Adam Thielen ruled out for Monday, rest of season might be jeopardy

The talented Minnesota Vikings wide receiver was downgraded to out on Sunday by the team and he will not play on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks.

With an extra week of rest, many anticipated that Adam Thielen was going to be healthy enough to suit up for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. However, the Vikings announced on Sunday that Thielen’s hamstring injury will prevent him from playing in Seattle this week.

Listed as questionable on Minnesota’s final injury report on Saturday, the team downgraded the receiver to out on Sunday and he will miss his fourth game of the season.

Thielen suffered the hamstring injury early in the Vikings’ Week 7 win over the Detroit Lions and he hasn’t been the same since. He attempted to come back in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but his time on the field didn’t last very long and he hasn’t played in a game since.

With only four more opportunities to play this season after this week, the possibility of Minnesota shutting down Thielen for the rest of the year is starting to become more real.

At 8-3, the Vikings are currently in a good position to qualify for a spot in this season’s playoffs. Obviously, Minnesota would rather have Thielen out on the field, but the team may be better off letting him rest his hamstring until the postseason.

It’s a legitimate possibility since the Vikings have proven during the last few weeks that they can still be successful without the veteran receiver in the lineup. Despite Thielen only being on the field for a total of 16 snaps since Week 7, Minnesota has still managed to win four of their last five games.

In his absence, the Vikings have seen guys like Irv Smith Jr., Kyle Rudolph, and Bisi Johnson step up and become factors in the team’s passing attack.

So while Minnesota would certainly love to have Thielen back and contributing in their offense, having him sit for at least a few more weeks might be the team’s best option at this point in the season.