It has been a tough year for Adam Thielen, who will face the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs this Sunday. The wide receiver began the season unhappy with the Minnesota Vikings' quarterback situation and wasn't even able to stay healthy once things with Kirk Cousins get resolved.

Since Week 7, Adam Thielen has played in just three games due to a nagging hamstring injury. During that time, he has logged just three catches, with all of them coming in Week 15.

Thielen most recently played in Week 16, failing to tally a catch on four targets.

While the 29-year-old has not looked quite himself since returning from the hamstring issue, he has been practicing without limitations insists that all is good to go for the Vikings' wild card matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

We'll find out just how healthy Adam Thielen really is this weekend, but one thing is for sure: Minnesota probably needs a big performance from him in order to upset a hungry Saints team on the road.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Adam Thielen is a well-known stud.

In 2018, he hauled in 113 receptions for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns, so when he is right, Thielen is one of the NFL's most lethal—and reliable—wide outs.

But that's just the thing: we haven't seen a “right” Adam Thielen since Week 6, and that is a major concern for the Vikings.

Yes, Minnesota still has fellow receiver Stefon Diggs and a couple of solid tight ends in Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr., not to mention an elite running back in Dalvin Cook.

But Thielen is absolutely vital to Minnesota's offense.

With a healthy Adam Thielen on the field, there are few teams in the league that can match the amount of weapons the Vikings can throw at you.

A solid quarterback. A great running game. A couple of dynamic receivers. Dependable tight ends.

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Minnesota can beat you in a variety of different ways, but it needs all of its pieces in tact to realize its potential.

Going up against a New Orleans club that many has pegged as a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC is bad enough. Doing so without a healthy Thielen makes matters even more complicated.

Even if Adam Thielen had played all season and had posted big numbers, the Vikings would still be viewed as underdogs against the Saints, which makes his play on Sunday all the more important.

For Minnesota to have a chance, Thielen needs to be Thielen. That means no lingering effects from the hamstring injury and no rust.

Is he capable of doing that after having barely played during the second half of the season?

It's a tall order, and it's something that Thielen is not accustomed to, as he had never had any serious injuries before 2019.

But it's something the Minnesota State product will have to do in order to give his team its best chance to upset New Orleans and move on to the Divisional Round.

Does that mean we should count on a huge outing from Thielen? No, but it sure would be nice to see.