Fantasy Sleeper Profile: TE Dennis Pitta (Baltimore Ravens)
NFL fans seem to have a short memory. A player can have a spectacular season then miss the majority of the next season from injury, and everyone forgets that first spectacular season. Such is the case with Dennis Pitta.
The spectacular season: in 2012, including the postseason, Pitta had 75 catches, 832 yards, and 10 TDs. Then, the injury: a dislocated and fractured hip during training camp led to Pitta missing all but the last four games of the 2013 season.
Pitta is not entirely forgotten. People remember his contribution to the 2012 Super Bowl-winning Baltimore squad enough to draft him in the 70th – 80th overall selection range. If he can match his production in 2012, he will be a top 5 fantasy tight end and worth a 50th – 60th overall selection.
Some may think that, at 29 years old, Pitta is near the end of his prime. But his age is misleading: while in college, Pitta, a Mormon (he did go the BYU, after all), went on a two-year mission to the Dominic Republic.
Because of this hiatus, Pitta is now just entering his 5th season of his NFL career. So, in terms of his football development, Pitta is just now entering his prime. Don’t expect production on the level of a Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, or Julius Thomas, but Pitta has all the makings of a productive Tier 2 tight end, well worth a mid-round selection.
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