Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr will return from his ACL injury and make his first start in Week 3 vs. the Packers on Thursday Night Football. The Falcons could use Penix, as they rank dead last in the NFL in team passing yards through two games with Cooper Rush forced into action (as well as a quarter of Jack Strand).
Drake London and Kyle Pitts owners rejoice. While Penix had a mixed 2025 season, he did rank No. 14 in Adjusted Yards Per Attempt (7.01) so the Falcons will be able to push the ball down the field and open up the playbook. It is uncertain how long Penix’s leash will be after Tua Tagovailoa returns from his ankle injury, but Tua was estimated as a limited participant in today’s walk-through practice.
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With Kevin Stefanski keeping cards close to his chest on Monday, Wednesday’s practice participation report and media session will definitely be the spot to watch for any shifts in Michael Penix Jr.‘s designation or comfort level.
Given that he logged full practices last week but is working through that final mental or physical hurdle with the knee, it is difficult to expect Penix to be under center for Atlanta’s Week 2 match-up vs. Carolina. Drake London and Kyle Pitts will likely have to wait one more week to be unlocked.
This is a comically irresponsible prediction from a medical doctor about a player recovering from his third ACL injury (two to his right knee in college, one to his left knee last season). Despite limited practice involvement due to multiple past ACL injuries, Michael Penix Jr. remains expected to start the majority of games this season after averaging 13.7 Fantasy Points Per Game. Tua Tagovailoa takes the field first in the preseason opener, but his slim edge and historical 7.9 Accuracy Rating offer minimal job security.
Expect a volatile workload split driven by health and performance setting up a nightmare scenario for fantasy gamers, which will inevitably affect the skill position players in Atlanta from Bijan Robinson to Drake London to Kyle Pitts. Stay as far away from this QB room as possible and be sure to draft Gibbs over Bijan per the PlayerProfiler rankings.
The Atlanta Falcons have a full-blown quarterback competition on their hands, but Tua Tagovailoa has the upper hand to start Week 1 over Michael Penix Jr. due to his precise historical profile. Head coach Kevin Stefanski values accuracy above all else, aligning with Tagovailoa’s 73.4-percent True Completion Percentage (No. 12) rather than Penix’s career 59.6-percent completion rate.
While both lefties will see the field this year, fantasy managers drafting in dynasty superflex formats should lean into Tagovailoa if managing win-now teams. On the other hand, Penix Jr. continues to offer more long-term upside.
The Atlanta Falcons locked up Kyle Pitts on a one-year franchise tag worth $15 million, keeping him in town after he logged an elite 90.4-percent Route Participation rate and a 22.7-percent Target Share last season. Despite early-offseason trade speculation under new leadership, the team is positioning him as the clear No. 2 option in the passing game behind Drake London.
Pitts projects to be a rock-solid TE1 following a 2025 campaign where he garnered 118 targets and 88 receptions. Earning a healthy extension at just 25.7 years old, Pitts is particularly attractive assets in fantasy football tight end premium dynasty leagues.
Kyle Pitts is locked into the franchise tag for this season after recording an elite 90.4-percent Route Participation rate and a 22.9-percent Target Share last year. Instead of staging a contract holdout, the tight end is fully bought into new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system to build on his 516 routes run from last season.
Under this new offensive design, expect his route tree to expand significantly past last year’s heavy diet of flats and hitches to solidify his high-ceiling TE1 status. At just 25.6 years of age, Pitts could conceivable jump back into the Top-5 dynasty tight end conversation this season.
