Dynasty Dilemma: Adam Thielen

By Jonathan Walker

Free agent receiver Adam Thielen has found a new home. Nine days after the Vikings released him, Thielen has agreed to terms with the Panthers. He announced the deal on Instagram just before the team did. The Panthers need to rebuild their receiving corps after trading DJ Moore to the Bears as part of the deal for the No. 1 overall pick. So where does this put Adam Thielen as far as fantasy football goes? I'm here to give you some things to consider when thinking about Thielen in your dynasty league.

For the last 3 season Adam has brought in north of 65 receptions, and over 700 yards and 6+ touchdowns every year. Now with him being in Carolina, will his numbers increase? If Carolina signs D.J Chark (which is still a FA), will Adam will go back to being nothing more than a flex play in fantasy? He may not produce the numbers to be a starting WR in fantasy, but he will score enough to be a solid flex player. Also with Carolina having the #1 overall pick, they will most likely bring in a rookie QB. Having a veteran like Thielen playing the slot position, it creates a nice safety blanket for a rookie who is trying to get use to playing in the NFL. Adam Thielen is a great red-zone threat due to his knowledge playing the slot position. As well as knowing where to find the open spot of the defense.

Reasons to buy Adam Thielen his buying price is very low, if you are in a draft he will most likely drop to the later rounds due to his age, and the amount of WR’s there are to draft. Thielen was ranked as the #66 WR last year. Another reason to buy is to fill your flex position. He will get his receptions and yards being a slot WR, and for a flex player that’s is all you are looking for. Who will get me points when I need them? Is the question most asked when looking for flex players.

Adam is your guy, if that is your question during the later rounds of the draft. He has been a great security blanket for his QB. Being able to read a defense and understand where the open spots are and knowing where to be to get the QB out of a bad spot. I feel that the biggest reason to buy Adam is due to the face that Carolina will most likely draft a rookie QB as stated before. Some rookies have a hard time adjusting to the NFL, players are a lot better than what they played in college. Defensives are smarter, and Offensives are hard to understand. Having a nice security blanket in Adam Thielen will help that Rookie QB get acclimated to the NFL.

If you have Adam should you trade him? Yes, because the ultimate question is do you want to win. If so Adam doesn’t have the production to win fantasy games, he has the production to loose you games. Adam is entering his 9th season in the NFL, so his age is of major concern. It is hard trying to keep up with the younger more fresh WR’s when you are 32 years old. Injuries start to sneak up on you, and you don’t recover as fast. Thielen has been pretty durable throughout his career, but this has to be considered.

Would you count on Adam Thielen as your weekly flex player? Maybe, but why would you draft Thielen for flex when you can draft another TE or RB (which are both deep positions in fantasy). IF you are starting a new startup do you draft Adam? No, there are other flex players that will produce more than Thielen that you can grab later in the draft. Then there is the biggest concern regarding the WR position in Carolina, what happens with DJ Chark? If Carolina signs DJ that means all the passing offense will primarily go through him, leaving Adam on the outside once again.

Am I buying or selling? That's the question. The only reason I'd pass on him is if I'm in a new startup dynasty. Otherwise, I'm buying Thielen. The bottom line is he can help you win each week. He can be a solid Flex that costs you pretty much nothing. I've seen him traded for a 3rd round rookie pick. I'd do that all day for a player who can contribute week 1. Thielen is low risk, and worth grabbing on the cheap.