Bucky
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Thielen has been awesome since bursting on the scene a few years ago! Real feel good story, one of the few that outlasted the Caste System.
Adam Thielen
- Thread starter Don Wassall
- Start date
Thielen has been awesome since bursting on the scene a few years ago! Real feel good story, one of the few that outlasted the Caste System.
Warhawk_46
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While later year was good from a TD perspective, I was disappointed in the yardage total. I’m expecting another 1,000 yards, while also hauling in 8-1o TD’s this season.
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The Vikings don't have much at receiver after Thielen and rookie phenom Justin Jefferson, so hopefully Adam will be back over the 1,000 yard mark this year. A lot of "experts" and DWFs expect him to decline now that he's over 30 but he keeps himself in great shape and should have several more outstanding seasons left. That said, the Vikings have several White receivers on their roster who can blossom if given an opportunity, starting with Chad Beebe.
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There is no doubt that the Vikings and the Bills are two of the top two teams to watch. The Vikings have become my favorite team! I hope Thielen has an awesome year. Kirk Cousins should be ready to make a drive for the Super Bowl finally!
Warhawk_46
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Agreed, I am keenly interested in seeing Beebe’s playing time jump this year. I think he will lock down the #3 position. He is a talent!
So I come across this long fantasy football article about why Adam Thielen is being undervalued in ff drafts this year. The author points out that in 2020 Thielen was 7th among WRs in scoring yet is being drafted this year as on average the 20th WR off the board. The writer then goes into detail offering various explanations for this. Anyone who wants to read it can go here: https://www.fantasyalarm.com/articl...football-wr-preview-adam-thielen-case-closed/
But the reality is that Adam Thielen is undervalued every year relative to his performance. So are almost all White players. But these writers don't understand why, or if they do they pretend they don't, the same way they always act shocked when a White star in college or the NFL turns out to have been a walk-on. Clear patterns that are repeated over and over are never acknowledged out of ignorance or fear of being "canceled" or scorned by the hive mind.
But the reality is that Adam Thielen is undervalued every year relative to his performance. So are almost all White players. But these writers don't understand why, or if they do they pretend they don't, the same way they always act shocked when a White star in college or the NFL turns out to have been a walk-on. Clear patterns that are repeated over and over are never acknowledged out of ignorance or fear of being "canceled" or scorned by the hive mind.
Thielen underwent surgery on his left ankle and is done for the season. He finishes 2021 with 67/726/10. He still seems to have a lot left in the tank so hopefully he can have a healthier 2022 and return to the thousand yard club for the third time. As it is he remains a premier WR when it comes to TD receptions.
Once Harrison Smith is gone the Vikings will be almost unrecognizable from the team we rooted for for a number of seasons, namely through the Mike Zimmer era. They could have renegotiated Thielen's contract but chose to go this route. Given how Kirk Cousins fixated on Justin Jefferson the past two seasons this might ordinarily be for the best as Thielen still has a lot left in the tank -- but this is the NFL and the most likely scenario is Thielen ending up as a backup somewhere. He'd be a great fit for the Patriots, but like the Vikings (and Packers) they went in a "new direction" a few years ago.
Vikings released WR Adam Thielen.
There may not have been a more obvious cap casualty than Thielen heading into this offseason. The soon-to-be 33-year-old receiver was set to earn nearly $20 million next season -- the highest cap hit of any non-quarterback on the Vikings' roster. Now, Thielen will have a chance to test the open market fresh off a year in which he posted a career-low in yards per route run. Thielen hasn't eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark since 2018 when he went for 113-1373-9 and has totaled 1,442 yards over the last two seasons. While clearly on the decline, Thielen can still serve as a legitimate red zone threat. His 25 red zone receptions ranked second in the league last season, while five of his six touchdowns came on end zone targets. It's unlikely he'll be anything more than a low-end WR3 for fantasy next season.
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I agree Flint. If Thielen is healthy he has potential to be a 2nd receiver on alot of teams. Even the 3rd option isn't bad but I hope he
doesn't end up lower than that. That is if he has interest and also if he doesn't decide to retire. He's had a very good career.
They were talking on ESPN where is might end up. One of the announcers said Buffalo. I would love that!
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Robert Woods just signed a 2 year, $15.3 million contract with Houston, and he's a decent receiver to compare to Thielen and his situation. Woods started for several years for Buffalo then went to the Rams, where he had some notable success, mostly while on the field at the same time as Cooper Kupp. Like Thielen he had two thousand yard receiving seasons, in '18 and '19, before starting to decline. He blew out his knee in '21 before signing with the Titans for '22, finishing with a forgettable line of 53/527/2. He will turn 31 in April.
Thielen had his thousand yard seasons in '17 and '18 before his numbers began to decline. He was injured a good portion of '19 while in '20 he ended up with 925 yards to go with 14 TDs. I attribute his lesser numbers the past two years mainly to the Vikings drafting Justin Jefferson, who unlike many highly touted receivers coming out of college lived up to the hype and then some. Thielen will be 33 in August.
