Za'Darius Smith Carted-Off Scare, Plus a Kyle Pitts Snap Count Mystery
Smith is questionable to return with a concussion and neck injury after a teammate's knee hit his helmet — and Pitts has played just one snap.
One snap through two series despite being called healthy — bench him.
- Smith questionable: concussion + neck injury
- Teammate Dorlus' knee hit Smith's helmet
- Smith waved off the cart, walked off himself
- Pitts: 1 snap in 2 series, team says healthy
- Woerner, Muse, Hooper all out-snapped Pitts
Za'Darius Smith is being evaluated for a concussion and a neck injury and is questionable to return after a scary sequence in Atlanta. The Falcons pass rusher was blocked to the ground by Saints left tackle Asim Richards, and while he lay there, teammate Brandon Dorlus' left knee caught his helmet.
Smith stayed down long enough for Atlanta's medical staff to call for a cart. He waved it off and walked to the training room under his own power — a good sign, even if the diagnosis tells you to hold your breath. He's now in concussion protocol with that neck issue stacked on top.
For IDP managers, that's the headline you don't want. Smith has been a disruptive edge presence, and anything involving the words "concussion" and "neck" in the same sentence usually means a multi-week conversation, not a one-quarter one. If you've got him rostered in a deeper league, start lining up a replacement now.
The Pitts Puzzle
The weirder fantasy story is unfolding at tight end. Kyle Pitts didn't start and has played exactly one snap across the Falcons' first two series. The team told ESPN's sideline crew that Pitts is healthy, which only deepens the mystery — this isn't an injury, it's a usage decision.
Meanwhile the committee behind him is eating. Charlie Woerner, Nick Muse and Austin Hooper have all logged more snaps than Pitts so far. None of them is a season-long answer — Hooper sits at TE44 in our rankings with 13 PPR points through three games in 2026, Woerner has yet to score (0 PPR points), and Muse is unranked. But snaps are snaps, and right now Pitts isn't getting them.
If you started Pitts today, you're already sweating, and fairly. A healthy scratch-level snap count is a red flag you can't project around, and until Atlanta clears up whether this is a game-plan quirk or something more lasting, he's a sit. Hold him in redraft — the talent and the "healthy" tag are worth one more week of patience — but don't trust him in your lineup until the snaps come back.
