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Fantasy football: Where to draft Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts

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Fantasy football: Where to draft Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts


Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts came into the league with a lot of pomp and circumstance, and there were expectations he would be the next great, big tight end, perhaps challenging the Kansas City Chiefs’ Jason Kelce one day for the best in the league. That hasn’t exactly came into fruition, at least not yet.

In 2 NFL seasons across 27 games played, Pitts has managed 96 receptions and 1,382 receiving yards, but he has found the end zone on just 3 total occasions across the 2 campaigns.

It isn’t all the fault of Pitts. In 2021, with now-retired QB Matt Ryan, the tight end had a 1,000-yard season with 110 targets and 68 grabs. Yes, Pitts found the end zone just once, but he looked to be everything as advertised come out of the University of Florida.

However, in Year 2, Pitts really struggled with former QB Marcus Mariota, and a knee injury knocked him out in November before he was able to work with QB Desmond Ridder in game action. As it stands, Pitts had devolved into a TE2 before the injury, but that could be good news for fantasy managers in 2023.

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Kyle Pitts’ ADP: 68.71

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

The truth of the matter is the tight end position in fantasy football is Kelce (7.83), Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews (32.25) and then San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle (48.89), then it gets awfully sketchy after that.

Pitts had a 1,000-yard campaign in his rookie season, and he could be a bona fide high-end TE1 if he can stay healthy, and he can get just a little bit better quarterback play.

Among tight ends, Pitts’ ADP in redraft leagues is 7th, just behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert (63.86). Pitts’ ADP puts him ahead of Jacksonville Jaguars’ Evan Engram (80.08), Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth (90.09), Cleveland Browns’ David Njoku (99.22) and Buffalo Bills’ Dalton Kincaid (99.29).

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Kyle Pitts’ 2022 stats

Games: 10

Receptions | targets: 28 | 59

Receiving yards: 356

Receiving touchdowns: 2

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Where should you draft Pitts?

Pitts is still smack dab in the middle of the TE1 conversation in fantasy football despite falling off dramatically in 2022. Fantasy managers know that the potential is there for big production.

However, there are still a lot of questions surrounding the Atlanta offense. Will rookie RB Bijan Robinson eat up a lot of the short to intermediate range targets catching balls out of the backfield, serving as Ridder’s safety valve? Can Pitts average more than 1.5 receiving TDs in a season, and be more of a presence in the red zone? And will Ridder elevate his play to make all of the receivers around him better?

If you miss out on the likes of Kelce, Andrews and Kittle, the second-tier of tight ends in fantasy is rather interchangeable. There are a lot of intriguing players with upsides. However, Pitts has a 1,000-yard season on his NFL resume already, and he could easily join that elite tier if his QB play is a little better, and if Pitts steps up his production in the red zone.

He is currently going anywhere from Round 6 through Round 7, and that’s a fine spot if you miss out on the elite TEs. Pitts has the potential to be exactly what he was in 2021, going over 1,000 yards. If he can get into the 6 or 7 TD area to go along with that yardage, he could be instrumental in winning you a fantasy championship. No, seriously.

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Atlanta, GA

Basketball Pickups: Naji Marshall and Jaden Hardy shine in Atlanta

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Basketball Pickups: Naji Marshall and Jaden Hardy shine in Atlanta


The Mavericks went into Monday’s game in Atlanta down three perimeter players. With Luka Doncic already sidelined, Klay Thompson and Quentin Grimes joined him on the sideline. Naji Marshall (17%) and Jaden Hardy (1%) were the replacements, and both played well in Dallas’ win over the Hawks. Marshall played 28 minutes, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds, one assist, and two 3-pointers, his third consecutive game of 20 or more. Hardy put up a season-high 23 points with three rebounds, two assists, three steals (career-high), and two 3-pointers.

Marshall’s fantasy value has increased since Doncic went down, and he’ll miss at least one more game (Wednesday vs. New York). As for Hardy, his value depends on the availability of Thompson and Grimes. Also, we can’t forget about Spencer Dinwiddie (2%), who produced a line of 22 points, three rebounds, four assists, and four 3-pointers. His fantasy status moving forward is similar to Hardy’s; he’ll need multiple people to sit to be worth the risk.

