After dropping their third in a row with an overtime loss to the Panthers this past Sunday, things continue to get worse for the Falcons. Penix exited the loss to Carolina with a knee injury and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that it is a potentially season-ending injury for Penix.
To make matters worse, London also exited this contest with a knee injury and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that London suffered a PCL sprain that will keep him out for at least this Sunday’s matchup vs. the Saints.
With Penix sidelined, Kirk Cousins ($4,400) will take over at quarterback for Atlanta and with London missing, there is a ton of targets up for grabs, as the receiver is leading the Falcons with a massive 32.9% target share this season, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
Pitts ($4,300) should naturally see more targets with London out and while going from Penix to Cousins is a downgrade, Pitts should still produce solid numbers with Cousins under center. Pitts and Cousins didn’t have great chemistry last season, but in Cousins’ lone start this season, Pitts caught all nine of his targets for 59 yards vs. the Dolphins in Week 8 (14.9 FPTS).
This was also the only game London has missed this season and with the wideout inactive and Cousins starting, Pitts lead the Falcons with a huge 30% target share. The Florida product is in an average spot this Sunday, with New Orleans giving up the 15th-most yards to tight ends this season (541), but Pitts has a chance to see double-digit targets and he is a rock solid tight end option for all formats.
Even with Penix and London out, the Falcons are a 1.5-point favorite over the Saints on DraftKings Sportsbook.
