Betsided

Kyle Pitts Would Benefit from Julio Jones Trade

By Iain MacMillan

Expect Kyle Pitts to receive more targets this season if Julio Jones is shipped from Atlanta.
Expect Kyle Pitts to receive more targets this season if Julio Jones is shipped from Atlanta. / Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
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A trade seems imminent in Atlanta, as Julio Jones appeared on Fox Sports' "Undisputed" yesterday and said, “I'm outta there man,” in response to Shannon Sharpe’s question on whether or not he’ll return to the Falcons for the 2021 NFL season.

Julio may not have known that he was live on national television, but it seems to be clear that the future Hall of Fame wide receiver’s days in Atlanta are numbered.

As a Falcons fan myself, I will admit that it hurt to hear that arguably the greatest player in franchise history is ready to move on. I felt betrayed, like Michael in the Godfather Part II.

But what does this mean for the rest of the Falcons?

Something that immediately comes to mind is that Atlanta’s new weapon, rookie tight end Kyle Pitts, will have to play a bigger role in the offense in the upcoming season. With Julio most likely gone, Pitts will immediately become the number two option behind Calvin Ridley.

If you’re looking for a value bet to win this season’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Pitts might be your guy. WynnBET currently has his odds of winning the award set at +1000, which is the shortest odds among all non-QBs.

Trevor Lawrence (+300), Justin Fields (+600), Trey Lance (+750), and Zach Wilson (+800) are the only offensive rookies with shorter odds than Pitts.

With how much the Falcons will have to target Pitts this season, there are certainly worse bets that you could make.

Hayden Hurst served as the Falcons primary tight end during the 2020 season, and he catched 56 balls on 88 targets for 571 yards and six touchdowns. Only Ridley, Jones, and Russell Gage recorded more receiving yards than Hurst.

With the talented Pitts sliding in as the new starting tight end, and with Jones most likely out of the picture, expect those numbers to increase this season as the Falcons clearly like to target their tight end.

The Falcons will need all the help they can get this season as WynnBET has their projected win total set at just 7.5.

While their odds to make the playoffs are steep at +185, I think they could be a surprise team to end up in the postseason this year.

But then again, that may just be my Falcons bias speaking.

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