Thielen surprised many in 2023 when he jumped on the radar as one of the best early waiver wire adds. There were only 10 WRs who scored more Fantasy points than Thielen until Week 12 and he had three weekly finishes inside the top five at the WR position during that span. After Week 11, Thielen finished inside the top 36 at WR just twice and never scored double-digit Fantasy points in a single week (standard scoring). Now entering his age-34 season, Thielen has more competition for targets after the Panthers drafted WR Xavier Legette with their first-round pick and traded for Diontae Johnson. They're also undergoing a scheme change and new head coach Dave Canales will funnel some of those WR targets to the RB position. Thielen is a low-upside swing for the final rounds of your draft despite his strong start in 2023.
Thielen is entering his 11th NFL season (second in Carolina) after a surprising rebound campaign in 2023 in which he cleared both 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. Thielen benefited from heavy usage as Bryce Young's only reliable target, ranking third among WRs in routes (605), 17th in target share (25%) and ninth in receptions (103). Thielen played well (his 76% catch rate ranked third) and ended up 17th at the position in fantasy points despite Carolina's overall offensive struggles. Thielen is likely headed for a step back in 2024, however, as he's now 34 years old and has substantially more competition for targets (Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette). Thielen should be valued as a low-ceiling flex option.
Rush Yds | Rush TD | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD |
---|---|---|---|---|
66.5 | 677.7 | 4.2 |
Pick 14.02
Pick 13.09
Pick 15.02
Pick 14.08
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
|
3 |
|
|
4 |
|
|
5 |
|
|
6 |
|
|
7 |
|
|
8 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
10 |
|
|
12 |
|
|
13 |
|
|
14 |
|
|
Fantasy Playoffs | ||
15 |
|
|
16 |
|
|
17 |
|
|
18 |
|