Thielen should wind up being a reliable short-area target for Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young, making him a volume-dependent bench receiver. His role is yet to be determined, but a receiver with his still-strong route-running traits has a place in an offense with a polished rookie like Young. Just remember there's a reason why the Vikings let Thielen go; over the past three seasons his numbers began sliding, especially when it came to touchdowns, which was the one stat he kept delivering for Fantasy managers. Given the Panthers will be more run-leaning, the chances of Thielen seeing 120 targets or eight touchdowns seem slim. But he can still lead this squad in receptions, which is why he's OK to take in Round 10 in full PPR and after Round 10 in non-PPR.
Thielen caught seven of eight targets for 76 yards and rushed once for six yards in Sunday's 21-13 loss to the Vikings.
Thielen led the Panthers in receiving yards despite falling to his former team. After a quiet Week 1, Thielen has now caught 25 passes on 31 targets since. The 33-year-old offers a dependable option for rookie quarterback Bryce Young, providing good value despite Young's inconsistencies.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: WRs to Start
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I'll buy into Thielen this week as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver, even if Bryce Young (ankle) is back at quarterback. This is a great matchup against Minnesota, and Thielen is clearly the go-to option in this passing game. In the past two games, Thielen has 18 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns on 23 targets, and he scored at least 20.4 PPR points in each outing. He's also facing his former team in the Vikings, who are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Five receivers have already scored at least 16.6 PPR points against Minnesota in three games.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Start Him in PPR (Lineup Decisions)
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Thielen has become a consistent contributor for the Panthers. Minnesota knows just how dangerous he is -- he played for them for nine seasons -- but he's not dangerous enough to warrant double coverage or sacrifice looks toward others when he's on the field. Better in PPR than non-PPR, Thielen is worth starting if catches count over any Texans WR, D.J. Moore and George Pickens.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Top DFS Play
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Thielen is priced like a No. 3 wide receiver, but I view him as a top-15 guy on the main slate. It's a fantastic matchup and a revenge game, and the pass game looks much better with Andy Dalton under center. If Bryce Young is able to play this week, Thielen goes from a great cash game play to a contrarian play because his roster rate should crater with the rookie under center.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Huge numbers in Week 3 loss
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Thielen caught 11 of 14 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Seahawks.
With veteran Andy Dalton at quarterback instead of rookie Bryce Young (ankle), Carolina's passing game erupted, and Thielen produced his highest single-game receiving yards total since Week 10 of the 2017 campaign, when he was in his prime with Minnesota. The 33-year-old wideout capped his performance with a 15-yard TD catch inside the final two minutes of the game as the Panthers tried to stage a late comeback. Thielen had already begun to establish some chemistry with Young, so his fantasy value might be less affected than some of his teammates by who's throwing him passes in Week 4, but his ceiling will be much higher if Dalton's under center again for a potential revenge game against the Vikings.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Week 3 Adds (WR Preview)
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We may go back and forth on Thielen, and he's certainly not a must-roster receiver. But he does look to be Bryce Young's favorite target and the Panthers should be chasing the score against a Seahawks defense that has looked suspect early this season. That makes Thielen a good flex, and a borderline WR3 in Week 3. I'll like him even more if Andy Dalton gets the start for the Panthers.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Week 2 Adds (WR Preview)
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We may go back and forth on Thielen, and he's certainly not a must-roster receiver. But he does look to be Bryce Young's favorite target and the Panthers should be chasing the score against a Seahawks defense that has looked suspect early this season. That makes Thielen a good flex, and a borderline WR3 in Week 3.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Week 3 Waiver Priority List
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Maybe Thielen isn't done after all, and he could be the leading receiving for the Panthers this season. In Week 2 against the Saints, Thielen had seven catches for 54 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, and he was clearly the go-to guy for Bryce Young. Now, there's not a lot of upside in this Carolina passing attack until Young starts to improve, but Thielen doesn't exactly have a lot of standout competition for targets. He could be a starting receiver in deep three-receiver leagues, and Thielen is worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Leads Carolina's WRs in Week 2
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Thielen caught seven of nine targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 20-17 loss to the Saints. He also caught a two-point conversion.