Woods has 623 career catches to Thielen's 534, but here's why -- Woods started immediately as a rookie for the Bills at the age of 21. Thielen somewhat famously went undrafted, signed as a free agent with his home state team and had to go the WSTD route for several years. By the time he finally received regular playing time in 2016 he was already 26 -- the dreaded racial apprenticeship.
Thielen has had a better overall career and is a much more dangerous weapon in the red zone than Woods ever was. But he's two years older, so all in all a pretty good comparison. All the Texans have currently is Brandin Cooks, who wants out and is very likely to be traded; and Nico Collins, a third round draft pick in '21 who has been pedestrian in his first two years despite a lot of hype about how the Texans got a "steal" when he lasted till the third round, so depending on the draft and other factors, Woods looks to be their starter in '23 in the slot or possibly even outside. Let's see what kind of deal if any Thielen ends up with.
Thielen had his thousand yard seasons in '17 and '18 before his numbers began to decline. He was injured a good portion of '19 while in '20 he ended up with 925 yards to go with 14 TDs. I attribute his lesser numbers the past two years mainly to the Vikings drafting Justin Jefferson, who unlike many highly touted receivers coming out of college lived up to the hype and then some. Thielen will be 33 in August.
Woods has 623 career catches to Thielen's 534, but here's why -- Woods started immediately as a rookie for the Bills at the age of 21. Thielen somewhat famously went undrafted, signed as a free agent with his home state team and had to go the WSTD route for several years. By the time he finally received regular playing time in 2016 he was already 26 -- the dreaded racial apprenticeship.
Thielen has had a better overall career and is a much more dangerous weapon in the red zone than Woods ever was. But he's two years older, so all in all a pretty good comparison. All the Texans have currently is Brandin Cooks, who wants out and is very likely to be traded; and Nico Collins, a third round draft pick in '21 who has been pedestrian in his first two years despite a lot of hype about how the Texans got a "steal" when he lasted till the third round, so depending on the draft and other factors, Woods looks to be their starter in '23 in the slot or possibly even outside. Let's see what kind of deal if any Thielen ends up with.
Freethinker
Hall of Famer
Good assessment Don.
Just doing a quick internet search and reading the top articles, it seems Adam should be sought after by a number of WR needy teams. The Giants are an obvious fit, as Adam would be their best option immediately and give Jones a much needed weapon. The Bills are another good choice, as Gabe Davis seems better as the 3rd receiver. Thielen and Diggs were already a great pairing once before. I’ve seen the Jets, Ravens and Cowboys mentioned but no thanks to all 3.
Just doing a quick internet search and reading the top articles, it seems Adam should be sought after by a number of WR needy teams. The Giants are an obvious fit, as Adam would be their best option immediately and give Jones a much needed weapon. The Bills are another good choice, as Gabe Davis seems better as the 3rd receiver. Thielen and Diggs were already a great pairing once before. I’ve seen the Jets, Ravens and Cowboys mentioned but no thanks to all 3.
As White Lightning just posted on the Panthers thread, Thielen signed a 3 year deal with the Panthers. I like the length of it (though obviously it isn't guaranteed) and even the team he signed with as despite Carolina being a strong Caste team in recent years they currently have the worst group of receivers of any team in the NFL. And signing Hayden Hurst and Andy Dalton along with Adam improves them from a CF perspective.
Thielen is still only 32 years old, getting up there for most receivers but the corporate media has been acting like he's 40. He seems to stay in great shape so I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in Carolina. If he'd been drafted and gotten a chance to play right away as is the case with so many Black receivers he might have put up Hall of Fame numbers, especially if he still has a few more good seasons. Here's some of his career highlights. What a talented receiver:
Freethinker
Hall of Famer
Since he didn’t play a ton in his early 20s, hopefully he’s got a lot of tread left on the tires. He’s not an “old” 32.
If he’s running as the #1 receiver and stays healthy, I don’t see why he wouldn’t get enough targets to have a thousand yard season.
If he’s running as the #1 receiver and stays healthy, I don’t see why he wouldn’t get enough targets to have a thousand yard season.
Agree he should still have a lot of tread left on the tires to use an overused cliche.
A lot will depend on what the Panthers do with the QB they gave up way too much for to take as the first pick of the draft. If he's inserted as a starter right away I can see Thielen not doing much even if he's the defacto number one receiver. Frank Reich while with the Colts preferred White vets at the position, so the signing of Dalton may result in their prized rookie sitting out a season, in which case the Dalton to Thielen connection should excel for at least one season.
Panthers HC Frank Reich said whatever rookie quarterback he drafts is "going to get a lot of reps" in hopes he can start right away.
This is good news for early drafters taking shots on the likes of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud in early best ball drafts. After acquiring the No. 1 overall pick from the Bears earlier this month, Reich said he plans on meeting with each of the top-four quarterbacks in the 2023 class for a top-30 visit prior to the draft. Additionally, he also downplayed concerns over Young's height when asked about how that could affect his decision to draft him. The Panthers recently signed Andy Dalton to a two-year contract earlier this offseason, giving the team a capable starter should their rookie not be ready to start Week 1.