Let’s look at a few more of Monday’s top pickups:

Moussa Diabate (20%), Charlotte Hornets

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Diabate didn’t start Monday’s loss to the Magic (Taj Gibson did), but he effectively played starters’ minutes off the bench. Diabate didn’t provide much scoring, but the rebounds (eight) and defensive stats (two steals and four blocks) were the important takeaways. He’ll be worth rostering as long as the Hornets remain without Mark Williams and Nick Richards, and neither has a concrete timeline for return.

Anthony Black (14%), Orlando Magic

Already playing without Jalen Suggs, the Magic lost his replacement in the starting lineup five minutes into Monday’s matchup with the Hornets. Gary Harris suffered a strained hamstring, and his exit led to Black starting the second half. While the final stat line wasn’t particularly impressive (10 points, three rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two 3-pointers in 22 minutes), the opportunities for Black to produce will be there if Suggs and Harris remain sidelined. Those injuries also impacted Cole Anthony (1%), who re-entered the rotation and played 27 minutes. He finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two 3-pointers. However, fantasy managers may want to ensure Anthony sticks in the rotation before moving to add him.

Yves Missi (13%) and Elfrid Payton (2%), New Orleans Pelicans

New Orleans received good news on the injury front Monday, as CJ McCollum returned from a strained adductor. However, with the team still down multiple contributors, there was room for Missi (who came off the bench) and Payton to provide value. Despite backing up Daniel Theis, Missi played 31 minutes off the bench and finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocked shots. As for Payton, all he did was establish a new career-high with 21 assists while also putting up 14 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in 31 minutes. While Missi should have value for the remainder of the season, even after everyone returns, Payton’s fantasy relevance likely ends once Dejounte Murray returns from a broken hand.

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Keon Ellis (8%), Sacramento Kings

Malik Monk’s return from a sprained ankle was the most notable change to the Kings rotation, but it wasn’t the only one. Ellis made his second start of the season on Monday, replacing Kevin Huerter. The matchup certainly influenced the decision, with Sacramento needing to defend Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. But this is something to watch, especially with Huerter only playing ten minutes in Monday’s loss. Ellis played 28, finishing with eight points, one rebound, three assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. The line itself isn’t enough to make Ellis a player worth adding. But that changes if he remains in the starting lineup, which is a realistic possibility due to the Kings’ issues defending on the perimeter.

Jalen Wilson (2%) and Ziaire Williams (2%), Brooklyn Nets

Despite being down multiple rotation players and losing Cameron Johnson and Cam Thomas during Monday’s game, the Nets erased an 18-point deficit to beat Golden State. Wilson and Williams, inserted into the starting lineup with Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton sidelined, made vital contributions. Wilson scored a career-high 18 points with seven rebounds, two assists, one block, and three 3-pointers. As for Williams, he recorded a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers. Their values for Wednesday’s game against the Suns will depend on the Nets’ injury report.

Neemias Queta (2%), Boston Celtics

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While Kristaps Porzingis was available to make his season debut on Monday, the Celtics were without Al Horford and Luke Kornet. As a result, Queta remained in the rotation and was stellar in 25 minutes off the bench. He finished Monday’s blowout of the Clippers with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and four blocked shots. Queta was a case in which the few managers who rostered him benefitted, and he’ll be a schedule play moving forward. Boston’s Sunday/Monday back-to-back against the Cavaliers and Heat will be the next opportunity to consider streaming Queta.





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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Hawks vs Dallas Mavericks: Starting Lineups

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Atlanta Hawks vs Dallas Mavericks: Starting Lineups


The Atlanta Hawks and the Dallas Mavericks are about to tipoff their game in Atlanta and both teams just announced their starting lineups for tonight’s game.

