Adam Thielen worked his way up the Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver depth chart, and once he did, he stayed for a while. He had at least 67 receptions in six of seven seasons from 2016-2022, with over 900 yards four times and at least six touchdowns five times in that span.
From a fantasy football perspective, Thielen delivered three finishes as a top-10 wide receiver (2017, 2018, and 2020; full PPR) over that stretch of peak years in Minnesota. Even in down years, outside of 2019 when he missed seven games, he was a WR3 for his fantasy managers.
As he got deeper into his 30's, the Vikings moved younger at wide receiver and Thielen landed with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. Spurred by a strong start that season (WR10 in full PPR through Week 11), he came out of nowhere to top 100 receptions and 1,000 yards on his way to finishing as the WR17.
Thielen missed seven games last season due to a hamstring injury. But his 17-game pace was pretty good (82 receptions for 1,046 yards, nine touchdowns) and in line with quarterback Bryce Young seemingly turning a corner the soon-to-be 35-year old produced solidly (40 catches for 506 yards and four touchdowns; WR13 in full PPR from Week 12-18).
Fantasy managers shouldn't leave former Minnesota Vikings WR Adam Thielen for dead this year
The Panthers added a much-needed "X" receiver in Tetairoa McMillan early in April's draft, which automatically pushes Thielen's fantasy stock down. Two other young wide receivers (Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker), and the addition of Hunter Renfrow to potentially eat into his role in the slot, has practically knocked the former Viking off the fantasy radar (ADP of WR64 right now, according to Fantasy Pros).
But as Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report opined, in calling him a solid late-round flier in 2025 fantasy drafts, maybe Thielen shouldn't be written off as a fantasy asset just yet.
"Two years ago, Adam Thielen was a surprise 1,000-yard wideout and top-20 fantasy option. Last year, though, he missed a sizable chunk of the season.
At almost 35 years of age and with rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan now on the team, Thielen has been relegated to the fantasy scrap heap—his ADP is essentially non-existent.
However, when healthy last year Thielen averaged slightly more yards per game than in his 1,000-yard 2023 campaign. He had more touchdowns (five) in those 10 games a year ago than the entire 2023 season.
And even in that down year, the two-time Pro Bowler was a top-30 fantasy receiver in terms of PPR points per game."
As Kyle Dvorchak of NBC Sports/Rotoworld appropriately noted, Thielen is not a "fun click" when you're looking to fill out the back end of a roster in 12-team PPR leagues. But in the WR4/WR5 realm, there are a lot worse ways to go than a stable veteran who has rapport with a young quarterback.