Adam Thielen Week 1 Outlook - Raiders at Panthers

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Fri, Sep 11th 2020, 1:01pm EDT

After an injury-plagued 2019 season, Thielen returns to the lineup as the clear-cut target hog in this offense. Even with Stefon Diggs on the team back in 2017 and 2018, Thielen averaged 9.3 targets per game. Now dealing with a rookie (Justin Jefferson) who missed training camp, as well as a newly-acquired wide receiver (Tajae Sharpe). The defense has taken a step back after losing five starters, so we're going to see more pass attempts this season. The Packers have Jaire Alexander sticking at left cornerback most of the time, but you have to wonder if they have him shadow Thielen considering the lack of surrounding talent on the Vikings wide receiver depth chart. Thielen moves all over the formation and won't be at one position more than 40 percent of the time, but Alexander is a solid cornerback who's constantly improving in his young career. He's not untouchable, though. He allowed 8.22 yards per target last year while allowing a touchdown every 20.8 targets in his coverage. This game has the potential to go upside down for the Vikings, which would leave Thielen with plenty of opportunities. He should see a minimum of eight targets, with a ceiling well into the double digits. The matchup isn't great, but it's not bad enough to move Thielen out of the low-end WR1/high-end WR2 territory this week.