Adam Thielen Fantasy Outlook & Injury Update 2022 (Prepare for Another TD-Dependent Season)

The Minnesota Vikings' passing attack revolves around two key pieces: wideouts Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson. When it comes to Thielen, the veteran pass-catcher has a knack for finding the endzone, something that helped him finish the 2022 NFL fantasy season as the WR28 in PPR formats.

Now in his 30s, Thielen is no longer in his prime. However, that doesn't mean that the former Minnesota State product can't be a viable option for fantasy managers this fall.

Adam Thielen Fantasy Football Outlook

Injuries held Thielen to 13 games last season, but he made the most out of his opportunities. He caught 70.5% of his targets — up from the previous two seasons — and turned 67 catches into 726 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

Thielen is slated to be the Vikings' No. 2 wideout yet again and should continue seeing a lot of work. Having said that, his value will likely hinge on his touchdown production yet again. A total of 30% of his PPR points last year came from touchdowns, meaning he would've only been the WR36 had he only caught half of those TD passes.

One thing that could help Thielen is if Kirk Cousins targets him more in the red zone. The veteran WR saw only 13 red-zone targets last season, yet caught 11 of them for 65 yards and seven TDs. If head coach Kevin O'Donnell can get him more involved in red-zone plays, Thielen's fantasy outlook should flourish.

Adam Thielen Injury Update

Fortunately, Thielen's ankle issue from last season seems to be a thing of the past. He told reporers in May that he feels "rejuvenated" now that he has time to heal, making him a full-go for the start of the 2022 NFL season.

Adam Thielen Projections

Projections from the NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook aren't anything special for Thielen. In fact, he only has +7500 odds (T-No. 39) to be the receiving yards leader this year. He's also available at +4000 (T-No. 19) to be the receiving TD leader despite finding the endzone the fourth-most times (30) among pass-catchers since 2019.

FanDuel has set Thielen's projected receiving yards total at 750.5 with -112 odds on both the over and under. He only averaged a career-low 10.8 yards per reception last year, meaning he'd need to make about 70 catches this year to hit the over

As for his touchdown total, FanDuel has that listed at 7.5, again with -112 odds on both sides. Thielen has averaged 9.8 TDs over the previous four seasons, hitting over eight scores in three of those campaigns.

Is Adam Thielen a Good Fantasy Football Pick?

Thielen is a good fantasy pick as long as you don't put all your stock into him becoming your No. 1 wideout. As long as he continues to find the endzone, he should remain productive. It's important to point out that he averaged just 3.82 PPR points in the five games that he didn't score a touchdown last season.

For now, Thielen clocks in as the WR27 on The Duel's PPR rankings. Meanwhile, he carries an average draft position of 69.8 on Fantasy Pros, making him someone you'll likely have to target before the end of Round 6 if you hope to roster him.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.