The Atlanta Falcons will face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Kyle Pitts.
Is Kyle Pitts Playing in Week 13?
Pitts is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Falcons’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Kyle Pitts in Week 13?
It’s the holiday season, and you know what that means — having to explain to the in-laws what you do.
No? That’s just me?
Every year I describe the “fantasy analyst” thing, and they ask why it requires so much time. This year, I’m going to be prepared. I’m going to print out Kyle Pitts’ weekly finishes and show them:
- Week 8: TE2
- Week 9: TE40
- Week 10: TE12
- Week 11: TE42
“My job is to get ahead of wild swings like this, and that is why it takes time.”
So where has my time gone this week? Trying to identify why those productive weeks occurred.
Both good weeks came against defenses that rank below league average in pressure rate when not blitzing, while the poor weeks came against top-12 units in that regard.
Despite the limitations in blitz success rate, both defenses that coughed up production to Pitts are top 12 in sack rate, while the dud stat lines came against a below-average defense in that respect.
Drum roll, please …
The Chargers fit the former. They aren’t a high success rate defense when it comes to blitzing, but they own a top-five sack rate. Giddy up!
Now that we know that this matchup mirrors that of past plus performances, I have something to share with my in-laws about the attention to detail that my job requires. Am I opening myself up to a boatload of questions come Christmas time when Pitts goes 2-17-0 this week?
I am, and that would mean not only the questioning of my profession but also if I’m any good at it. So, yeah, I have more riding on my top 10 ranking of Pitts this week than you do.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Kyle Pitts’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of 8 AM ET on Sunday morning, Pitts is projected to score 10.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.8 receptions for 52.8 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Chargers' Defense
The arrival of Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter from Michigan has had an instant impact on the Los Angeles Chargers' defense. Despite being led by a defensive-minded coach in Brandon Staley, the Chargers had ranked 24th or below in each of the last four years. With some minor tweaks in personnel and a new philosophy, Harbaugh and Minter have this group ranking as a top-five unit at this stage of the season.
As we suspected, they struggled against the Ravens, who took full advantage of their middling run defense and then were able to attack their secondary when the Chargers committed more men to the run. Their red-zone defense was also not up to its usual standard, and that ultimately proved the difference in a one-score game.
Week 12 was Los Angeles' second week ranked outside the top 20, so it is certainly no reason for panic. They will want to bounce back against the Falcons in Week 13, but it is a tough spot on a short week after facing a physical team on Monday, especially with an early kickoff on the other side of the country.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Kyle Pitts’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 TE PPR Rankings
1) Trey McBride | ARI (at MIN)
2) Brock Bowers | LV (at KC)
3) Travis Kelce | KC (vs. LV)
4) George Kittle | SF (at BUF)
5) David Njoku | CLE (at DEN)
6) T.J. Hockenson | MIN (vs. ARI)
7) Taysom Hill | NO (vs. LAR)
8) Evan Engram | JAX (vs. HOU)
9) Kyle Pitts | ATL (vs. LAC)
10) Dallas Goedert | PHI (at BAL)
11) Will Dissly | LAC (at ATL)
12) Jonnu Smith | MIA (at GB)
13) Hunter Henry | NE (vs. IND)
14) Cade Otton | TB (at CAR)
15) Sam LaPorta | DET (vs. CHI)
16) Tucker Kraft | GB (vs. MIA)
17) Zach Ertz | WAS (vs. TEN)
18) Mark Andrews | BAL (vs. PHI)
19) Luke Schoonmaker | DAL (vs. NYG)
20) Dawson Knox | BUF (vs. SF)
21) Mike Gesicki | CIN (vs. PIT)
22) Dalton Schultz | HOU (at JAX)
23) Pat Freiermuth | PIT (at CIN)
24) Cole Kmet | CHI (at DET)
25) Isaiah Likely | BAL (vs. PHI)
26) Chigoziem Okonkwo | TEN (at WAS)
27) Tyler Conklin | NYJ (vs. SEA)
28) Theo Johnson | MIN (vs. ARI)
29) Noah Gray | KC (vs. LV)
30) Darnell Washington | PIT (at CIN)
31) Tommy Tremble | CAR (vs. TB)
32) Austin Hooper | NE (vs. IND)
33) Juwan Johnson | NO (vs. LAR)
Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta Falcons Trends
Los Angeles Chargers
Team: Los Angeles embarks upon its third two-game road trip of the season. In the previous two trips, they've won the first game and lost the second one (Week 14: at Kansas City).
QB: There have been 50 instances this season in which a QB has thrown 3+ touchdown passes in a game -- Justin Herbert's name is not on that list.
Offense: In Weeks 8-12, Los Angeles has picked up just 32.8% of their third downs (Weeks 1-7: 42.5%).
Defense: The Chargers have allowed more than three points in only two first quarters this season, something that has allowed this team to function from a position of power (7-3-1 record in first quarters).
Fantasy: During Los Angeles' first two drives on Monday night, JK Dobbins was involved in 11 of 24 plays (six carries and five targets).
Betting: The Chargers have seen under tickets cash in seven of their past eight games against the NFC.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: Five of the Falcons’ six home games this season have been decided by a single possession.
QB: Atlanta’s recent struggles have been the result of Kirk Cousins not living up to expectations. In Weeks 10-11, he completed just 60.4% of his passes with zero scores and two interceptions when not blitzed (Weeks 8-9: 82.1% with six touchdowns and zero interceptions).
Offense: The Falcons scored 3.1 points per drive in Week 8 against the Bucs – in Week 9 their rate fell to 2.5, in Week 10 to 1.6, and in the Week 11 disaster against the Broncos, just 0.6.
Defense: Atlanta hasn’t forced a turnover in three straight games (they only had two such games through the first eight weeks this season).
Fantasy: Drake London has twice as many top-20 finishes this season (six) as last.
Betting: The Falcons have covered five games this season, four of which came by four or fewer points.