Kyle Pitts is a Blue Chip at a Discount

Photo: USA Today Sports

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Playing fantasy baseball enhances appreciation of positional eligibility and value created by opportunity. A catcher who regularly plays at a position that saves daily wear and tear while still providing offensive production will see a value spike within the platform. Most settings require a minimum number of appearances to unlock additional eligibility. Eligibility allows puzzle pieces to fall in place and create flexibility, but sometimes cheat codes happen.

Positional eligibility takes a back burner in fantasy football. Most positions are well defined, players rarely fundamentally switch places, and multi-position eligibility is rare and usually platform-specific. But occasionally, cheat codes happen, and the rarity makes them legend.

• The Saints' Taysom Hill having tight end eligibility while playing quarterback
• C.J. Spiller became a wide receiver who picked up a critical late-season start as a lead back
• The Steelers Jaylen Samuels gaining 162 yards as a running back while holding tight end eligibility on some hosting sites
• Rookie receiver Marques Colston carrying tight end eligibility on his way to a 70-1,038-8 breakout

Kyle Pitts is another positional eligibility cheat code.

He's being used differently than most elite tight ends. However, Pitts is not without risks. The Falcons quarterback situation is questionable and Pitts somehow only caught one touchdown as a rookie. Can he overcome those concerns, and what do historic trendlines resemble for his rookie production level?

Wide Receiver Usage

TABLE: Top Tight Ends, 2021

Pitts dominated the top ten receivers in targets based on yards per reception, yards before the catch, and the average depth of his targets.

While these numbers are stark compared to tight ends, posting them against wide receivers presents a different landscape.

TABLE: Wide Receivers with 110+ Targets in 2021 (compared with Kyle Pitts)