The Atlanta Falcons are one of the hottest teams in the NFL currently. They are entering their Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers riding high as they have won two games in a row, going on the road and defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 before beating the Cleveland Browns at home in Week 5.

Defeating the Buccaneers will be a tall task and they will have to do it without one of their best offensive weapons in left tackle, I mean tight end, Kyle Pitts. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

While it is certainly disappointing that Pitts will not be on the field, head coach Arthur Smith’s update on him at least was a positive one. According to Smith, Pitts’ hamstring injury isn’t expected to be a long-term one. Pitts was more sore than usual in the days following the game against the Browns, so the team is deciding to take it easy with him.

It sounds like Atlanta is just showing extreme caution as there is still a lot of season left to be played. There is no benefit to pushing him and the issue lingering, so they are giving him this week off in hopes that he will be closer to 100 percent healthy next week.

Pitts being announced out is something that Fantasy Football managers may actually be happy about. Managers have been reluctant to take him out of their lineups despite the frustrating usage that he has seen thus far this season.

Despite being a walking mismatch every time he steps on the field and runs a route, Pitts has been targeted 22 times in four games, catching only 10 passes for 150 yards and zero touchdowns. He has been deployed more as a blocker than a pass catcher, which is malpractice on part of the Falcons given the physical talent that Pitts possesses.

Hopefully, the way he is used changes once he is healthy enough to return to the field. He is too good to not be a bigger part of the passing game.