You wouldn't know it by looking at early fantasy football draft results, but Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen was cruising along as a productive fantasy option last season, averaging more than six catches and 62 receiving yards per game through 11 of them, and with a cool 10 touchdowns. He was playing at a WR1 level, on his way to 100 receptions and 1,000 yards. Then he got hurt. Hey, football players get hurt.
Now we see Thielen going nowhere near even WR3 range in early drafts. It's easy to understand some of the reasoning for this discouraging lack of respect, since Thielen is coming off an ankle injury that truncated his season and required surgery. He is entering his age-31 season and, oh, Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook are obviously the top two options in this productive offense. But still, Round 9 in early ADP? Really? No, that makes little sense. Thielen is somehow being forgotten in drafts.
Fantasy managers love the young, ascendant wide receivers and often forget about the older, proven and productive options who may have suffered a setback or two in recent seasons but may easily return to prior levels. This article can be, and probably is, written every summer, with a few modifications to the names, and this writer often raises his hand to write it. Thielen going outside the top 40 wide receivers in early drafts hardly jibes with his value. He was a top-10 PPR wide receiver in 2018 and 2020, and well on his way to a 2021 repeat until injury intervened.
While most every player is likely to present only the most optimistic updates, Thielen recently told reporters that he feels fresh, energetic and reinvigorated, and most of all, back to complete health. Enigmatic quarterback Kirk Cousins boasts one of the better trios of offensive options at his disposal, and while Thielen may be the third choice there, he remains a productive one. Sure, we can quibble that he has been a bit touchdown-dependent for fantasy value, but he was on his way to 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards last season, too. New coach Kevin O'Connell seems likely to know this.
Add it up and there's a reason Thielen is quite capable of returning to WR2 status, and he sets up as one of the better bargains if his underwhelming ADP continues. The best part: You don't have to draft him as a WR2! Expectations are too far in check, and Thielen is hardly the only veteran wide receiver being forgotten in early drafts, going in Round 9 or later. Here are some others going later than Thielen:
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers: A fantasy star when he scored 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, Claypool was bound to see that number fall in 2021 -- and it sure did, but a bit too much. He scored twice in 15 games. There's a new-look Steelers offense this season sans Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and while that new look may seem underwhelming to most, Claypool figures to get more looks. Blessed with size and speed, his best season for catches and yards is likely ahead of him.
Robert Woods, Tennessee Titans: A solid WR2 for fantasy managers from 2018 to '20 with the Los Angeles Rams, Woods was strolling right along last season before tearing his ACL during a November practice. The Titans traded for him with confidence, moving on from both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones, and while they maintain a run-first offensive attack led by Derrick Henry -- and Woods may not be 100% healthy for September -- track record matters here.
Kenny Golladay, New York Giants: While it is a tad difficult to trust any of the wide receivers in a dysfunctional passing offense led by quarterback Daniel Jones, Golladay is the one getting paid the most money, so look for the team to do whatever it can to feature his considerable skills. Golladay caught 135 passes for 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns over a two-year period with the 2018-19 Detroit Lions, and he is 28 years old. He and enticing Kadarius Toney could be a magnificent tandem with health and modest quarterback play.
Jarvis Landry, New Orleans Saints: Injured and mostly ineffective with the Cleveland Browns a season ago, Landry comes home to Louisiana to handle slot duties for an organization in transition. Perhaps the Landry who caught more than 80 passes each of his first six seasons is gone forever, but he's only 29, and it is hardly a lock that colleagues Michael Thomas and rookie Chris Olave will star right away. Thomas missed all of 2021 and was arguably the biggest bust of the 2020 season, and his health is far from guaranteed. Still, he is going several rounds ahead of Thielen. Landry boasts little touchdown upside, but he could catch a whole lot of passes.
DeVante Parker, New England Patriots: Parker has been quite the fantasy bust since 2019, when he caught 72 passes for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. But he gets a new start in New England, where he could easily emerge as the top option for quarterback Mac Jones. Is it likely Parker returns to a WR2 level in this offense? Probably not, but a healthy Parker remains laden with upside.
Robbie Anderson, Carolina Panthers: A surprising star in his first Panthers season when he caught 95 passes for 1,096 yards, Anderson disappeared to prior New York Jets levels of production last season, when fantasy managers moved on before midseason. Quarterback play hardly helped, but Anderson went from a steady 8.1 yards per target for his career to 4.7 yards in 2021, a stunning decrease. Anderson and DJ Moore remain the top wide receiver options in Carolina.