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G – Dyson Daniels

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F – Zaccharie Risacher

F – Jalen Johnson

C – Clint Capela

Mavericks

G-Kyrie Irving

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G- Jaden Hardy

F- Naji Marshall

F- P.J. Washington

C- Dereck Lively

Currently, the Hawks rank 28th in PPG allowed, 18th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 30th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

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Atlanta’s offense has struggled to produce in the last two games and they are going to face one of the NBA’s best defenses so far this year. The Hawks were unable to score 100 points in the loss to Golden State and they had a terrible 1st half against Chicago on Friday. This team has shooting and spacing concerns and that is something that they will have to figure out on offense.

The Hawks desperately need Trae Young to start playing at an All-NBA level. That won’t solve all of the offensive issues this team is having, but it would help. Young had 25 points and 13 assists vs the Bulls, but most of the production came in the second half when the game was out of reach.

After a great stretch of games on offense and defense, Dyson Daniels has struggled to score the ball, but the defense is still great. He shot 3-14 from the field on Friday vs Chicago and has not found consistency with his three point shot. The Hawks are counting on him to provide that and he will be tasked with guarding Kyrie Irving tonight.

Zaccharie Risacher has been in the starting lineup for the Hawks for most of the season, but he is struggling to shoot the ball and he only played 16 minutes on Friday vs Chicago. Would Quin Snyder consider moving De’Andre Hunter back into the lineup? He played close to 30 minutes on Friday and is performing well this season, especially on offense. This is something to monitor going forward.

Jalen Johnson is coming off of a 25-point, 13 rebound performance vs the Bulls and he will be counted on tonight vs Dallas. Defensively, Atlanta needs more from Johnson, but he has shaken off a slow start and is playing well.

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The center position has been mostly underwhelming for Atlanta this season, but Clint Caplea is coming off of his best game of the season offensively. He scored 21 points and pulled in 11 rebounds in the loss on Friday and he is going to be a key player tonight vs the center duo of Dereck Lively and Daniels Gafford. Onyeka Okongwu is struggling on both ends of the floor and the Hawks do have Larry Nance, but Nance does not play often and did not on Friday vs Chicago.

Snyder mostly used a nine-man rotation against the Bulls, with Kobe Bufkin, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Okongwu, and Hunter coming off the bench. Perhaps the only good thing that came out of Friday’s loss was that Bogdanovic finally looked like himself again. He scored 16 points and shot 4-8 from three in the game and after two bad games to start the year, he finally played well. Bufkin is one of the players who has really struggled this year, but he should be given time to try and figure things out. Will this be the rotation for Atlanta tonight or will guys like VIt Krejci and Garrison Matthews get more minutes?

While the record might not indicate it, the underlying numbers show that Dalls is one of the NBA’s elite teams. The Mavericks are 9th in PPG, 8th in FG%, 22nd in three-point attempts, 22nd in 3P%, 18th in free-throw attempts, 9th in rebounding and 8th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 4th in points per 100 possessions, 10th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 14th in offensive rebounding, and 20th in free throw rate. Defensively, this is shaping up to be the best defense Dallas has had in years. They currently rank 9th in PPG allowed, 5th in FG% allowed, 9th in three-point attempts allowed, and 10th in three-point percentage. Per Cleaning the Glass, Dallas is 7th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 4th in effective field goal percentage allowed.



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Atlanta, GA

New Dog Grooming Spa Planned for Atlanta | What Now Atlanta

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New Dog Grooming Spa Planned for Atlanta | What Now Atlanta


Pet owners in Atlanta could soon have a new place for their pups to be groomed.

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A new dog spa called Chic Shearing Dog Grooming is planned for 2030 Bolton Road NW, according to a building permit application for the buildout of the new dog spa.

The estimated cost of construction on the approximately 1,000-square-foot space is $65,000, according to the application. The scope of work includes new LED lights, partitions, outlets, dog wash tubs, and a tankless water heater.

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The site is located in Riverside, a neighborhood on the Upper Westside of Atlanta. The dog spa would be located near the Public House 28 restaurant.

Ownership for Chic Shearing Dog Grooming could not immediately be reached for more information about the business or when it could be open.



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