Week 16 at New Orleans
Thielen had a bad game in a crucial semifinal for fantasy managers last week as he caught 2-of-3 targets for 11 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown came midway through the first quarter, potentially indicating a big day for Thielen—however, nothing came as he took a backseat to Justin Jefferson. Thielen was targeted by Jefferson 11 to 3, and that makes two consecutive games where Thielen sees four or fewer targets.
The New Orleans Saints rank sixth in aFPA to WRs and it is expected that Thielen will see plenty of Marshon Lattimore. Typically a cause for concern, Thielen has destroyed Lattimore in their previous two matchups with stat lines of 7-103-1 and 9-157. Even though it seems like Jefferson is starting to edge out Thielen in this offense, still count on Thielen to give a strong WR2 performance in the fantasy championship game.
Week 15 vs Chicago
Thielen had a rough outing last week against the Buccaneers as he caught 3-of-4 targets for 39 yards. There just wasn’t anything available for Thielen as the constant pressure from the Tampa Bay defensive line kept Kirk Cousins from delivering to his WRs. Week 15 brings a familiar opponent in the Chicago Bears. Even though the Bears are ranked 4th in aFPA to WRs, Thielen had a great game against them in Week 10 as he caught four receptions for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Even in a tough matchup, look for Thielen to still have a solid game and upside WR2 potential.
Week 14 at Tampa Bay
Thielen came back after missing Week 12 in a big way last week as he caught 8-of-11 targets for 75 yards and one touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was good to see Thielen performing at his usual high level and not showing any side effects following his placement on the reserve/COVID list. Thielen has been great all season as his 11 receiving touchdowns place him only behind Tyreek Hill and Davante Adam’s 12 this year.
Week 14 brings on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are ranked 31st in aFPA to WRs this season and are fresh off of getting torched by Tyreek Hill for a ridiculous stat line of 13 receptions, 269 yards and three touchdowns. Even in the week prior against the Los Angeles Rams, the WR-duo of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp combined for 25 receptions for 275 yards and one touchdown against this awful Bucs secondary. Thielen should have no trouble cooking the DBs in TB and his fantasy managers should fully expect a solid WR1 game from him in the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
Week 13 vs Jacksonville
Thielen missed last week’s game with a COVID-19 scare, however, he is back and ready for an excellent matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Prior to missing last week’s game, Thielen had strung together consecutive games with two-touchdowns each and his last game against Dallas was his best the season with an 8-123-2 stat line.
The Jaguars are ranked 22nd in aFPA to WRs this season, as their defense has been one of the worst in the league. With a great matchup and Kirk Cousins coming off one of the best months of his career, expect solid WR1 numbers for Thielen this week.
Week 11 vs Dallas
Bouncing back from consecutive letdown weeks, Thielen had a solid game against Chicago in Week 10 as he caught four passes for 43 yards and two touchdowns. The most important item to note here is that Thielen saw seven targets in this game, the most targets he’s seen since Week 5. With the running game not as effective as it’s been in recent weeks, Thielen saw more work and was heavily targeted by Kirk Cousins in the redzone.
Week 11 will see Thielen taking on the Dallas Cowboys, who are ranked 30th in aFPA to WRs this season. Dallas has been painfully bad on defense this year, and with their best CB in rookie Trevon Diggs set to miss a few weeks with injury, Thielen might be primed for another blowup game. Keeping in mind how many carries Dalvin Cook will get, keep Thielen as a high-end WR2 in this one.
Week 10 at Chicago
Thielen had yet another bust of a game last week against the Lions as he only saw five targets of which he caught two passes for 38 yards. That makes consecutive weeks for Thielen with three or fewer receptions and under 40 yards receiving. On the precipice of having an excellent WR1 season, Thielen has fallen off completely due to the fact that Minnesota is heavily implementing their running game with Dalvin Cook having a historic season on the ground.
The Bears are ranked 2nd in aFPA to WRs this season, so the matchup was already going to be a difficult one regardless for Thielen. Combine the latter with over 20 carries for Cook, and it’s a recipe for another bust. Even though Thielen has been producing borderline WR3 numbers the past two weeks, he’s a WR1 waiting to happen, so we’ll split the difference and have WR2 expectations for him this week.
Week 9 vs Detroit
Thielen had a disappointing performance last week against Green Bay, as he only saw four targets which he turned into three receptions for 27 yards. Thielen and the rest of the passing game fell victim to Dalvin Cook’s huge day that consisted of him running the ball 30 times versus Kirk Cousins’ 14 passing attempts. It appears the Minnesota coaching staff is once again committed to the running game, which would put a damper on Thielen’s excellent WR1 season.
In Thielen’s Week 9 matchup against the Lions, he’ll be facing the 18th ranked aFPA defense to WRs this season, so there is reason to think he’ll have another big game. But with Detroit having one of the worst defenses in the league against the run, this might be another heavy Cook game. At any rate, Thielen should still see ample opportunity to produce WR2 numbers.
Week 8 at Green Bay
Fresh off the bye week, Thielen has proven to be one of the true alpha WRs in the NFL and has solidified his WR1 status in fantasy football despite the ascension of rookie sensation Justin Jefferson. His chemistry with Kirk Cousins is undeniable as he leads the team in targets and is near the top of the NFL leaders in the same category.
Thielen’s Week 8 matchup comes against the Green Bay Packers and one of the league’s young shutdown corners in Jaire Alexander. However, as prolific as Alexander has been, Thielen has consistently burned him and has had some monster games against this Green Bay secondary. Thielen’s best game of the season came in Week 1 against the Packers as he caught six balls for 110 yards and two touchdowns. In what would normally be a stiff matchup for most WRs, Thielen is a locked-and-loaded WR1 in this one.
Week 6 vs Atlanta
Thielen absolutely torched the Seattle secondary last week as he turned his 13 targets into nine receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Once again proving to be Kirk Cousins favorite target, it is good to see Thielen producing at elite WR1 levels despite poor QB play and ascending WR play from rookie Justin Jefferson.
Thielen has a mouth-watering matchup against Atlanta in Week 6 who just gave up a total of 12 receptions for 205 yards and one touchdown to the WR duo of Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore. Thielen is our second-ranked WR this week, so expect elite WR1 numbers from him this one
Week 5 at Seattle
Following consecutive disappointing weeks, Thielen finally had a big day against Houston last week as he saw 10 targets which he turned into eight receptions for 114 yards and one touchdown. There was some concern with rookie Justin Jefferson starting to come into his own, however much like the previous seasons with Stefon Diggs, Thielen’s chemistry with Cousins is undeniable.
Thielen will look to carry his momentum this week against Seattle, who is currently last in aFPA to WRs. In what should be one of the highest-scoring games of the week, Thielen makes a strong WR1 against a poor Seahawks secondary.
