to create after the catch.

That's important.

Pitts has always been an unusual athlete for the position.

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, getting him the football in space creates problems.

Stefanski doesn't necessarily need to turn Pitts into a traditional vertical tight end on every snap.

He can manufacture easier opportunities.

Crossers.

Screens.

Quick throws.

Play action.

Then let Pitts' athleticism do the rest.

Drake London Still Matters

There is one reason I'm not moving Pitts into the very top tier of tight ends.

Drake London is still the alpha receiver.

Pitts doesn't need to become Atlanta's No. 1 target.

But he does need enough volume behind London to consistently produce.

That's where Stefanski's history makes me more comfortable.

A coach who regularly involves the tight end gives Pitts a better chance of maintaining useful volume even when London is dominating targets.

My Fantasy Read

I'm buying Kyle Pitts in 2026.

Not because I'm chasing the same hypothetical breakout we've talked about for years.

I'm buying because the breakout may have already started.

Pitts caught 88 passes last season.

He earned 118 targets.

He finished as a top-five fantasy tight end on a per-game basis.

Now Kevin Stefanski arrives after years of consistently building meaningful roles for tight ends.

Then Pitts immediately goes 3-for-59 with the starters in the preseason finale.

There are still risks.

Drake London will command targets.

Atlanta's quarterback situation isn't completely settled.

But at his current price, I'm willing to bet on the combination of talent, proven 2025 production and coaching history.

For once, we don't have to imagine what a productive Kyle Pitts season looks like.

We just watched one.

Now I'm betting Stefanski can give us another.