Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has been on a tear as of late. In the last two weeks — while facing the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles — the Pro Bowler has caught 13 of 16 targets for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Can he keep it up against the Detroit Lions in Week 7?
The Lions are a less favorable matchup for Thielen than the reeling Giants and Eagles' secondaries. The outside cornerback duo of Darius Slay and Rashaan Melvin has been stingy in 2019, The two man-to-man corners have combined for a 66.1 passer rating allowed in coverage.
However, the Lions have struggled to stop slot receivers consistently. That presents an ideal matchup for Thielen, as he is running about a third of his routes out of the slot, per Rotoballer. The Vikings offense may look to exploit Detroit's struggles defending the slot and, subsequently, get Slay or Melvin off of Thielen by playing him in the slot more often than not.
Of course, there is also the possibility that Slay shadows Thielen for the bulk of the divisional tilt. If so, his production will take a hit. Though Slay has missed two games in 2019, he has played the part of one of the NFL's best man-to-man corners when healthy.
The run-game will depict Thielen's productivity. As one of the NFL's most run-heavy teams, the Vikings will run on Detroit; that's especially true considering the Lions have allowed the 16th most running yards per game (526) and 13th most touchdowns (five). If Minnesota finds success on the ground, they may stick with it.
Or, they will do what they've done for the last two weeks: let the run set-up the pass. If the Vikings can get Dalvin Cook going, expect Thielen to find success off of deep play-action plays — which is a big part of his recent statistical blossoming.
In all, don't expect Thielen to set the NFL ablaze with a monster stat line, but he is an obvious play in fantasy football. The Vikings passing game has come into their own. If the coaching staff sees the same exploitable matchups (run setting up the pass and playing Thielen in the slot), then the star wide receiver will have a big game.
Final verdict: Thielen is a must play in fantasy football in Week 7. He has enjoyed a solid past two weeks and could have another big game if the Vikings see the same weaknesses in the Lions defense and exploit them.
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