5 Minnesota Vikings who need to be great in 2020
2. WR Adam Thielen
Last season will go down as a lost one for Thielen, as he missed six full games and most of two others with a hamstring issue on his way to a dismal 30 catches for 418 yards and six touchdowns. Then he took a cleat to his ankle in the week leading up to the playoff game against the 49ers, but played through it.
With Stefon Diggs gone, Thielen is now the unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver for the Vikings. First-round pick Justin Jefferson will step right into a prominent role and promising second-year man Bisi Johnson will be counted on to step up some, but Gary Kubiak’s “everything sprouts off the running game” offenses have generally featured a prominent WR1.
Gary Kubiak's No. 1 WR ...
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 11, 2020
-Top-12 PPR in 12/23 seasons as a HC/OC
-Top-24 in 19/23 seasons with two of the exceptions due to injury
-138 targets per season; 144 if we take away the two-injury years pic.twitter.com/nmRGFWRTpc
Thielen topped 140 targets with over 90 catches and 1,200 yards in 2017 and 2018, as effectively a co-No. 1 with Diggs. This year he’ll be the guy opposing defenses will prominently scheme to take away, wherever he lines up. Thielen simply has to be up to the task, almost as much as Kirk Cousins will have to trust him on a lot of tight-window throws.