After making only two catches in his Panthers debut, Thielen caught three passes on Carolina's opening drive and accounted for five of Bryce Young's eight first-half completions. The veteran wide receiver added a three-yard touchdown catch and a two-point conversion on Carolina's final drive. With Young having thrown for only 299 yards and a 2:2 TD:INT through two starts, Carolina's pass catchers will be tough to trust in Seattle in Week 3, but Thielen has been the team's most productive receiver through two games.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Quiet in Panthers debut
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Thielen brought in both targets for 12 yards in the Panthers' 24-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
Donning a uniform other than that of the Vikings' for the first time in a regular-season game, Thielen's production seemed to be affected by the downgrade in experience at quarterback. Rookie Bryce Young unsurprisingly focused most on tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Miles Sanders for short throws against a Falcons defense tough to pass against on the perimeter, leaving Thielen with a minimal role. Terrace Marshall (six targets) and rookie Jonathan Mingo (five targets) both notably garnered more of Young's attention among the wideouts, but it's very likely Thielen's veteran savvy increasingly comes into play as a benefit to the young signal-caller as the season unfolds.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Good to go Week 1
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Thielen (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Thielen fit in limited practice sessions Wednesday and Friday around an absence from practice Thursday, resulting in him taking a questionable designation into the weekend. The Panthers ultimately were confident enough in Thielen's health to roll him out Week 1, and even though he's entering the season as Carolina's nominal No. 1 wideout, he could be even busier in his team debut than initially anticipated. Carolina is without one of its other starting receivers in DJ Chark (hamstring) for the season opener, and his absence could result in Thielen drawing an extra target or two from rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Expected to play in opener
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Thielen (ankle) remains listed as questionable but is expected to play in Sunday's season opener in Atlanta, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Thielen logged limited workloads at practice to begin and close the week, with an absence in the middle due to an ankle injury. If he does indeed get the green light ahead of Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff, the veteran will be the clear No. 1 receiving option for Carolina, as fellow starting wideout DJ Chark (hamstring) has already been ruled out. Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall would presumably be next in the pecking order at receiver, while tight end Hayden Hurst could also take on a more pronounced role in the passing attack.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Deemed questionable
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Thielen (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Atlanta.
Thielen sandwiched limited practices Wednesday and Friday around a Thursday absence, after no report of any injury prior to this week. Fellow wide receiver DJ Chark (hamstring) is ruled out for Week 1 but suggested he'll be ready Week 2, while Terrace Marshall (back) is good to for for the opener after avoiding a designation on the final injury report. Rookie Jonathan Mingo and fourth-year pro Laviska Shenault are the only WRs on the Carolina roster that weren't listed on the report at all this week. Thielen may end up a game-time decision ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Returns to practice
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Thielen (ankle) is dressed for Friday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
There was no report of any issue prior to Wednesday when Thielen was listed as a limited participant on Carolina's first injury report of the season. Concern grew Thursday when he was a non-participant, but his return Friday morning suggests the 33-year-old still hopes to play Sunday at Atlanta. DJ Chark (hamstring) and Terrace Marshall (back) also are on the Week 1 injury report, with Chark in particular appearing in danger of missing the season opener.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Logs DNP on Thursday
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Thielen (ankle) didn't take part in Thursday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
After he put in a limited session Wednesday, Thielen was merely a spectator one day later, joining DJ Chark (hamstring) as a DNP. The Panthers thus have three questions marks in their receiving corps ahead of Sunday's game in Atlanta, with Terrace Marshall (back) again having a cap on his reps. The situation for all three bears watching to get a sense of who may be available for rookie quarterback Bryce Young this weekend.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Tending to ankle issue
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Thielen was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury.
The Panthers' receiving corps is banged up heading into the regular-season opener, as DJ Chark was sidelined Wednesday due to a hamstring injury, while Terrace Marshall (back) joined Thielen as a limited participant. As a result, the state of the group will be one to watch closely over the next two days of practice to see who among Thielen, Chark and Marshall are available Sunday in Atlanta.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Dominates Young's attention
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Thielen caught four of five targets for 48 yards and a touchdown in Friday's preseason game against the Lions.
Despite missing a few snaps after he took a big hit, Thielen accounted for five of the 10 targets and 66 percent of Carolina's receiving yards while QB Bryce Young was in the game. The Panthers' first-team offense scored 10 points on two drives against Detroit's second-team defense, with the final play being a 21-yard touchdown reception by Thielen on a corner route. The 33-year-old has a chance to lead the Panthers in targets this season and should see his share of looks Week 1 at Atlanta, especially if DJ Chark (hamstring) is sidelined.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Makes Carolina debut
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Thielen caught his only target for eight yards in Saturday's 27-0 preseason loss to the Jets.
Thielen started the game along with DJ Chark and rookie Jonathan Mingo at wide receiver, but those three and fellow wideout Terrace Marshall combined for just two catches across the three drives they spent in the game alongside rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Things didn't get any better for Carolina's offense after the backups came in. Thielen has a chance to emerge as Young's top target in Carolina's remade passing game. The veteran wide receiver's embarking on his first season with the Panthers after spending nine years in Minnesota.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen: Signing with Carolina
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Thielen agreed to a three-year, $25 million contract with the Panthers on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Thielen spent the first nine years of his career in Minnesota and drew 100-plus targets in four of the last six seasons. He secured 70 of 107 targets for 716 yards and six touchdowns with the Vikings last year but was let go earlier in March so Minnesota could free up cap space. After failing to top 1,000 yards in each of the last four seasons, the 32-year-old should have an opportunity to serve as the leading receiver in Carolina after the Panthers traded DJ Moore to the Bears as part of a deal to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, which the team is expected to use on a quarterback.
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Adam Thielen: Moving on from Minnesota
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The Vikings are releasing Thielen on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Thielen, a former undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State, logged a remarkable 10-year stretch with the Vikings but will now have to continue his NFL career elsewhere. The two-time Pro Bowler and Minnesota discussed a potential contract restructure, per Pelissero, but the 32-year-old will ultimately test free agency as one of the top veteran wide receivers on the market. Though Thielen's statistical production declined across 17 appearances in 2022, he still managed to record 70 catches for 716 yards and six touchdowns.
